Copeland, Lori 1941-

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COPELAND, Lori 1941-

PERSONAL: Born June 12, 1941, in Springfield, MO; daughter of John Seneca and Josephine Alice (Pottenger) Smart; married Lance Eldon Copeland (a planner), June 14, 1958; children: Randall, Richard, Russell. Religion: Methodist.

ADDRESSES: Home—4881 S. Jewell, Springfield, MO 65810. Office—1340 W. Battlefield, Ste. 106, Springfield, MO 65807-4102. Agent—Evan Marshall Agency, 22 South Park St., Montclair, NJ 07042.

CAREER: Romance novelist, 1982—.

MEMBER: Romance Writers of America, Novelists Ink, and Ozark Romance Authors.

AWARDS, HONORS: Career Achievement Award from Romantic Times, 1991; Affaire de Couer Conference, Silver Certificate, 1987, Gold Certificate, 1988, for Passion's Captive; inducted into the Missouri Writers' Hall of Fame, 2000; Reviewers' Choice award, Romantic Times, 2002, for the "Heavenly Daze" series.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Playing for Keeps, Dell (New York, NY), 1983.

A Tempting Stranger, Dell (New York, NY, 1983.

All or Nothing, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Rainbow's End, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Out of Control, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

A Winning Combination, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Two of a Kind, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Only the Best, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

High Voltage, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

More Than She Bargained For, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Spitfire, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Forever After, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

TugofWar, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

Hot on His Trail, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

When Lightning Strikes, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

A Love of Our Own, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

Passion's Folly, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

Avenging Angel, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

Tale of Love, Dell (New York, NY), 1988.

Passion's Captive, Dell (New York, NY), 1988.

The Trouble with Thorny, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988.

Sweet Talkin' Stranger, Dell (New York, NY), 1989.

Dancy's Woman, Pageant (New York, NY), 1989.

Tall Cotton, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Darling Deceiver, Loveswept (New York, NY), 1990.

Fool Me Once, Dell (New York, NY), 1990.

Tiz the Season, Loveswept (New York, NY, 1990.

Sweet Hannah Rose, Dell (New York, NY), 1991.

Squeeze Play, Loveswept (New York, NY), 1991.

Melancholy Baby, Loveswept (New York, NY), 1991.

Forever, Ashley, Dell (New York, NY), 1992.

Taste of Temptation, Loveswept (New York, NY), 1992.

Built to Last, Loveswept (New York, NY), 1992.

Timeless Love, Avon (New York, NY), 1993.

Three Complete Novels (contains Avenging Angel, Passion's Captive, and Sweet Talkin' Stranger), Wings Books (New York, NY), 1994.

The Courtship of Cade Kolby, Avon (New York, NY), 1997.

(With others) With This Ring: A Quartet of Charming Stories about Four Very Special Weddings, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1998.

Child of Grace, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.

Christmas Vows: $5.00 Extra, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2001.

Roses Will Bloom Again, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.

Stranded in Paradise: A Story of Letting Go, Word Publishing (Nashville, TN), 2002.

"SISTERS OF MERCY FLATS" TRILOGY

Promise Me Today, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1992.

Promise Me Tomorrow, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1993.

Promise Me Forever, Fawcett (New York, NY), 1994.

"BRIDES OF THE WEST" SERIES

Faith, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1998.

Hope, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1999.

June, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 1999.

Glory, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2000.

Ruth, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2002.

Patience, Heart Quest (Wheaton, IL), 2004.

WITH ANGELA HUNT; "HEAVENLY DAZE" SERIES

The Island of Heavenly Daze, Word Publishing (Nashville, TN), 2000.

Grace in Autumn, Word Publishing (Nashville, TN), 2001.

A Warmth in Winter, Word Publishing (Nashville, TN), 2001.

A Perfect Love, Word Publishing (Nashville, TN), 2002.

Hearts at Home, Word Publishing (Nashville, TN), 2003.

"MORNING SHADE MYSTERY" SERIES

A Case of Bad Taste, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2003.

A Case of Crooked Letters, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.

A Case of Nosy Neighbors, Tyndale House (Wheaton, IL), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Since Dell published her first novel in 1983, Lori Copeland has written dozens of Christian romance novels and created several series, including the popular "Brides of the West" series. The first three books in the series are named for sisters Faith, June, and Hope Kallahan, whose pastor father has died, leaving them with no means of support. Faith, the eldest at nineteen, and her younger sisters answer an ad for mail-order brides, then in 1872, set out from their home in Michigan for Western adventures. The second three titles are named for other young women who follow in their footsteps. In Faith, the first sister travels to Texas to meet her intended, Nicholas, a rancher who then has second thoughts. When she turns her attention to teaching Braille to the son of a local widower, Nicholas realizes he may lose her. Library Journal's Melissa Hudak felt that the characters are endowed "with enough liveliness to make the book a fun light read."

June finds the sister in Seattle to marry Eli Messenger, the assistant of a well-known evangelist. When she arrives, however, she finds Eli ill, and after he dies, she stays to help with the local orphanage. She soon discovers that the evangelist, Isaac Inman, has been funneling funds intended for the orphans to build a fancy tabernacle. June does find romance with Eli's friend, Parker Sentell, and together they try to show Inman the error of his ways. Hudak noted that the character of the flawed clergyman is "an intriguing twist in a genre that usually demands perfect behavior from its religious characters."

Unknown to the residents of Heavenly Daze, an island off the coast of Maine, they share their idyllic setting with seven angels who have safeguarded the residents for more than two centuries, and six of the angels have taken human forms and live among them. Library Journal's Shawna Saavedra Thorup reviewed A Perfect Love, the fourth book in the "Heavenly Daze" series, the plot of which involves a couple having marital problems. "Amusing incidents . . . keep the pace brisk," noted Thorup, "and the angelic assistance is low-key but powerful."

Copeland began her "Morning Shade Mystery" series with A Case of Bad Taste, which features novelist Maude Diamond, her widowed daughter, and her mother-in-law, Stella, who has moved in with Maude. Maude is suffering writer's block but becomes inspired when Stella and her card-playing friends talk about neighborhood break-ins in which the culprit doesn't take anything, just redecorates. With this series, Copeland heads in a new direction with a multigenerational cast of women who solve mysteries in their town of Morning Shade.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Library Journal, November 1, 1998, Melissa Hudak, review of Faith, p. 64; April 1, 1999, Melissa Hudak, review of June, p. 79; September 1, 2002, Shawn Saavedra Thorup, review of A Perfect Love, p. 156; April 1, 2004, Tamara Butler, review of A Case of Crooked Letters, p. 78.

Today's Christian Woman, March-April, 2004, review of A Case of Crooked Letters, p. 8.