JAFFE, Michele (Sharon)

PERSONAL: Female. Education: Harvard University, B.A., 1991, Ph.D., 1998.

ADDRESSES: Home—Las Vegas, NV. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Huntington Library, San Marino, CA, staff member; Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, instructor in Shakespeare.

WRITINGS:

The Story of O: Prostitutes and Other Good-for-Nothings in the Renaissance, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA), 1999.

ROMANCE NOVELS

The Stargazer, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1999.

The Water Nymph, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Lady Killer, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Secret Admirer, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Bad Girl, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Lover Boy, Ballantine Books (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Michele Jaffe left her job in academics to pursue a career as a romance novelist. In an online interview with Beatrice Interview Jaffe claims about her career change, "It first started when it became startlingly clear that I didn't want to be an academic. But I loved doing research, I loved what I was studying, and I wanted another outlet for the fascinating facts that I was finding, the interesting people I was meeting in my research." Jaffe earned her Ph.D. in the comparative literature of the Renaissance, and her novels are set in that time period. Jaffe's novels are part of a series that features six male cousins.

Jaffe's first novel The Stargazer is set in Venice. Bianca Salva stumbles across the body of Isabella Bellochio, who was stabbed with a dagger belonging to aristocrat Ian Foscari. Ian, upon receiving a note from Isabella, goes to see her. He walks in just as Bianca pulls the dagger out of the body, and assumes that Bianca is the killer. Ian decides to bring Bianca to his castle and gives her one week to prove her innocence. As a cover-up he tells everyone that she is his fiancee, which will please his family since they want him to be married. Bianca, the daughter of a doctor, agrees as long as she can perform an autopsy. As Bianca and Ian work to find the true murderer they fall passionately in love. Booklist contributor Patty Engelmann concluded, "Jaffe's characters are intriguing, and the plot's many twists and turns are wonderfully entertaining."

Jaffe's second novel, The Water Nymph, is set in England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Grispin Foscari, the earl of Sandal, is dismissed from his position on Queen Elizabeth's secret service after being accused of treason. He has two weeks to uncover the person who is making the accusations. During his investigation, Crispin meets Sophie Champion, a businesswoman who is investigating the suspicious death of her father. Their paths cross numerous times and they develop a mutual admiration and love for each other. "Fast-paced historical fiction fairly crackling with passion and suspense," praised Margaret Flanagan in a Booklist review.

Secret Admirer is set in London, England, in the late 1500s. Lady Tuesday Arlington finds that painting the scenes of her deathly nightmares helps her deal with them. But when her husband is murdered her paintings incriminate her as the killer. Investigating the murder is Lawrence Pickering. As he investigates, he begins to believe that Lady Tuesday is not the real killer and falls in love with her. At the same time the murderer sets his sights on Pickering. Romantic Times contributor Kathe Robin claimed, "Jaffe creates a masterful and highly suspenseful mystery with enough red herrings and stunning surprises to keep any fan enthralled."

Jaffe's novel Lady Killer is also set in London, England, in the late 1500s. Miles Loredon killed the vampire of London three years ago in front of numerous witnesses. But detective Lady Clio Thornton finds the body of a woman who appears to have died of a vampire bite. Clio approaches Miles, who is to be married to her cousin, with her findings. Clio and Miles work to solve the case, but along the way they fall in love. Romantic Times contributor Kathe Robin commented, "a compelling, hard-to-put-down read."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 1, 1999, Patty Engelmann, review of The Stargazer, p. 1581; June 1, 2000, Margaret Flanagan, review of The Water Nymph, p. 1857.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2000, review of The Water Nymph, p. 511.

Library Journal, May 1, 1999, Kim Uden Rutter, review of The Stargazer, p. 110; October 1, 1999, review of The Stargazer, p. 51; May 15, 2000, Kim Uden Rutter, review of The Water Nymph, p. 125.

Publishers Weekly, June 7, 1999, review of The Stargazer, p. 71; May 1, 2000, review of The Water Nymph, p. 50; May 20, 2002, review of Lady Killer and Secret Admirer, p. 53.

Renaissance Quarterly, autumn, 2000, David Marsh, review of The Story of O: Prostitutes and Other Good-for-Nothings in the Renaissance, p. 906.

Seventeenth-Century News, fall, 2000, Edward H. Thompson, review of The Story of O, pp. 232-235.

ONLINE

All about Romance,http://www.likesbooks.com/ (September 5, 2002), Colleen McMahon, review of The Stargazer; Blythe Barnhill, review of The Water Nymph; Jennifer Keirans, review of Lady Killer.

Beatrice Interview,http://www.beatrice.com/ (September 5, 2002), "Michele Jaffe."

Book Browser,http://www.bookbrowser.com/ (September 5, 2002), Harriet Klausner, review of The Water Nymph; Harriet Klausner, review of Lady Killer and Secret Admirer.

Escape to Romance,http://www.escapetoromance.com/ (September 5, 2002), Darlene Howard, review of Lady Killer and Secret Admirer.

Michele Jaffe Web site,http://www.michelejaffe.com/ (September 5, 2002).

Romance Reader,http://www.theromancereader.com/ (September 5, 2002), Cathy Sova, review of The Stargazer.

Romantic Times,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (September 5, 2002), Kathryn Falk, review of The Stargazer; Kathe Robin, review of The Stargazer; Kathe Robin, review of The Water Nymph; Kathe Robin, review of Secret Admirer; Kathe Robin, review of Lady Killer.

Simon & Schuster Web site,http://www.simonsays.com/ (September 5, 2002), "Michele Jaffe."*