Courtney Milan, a pseudonym for Heidi Bond, is an American author of historical and contemporary romance novels.
Prior to her writing career, Bond was a law clerk for Sandra Day O'Connor of the United States Supreme Court and for Judge Alex Kozinski.
[1] Kozinski soon resigned his lifetime appointment, and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts ordered a review of how the federal judiciary handled reports of sexual harassment.
[2] Milan served on the board of directors of the Romance Writers of America (RWA) for four years, spearheading efforts to make the organization more diverse and inclusive.
Milan was born in 1976, to her American father Doug Bond, a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Riverside, and her Chinese-American mother, Gloria.
Milan discussed the harassment and the discomfort it caused her with her friend and fellow author Eve Ortega, but chose not to report it.
[11] Milan began reading romance novels during her time as a law clerk, as a diversion from the voluminous legal research she was required to do.
[10] Milan told The Washington Post that the transition was natural; "'One of the skills that makes you a good lawyer is the ability to take a bunch of disparate facts and weave them together into something that tells a story that pulls on the human imagination.
The novel received a starred review in Publishers Weekly, which called the book "delightful" and praised Milan's humor, characterization, and plot.
Serruya at first denied any wrongdoing, then withdrew Royal Love from consideration for a RITA Award and blamed the plagiarism on a ghostwriter she had hired to write the book.
[14] In late 2017, the #MeToo movement gained traction, as increasing numbers of women spoke out about sexual harassment that they had experienced in the workplace.
Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts commissioned a board to review how harassment claims were handled within the judiciary.
[17] Milan was elected to the Romance Writers of America board of directors for multiple terms and served four years.
Milan reviewed a book written by Tisdale's other acquiring editor, Kathryn Lynn Davis, calling its depiction of a half-Chinese heroine racist.
[20] The RWA was forced to cancel the 2020 RITA Awards after hundreds of authors resigned as judges and more than 300 stories were withdrawn from consideration.
[20] Davis admitted to The Guardian that her initial complaint was exaggerated - she had never had a contract for more books and did not explicitly lose anything because of Milan's comments.