Tosca Lee

Tosca Lee (born December 1, 1969) is a bestselling American author known for her historical novels and thrillers.

Lee was born in Roanoke, Virginia, United States to a Korean father and Caucasian American mother. Her father, Professor Emeritus Sang Moon Lee, who had early aspirations of an opera career, named Tosca for his favorite Puccini opera.

As a young classically trained ballerina and pianist Lee pursued an early career in dance until injuries derailed hopes of a successful career.

Lee received her BA from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts in English language and literature. She also studied international economics at Oxford University. While at Smith, Lee wrote her first novel—a story of the Stonehenge people of Salisbury plain (unpublished).

She began writing professionally in 1992 for Smart Computing Magazine, during which time she co-authored two computer books. In the 1990s, Lee held two pageant titles, Mrs. Nebraska America 1996 and Mrs. Nebraska United States 1998, and placed first runner-up to Mrs. United States. For her philanthropic work and advocacy of health, women's, children's, ethnic, and cultural groups, she was awarded an admiralship of the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska by then-governor Ben Nelson. During this time she wrote as a freelancer and penned the majority of her second novel (unpublished).

After setting the pageant world aside, she went to work in 2003 for the Gallup Organization as a senior consultant to Fortune 500 companies.