Rand T'Ash, the protagonist of Heart Mate, is a famed jeweler whose flair manifests in his exquisite lapidary artistry. They named their main city Druida, and it is here, in an atmosphere blending magic, psychic powers, and ancient religious beliefs, that Owens spins her tales.

The planet they found is called Celta in honor of their ancient Celtic beliefs. The premise here is that, hundreds of years ago, twenty-five families of colonists left Earth in three spaceships to find a new planet where their psychic abilities, called 'flair,' could be developed and used in peace without engendering the fear, distrust, and sometimes outright loathing of their fellow humans. Heart Mate is the first novel in Owens's 'Celta' series. 'I firmly believe that any man who reads a well-written romance will learn what a woman wants,' she remarked on her home page. 'This hasn't changed.' Owens also believes that the romance genre could go a long way towards ameliorating the age-old battle of the sexes. 'When I wrote as a child, it was always about imaginary worlds with maps to go along,' she continued. 'I loved fairy tales, science fiction, fantasy and magic,' she commented in an online interview for Writer's Space. A writer since a young age, Owens's work has consistently leaned toward fantasy. Though she has tried writing in other romance genres, such as paranormal suspense and Regency historicals, she has found her most comfortable narrative voice to be in futuristic and fantasy romance. She is a winner of the RITA award given by the Romance Writers of America, several Paranormal Excellence awards for romantic literature awards, and a number of awards in other categories. Owens is a prolific author of novels in the fantasy romance genre. Heart Choice, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2005. Heart Duel, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2004. Heart Thief, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2003. Heart Mate, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2001. Sorceress of Faith, Luna (New York, NY), 2006. Guardian of Honor, Luna ( New York, NY), 2005. (With Sherrilyn Kenyon and Rebecca York) What Dreams May Come (three novellas), Berkley Sensation ( New York, NY), 2005. E-mail- ĪWARDS, HONORS: Paranormal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature for Best New author and Best Fantasy/Magical Romance, both 2001, both for Heart Mate, Best Fantasy/Magical Romance, 2003, and Best Futuristic, 2004, for Heart Duel RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance, Romance Writers of America, 2002, for Heart Mate Beacon Contest first-place winner in paranormal category, 2002 Writer of the Year Award, Denver Area Science-Fiction Association, 2002 Writer of the Year Award, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, 2004 Golden Lungfish Award, Denver Area Science-Fiction Association, 2004 PRISM award for Best Futuristic, 2004, for Heart Thief Reviewer's International Organization Award of Excellence for Best Futuristic, 2005, for Heart Duel.

Heart Thief by Robin D. Owens