After winning first place in a fiction writing contest, she decided to try her hand at novels. Starting with romantic thrillers and romantic suspense, she switched to (mostly) medical and crime thrillers in 1996, and has sold more than 30 million books in 40 languages. Tess has received the Nero Wolfe Award, the Rita Award, and the Robert B. Parker Award. She’s also written screenplays and composed music.