Small, Bertrice 1937-

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Small, Bertrice 1937-

PERSONAL:

Born December 9, 1937, in New York, NY; daughter of David R. (a broadcaster) and Doris S. (a broadcaster) Williams; married George S. Small (a photographer and designer), October 5, 1963; children: Thomas David. Education: Attended Western College for Women, 1955-58, and Katharine Gibbs Secretarial School, 1958-59. Politics: "I vote for candidates, not parties." Religion: Anglican.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Southold, NY.

CAREER:

Young and Rubicam Advertising, New York, NY, secretary, 1959-60; Weed Radio and TV Representatives, New York, sales assistant, 1960-61; Edward Petrie & Co., New York, sales assistant, 1961-63; The Fat Cat (gift shop), Southold, NY, owner, 1976-81. Freelance writer, 1969—.

MEMBER:

Authors Guild, Novelist, Inc., Romance Writers of America/PAN, PASIC.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Honorable mention, Porgie Awards from West Coast Review of Books, 1979; Historical Romance Novelist of the Year Award, 1983, Best Historical Series Author Award, 1986, Career Achievement Historical Fantasy Award, 1991; Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004, all from Romantic Times; Silver Pen Award, 1988.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

The Kadin, Avon (New York, NY), 1978.

Love Wild and Fair, Avon (New York, NY), 1978.

Adora, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1980.

Skye O'Malley ("O'Malley Saga"), Ballantine (New York, NY), 1980.

Unconquered, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1982.

Beloved, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1983.

All the Sweet Tomorrows, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1984.

This Heart of Mine ("O'Malley Saga"), New American Library (New York, NY), 1985.

A Love for All Time ("O'Malley Saga"), New American Library (New York, NY), 1986.

Enchantress Mine, New American Library (New York, NY), 1987.

Blaze Wyndham, New American Library (New York, NY), 1988.

Lost Love Found ("O'Malley Saga"), Ballantine (New York, NY), 1989.

The Spitfire, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1990.

A Moment in Time, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1991.

Wild Jasmine ("O'Malley Saga"), Ballantine (New York, NY), 1992.

To Love Again, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1993.

Love, Remember Me, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1994.

The Love Slave, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1995.

Hellion, Ballantine (New York, NY), 1996.

Darling Jasmine, Kensington (New York, NY), 1997.

Betrayed, Fawcett Books, 1998.

Deceived, Kensington (New York, NY), 1998.

Bedazzled, Kensington (New York, NY), 1999.

The Innocent, Fawcett Books, 1999.

Besieged, Kensington, (New York, NY), 2000.

A Memory of Love, Ballantine (New York, NY), 2000.

Fascinated, Kensington (New York, NY), 2000.

Intrigued, Kensington (New York, NY), 2000.

The Duchess, Ballantine (New York, NY), 2001.

Just Beyond Tomorrow, Brava (New York, NY), 2002.

Rosamund, New American Library (New York, NY), 2002.

Delighted, Brava (New York, NY), 2002.

I Love Rogues, Brava/Kensington (New York, NY), 2003.

Until You, New American Library (New York, NY), 2003.

Vixens, Brava/Kensington (New York, NY), 2003.

Philippa, New American Library (New York, NY), 2004.

Private Pleasures, New American Library (New York, NY), 2004.

The Dragon Lord's Daughters, Brava/Kensington (New York, NY), 2004.

The Last Heiress, New American Library (New York, NY), 2005.

Lara, HQN (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2005.

Forbidden Pleasures, New American Library (New York, NY), 2006.

A Distant Tomorrow, HQN (Don Mills, Ontario, Canada), 2006.

A Dangerous Love, New American Library (New York, NY), 2006.

Sudden Pleasures, New American Library (New York, NY), 2007.

ADAPTATIONS:

Skye O'Malley was adapted as an audiobook by Romance Alive Audio, 1994.

SIDELIGHTS:

Bertrice Small is among the writers credited with producing the first romance novels in which romantic pursuits are only part of the heroines' adventurous lives. Carol Thurston, writing in Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, observed that these authors "stirred the embers of a revolution in romance that within the space of one decade wrought dramatic changes in both the character and conventions of the genre." Small's heroines are bold and determined, struggling to balance their personal and political lives with their need for independence.

The Kadin offers an inside look at life in a Middle Eastern harem. The heroine, who belongs to the harem, is caught up in a political struggle that puts her life and her son's life in danger. Small's well-known "O'Malley Saga," begins with Skye O'Malley. The title character finds true love with four different men over the course of the story. While each man assumes the role of the hero for a short time, it is not until the end of the sequel, All the Sweet Tomorrows, that a single hero emerges as the embodiment of the mature relationship toward which Skye has been moving all along. Wild Jasmine is the final installment of the "O'Malley Saga," and features Yasaman Kama Begum, Skye's granddaughter. Yasaman escapes seventeenth-century India and goes to England, where she becomes caught up in the workings of her new family and the court of King James.

In 2005, Small began a new series featuring the half-human, half-faerie princess Lara. In Lara, the protagonist is sold into slavery by her mercenary father, and must rely on the strength of her faerie blood to guide her through the dangerous fantasy world of Hetar. In A Distant Tomorrow, Lara is exiled from her kingdom after avenging the death of her husband and must travel across the sea, where she meets the one man who may be her equal.

Small once told CA: "I consider myself one of the most fortunate people alive to be able to earn my living doing something that I love doing—writing historical fiction. My career has put me in contact with other authors, which is a great blessing for me, since novelists, like whooping cranes, are a very endangered species and enjoy congregating together occasionally with their own kind. It's nice to be with people who don't think you're strange because you earn your living doing something everyone always told you you couldn't possibly do and be successful. I hope to go on this way until I die!

"The greatest blessing of this rather odd lifestyle of mine, however, is that I have come in contact with the readers. I am amazed by the variety of people who read historical romance: men and women of all ages, educational backgrounds, and socioeconomic groupings. I have gained a great respect for the readers, and I only wish the publishers knew them as well as I do. My mail comes in from all over the world, including South Africa, where, I understand, I am no longer banned. My books are translated into French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, German, Norwegian, Russian, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Latvian, Swedish, Danish, and Japanese."