is an American novelist. Her 36 novels have been translated into 26 languages. She often writes about nature and the sea, and many of her novels deal with love and family. She is the author of The Lemon Orchard, Little Night, The Silver Boat and Beach Girls.

Several of Rice's novels have been adapted for television, including Crazy in Love for TNT, Blue Moon for CBS, Follow the Stars Home and Silver Bells for the Hallmark Hall of Fame, and Beach Girls for a summer 2005 mini-series on Lifetime.