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Lisa Klebas was born on November 5, 1964 in Temple, Texas. She is the American best-selling author of historical and contemporary romance novels. In 1985, she was named Miss Massachusetts 1985 and competed in the 1986 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City. Lisa Klebas was born on November 5, 1964 in Temple, Texas, to architects Linda and Lloyd Klebas. She began writing her romance novels while on her summer vacation from studying political science at Wellesley College. Her parents agreed to support her for a few months after her graduation so that she could finish her latest manuscript. About two months later, at the age of twenty-one, Kleypas sold her first novel. The same year she sold her first novel, Kleypas was named Miss Massachusetts. During her Miss America competition, Kleypas performed a song she had written, earning her the "Infinite Gifted" award. Kleypas has been a full-time romance writer since 1985. Her novels have ranked highly on bestseller lists, selling millions of copies worldwide and being translated into fourteen different languages. In October 1998, the Klipas' Texas home was flooded within hours after torrential rains hit their city. She and her family lost everything except the clothes they were wearing and her handbag. Within days, her Avon colleagues sent boxes of clothes and books to help the family recover. But for Kleypas, it was the defining moment after the flood, when she and her mother (whose house was also flooded) made a quick trip to the store to buy a toothbrush, clean clothes and other necessities. Separately, each of them also chose a romance novel, which is a necessity for them to help them escape the stress they are currently experiencing. For Kleypas, this realization validated her decision to write romance novels rather than more literary works. Although Kleypas is primarily known for her historical romance novels, she made an announcement in early 2006 regarding her momentary departure from historical romance to delve deeper into the contemporary romance genre. Kleypas has since written two additional historical romance series: "The Hathaways" and "The Ravenels," as well as an additional contemporary romance series, "The Travis Series." Kleypas lives in Washington with her husband, Gregory Ellis, and their two children: Griffin and Lindsey.