Jessica Bird is an American novelist known for writing in multiple romance genres under different pen names. She publishes contemporary romance under her own name and paranormal romance under the pen name J.R. Ward. Bird has achieved significant recognition in the romance writing community, winning the Romance Writers of America RITA Award three times. She won once as Jessica Bird for the novel From the First, and twice as J.R. Ward for Lover Revealed and Dearest Ivie. Her work has reached a broad international audience. According to Louisville Magazine, her books have been published in 25 countries and translated into several languages, with over 16 million copies reported in print. Her novels have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list and have found particular success in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and several South American countries.