Carla Kelly

Carla Sue Kelly (born 1947) is an American writer in the Regency romance genre. She is the author of over forty books and short stories and is a two time winner of the Romance Writers of America's RITA Award.

Kelly is known for what she calls "dukeless" regencies, her stories often revolve around ordinary people solving their own problems. She also has a strong interest in the American West, which is reflected in her earliest published works and in her non-fiction. Since 2011, Kelly, who has a Mormon background, has written five historical romance novels that focus on the lives of young Mormon women: Borrowed Light, Enduring Light, My Loving Vigil Keeping, Safe Passage, and One Step Enough.

Biography Kelly was born in 1947 and is the daughter of a Navy officer. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where she studied Latin American history. She completed a master's degree at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, in American history, with a focus on the Civil War and Indian Wars. Kelly lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho with her husband.

Writing career Kelly began writing Regency Romances because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). A major theme in her books is how war touches the lives of ordinary people.

Kelly has also written a series of short stories about the men, women and children of Fort Laramie during the Indian Wars era of American history. In 2003 her entire collection of Indian War stories was re-published in Here's to the Ladies: Stories from the Frontier Army.