Ellis, Julie 1933-2006 (Alison Lord, Jeffrey Lord, Susan Marino, Julie Marvin, Richard Marvin, Susan Marvin, Susan Richard)

PERSONAL:

Born February 21, 1933, in Columbus, GA; died of a stroke, February, 2006; children: Susan, Richard.

CAREER:

Novelist. Formerly off-Broadway actress and playwright.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS; UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

The Women around R.F.K. (nonfiction), Lancer (New York, NY), 1967.

(Under pseudonym Alison Lord) Deedee, Pyramid (New York, NY), 1969, published as The Strip in London, Sphere (London, England), 1970.

(Under pseudonym Jeffrey Lord) Jeb, Pyramid (New York, NY), 1970.

(Under pseudonym Julie Marvin) Revolt of the Second Sex (nonfiction), Lancer (New York, NY), 1970.

Evil at Hillcrest, Avon (New York, NY), 1971.

(Under pseudonym Susan Marino) Vendetta Castle, Avon (New York, NY), 1971.

Walk into Darkness, Dell (New York, NY), 1973.

Kara, Dell (New York, NY), 1974, Five Star (Unity, ME), 2000.

Eden, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1975.

Walk a Tightrope, Dell (New York, NY), 1975.

Eulalie, Avon (New York, NY), 1976.

The Magnolias, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1976.

The Girl in White, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1976.

Rendezvous in Vienna, Dell (New York, NY), 1976.

Wexford, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1976.

Savage Oaks, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1977.

Long Dark Night of the Soul, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1978.

Glorious Morning, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1982.

East Wind, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1983.

Maison Jennie, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1984.

Rich Is Best, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1985.

The Only Sin, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1986.

The Velvet Jungle, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1987.

A Daughter's Promise, Arbor House (New York, NY), 1988.

Loyalties, Morrow (New York, NY), 1989.

No Greater Love, Morrow (New York, NY), 1991.

Trespassing Hearts, Putnam (New York, NY), 1992.

Lasting Treasures, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

Commitment, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Far to Go, Kensington Books (New York, NY), 1995.

An Uncommon Woman, Wheeler Publishers (Accord, MA), 1997.

Nine Days to Kill, G.K. Hall (Thorndike, ME), 1997.

The Geneva Rendezvous, Severn House Publishers (London, England), 1997.

Second Time Around, Severn House Publishers (London, England), 1997.

When the Summer People Have Gone, Severn House Publishers (London, England), 1998.

The Italian Affair, Severn House Publishers (London, England), 1998.

A Woman for All Seasons, HarperCollins (London, England), 1998.

Villa Fontaine, Severn House Publishers (London, England), 1999.

Single Mother, Severn House Publishers (London, England), 1999.

A Sacred Obligation, HarperCollins (London, England), 2000.

Best Friends, Severn House (London, England), 2000.

The House on the Lake, Severn House (London, England), 2000.

A Town Named Paradise, Severn House (London, England), 2001.

Another Eden, Severn House (London, England), 2002.

When Tomorrow Comes, Severn House (London, England), 2003.

A Turn in the Road, Severn House (London, England), 2004.

Small-Town Dreams, Severn House (London, England), 2004.

One Day at a Time, Severn House (London, England), 2004.

Dark Legacy, Severn House (London, England), 2005.

Silent Rage, Severn House (London, England), 2006.

New Day Dawning, Severn House (London, England), 2006.

Fire Island Summer, Five Star (Waterville, Me.), 2006.

On the Outside Looking In, Severn House (London, England), 2007.

Somers v. Somers, Severn House (London, England), 2008.

Desperate Journey, Severn House (London, England), 2008.

A New Day Dawning, Severn House (London, England), 2008.

"HAMPTON" SERIES

The Hampton Heritage, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1978.

The Hampton Women, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1980.

The Hampton Passion, Severn House (London, England), 2001.

UNDER PSEUDONYM SUSAN MARVIN

The Secret of the Villa Como, Lancer (New York, NY), 1966.

Chateau in the Shadows, Dell (New York, NY), 1969.

Summer of Fear, Dell (New York, NY), 1971.

The Jeweled Dagger, Dell (New York, NY), 1973.

The Secret of Chateau Laval, Avon (New York, NY), 1973; as Susan Richard, 1975.

Where Is Holly Carleton?, Beagle, 1974.

Chateau Bougy-Villars, Zebra (New York, NY), 1975.

UNDER PSEUDONYM SUSAN RICHARD

Ashley Hall, Paperback Library (New York, NY), 1967.

Intruder at Maison Benedict, Paperback Library (New York, NY), 1967.

The Secret of Chateau Kendall, Paperback Library (New York, NY), 1967.

Chateau Saxony, Paperback Library (New York, NY), 1970.

Terror at Nelson Woods, Paperback Library (New York, NY), 1973.

SIDELIGHTS:

Julie Ellis was a prolific author of family sagas, romance novels, and novels of suspense. In Love's Leading Ladies, a 1982 book on romance writers by Kathryn Falk, Ellis explained that "when I started writing in the 1960s, publishers always wanted a certain name for a certain category of books. They said it was upsetting to a reader who expects a Gothic novel to find it's contemporary." She decided to solve this dilemma by writing in a variety of pseudonyms. Ellis stated that she has written nearly 150 books under numerous names.

Born February 21, 1933, in Columbus, Georgia, Ellis gained fame as a romance novelist who set her tales against historical backgrounds. She turned her work out at a rapid pace since the late 1960s and wrote under her real name steadily since 1975. That year she produced Eden, a tale combining love, lust, and strife on a Louisiana plantation. Other Ellis novels from this period are also rooted in the South, such as Wexford, The Girl in White, and Savage Oaks.

Aiming to write longer books with more research behind them, Ellis created a two-part series, comprised of The Hampton Heritage and The Hampton Women, which places her female protagonists in Georgia during the early 1900s. Twenty years later she added a third volume, The Hampton Passion, to the series. This novel focuses on Liz Hampton Adams, unhappily married to a doctor so devoted to his job that he has little time for her. On a business trip to Miami, Liz meets a real estate developer with whom she starts an affair. After several ups and downs, however, Liz comes to realize that her husband's love means more to her than anything else. John Charles, writing in Booklist, compared Ellis's family saga to the stories of Belva Plain and Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Another Depression-era novel is Far to Go. This story begins with Fran Goldman, daughter of a successful ladies shop owner in Bellevue, Georgia. Though Fran leaves home to follow her dream of becoming a journalist, she encounters several shocks, including being shot and slightly injured when she attends a rally against racism. Soon after, her husband, a law student, succumbs to lung cancer, and Fran finds herself a single mother with two young daughters. She returns home to support her family by taking the helm at her father's business. The story moves on as Fran's daughter Lynne aims for a law career but suffers a failed marriage, and daughter Debbie becomes obsessed with finding the person who brutally murdered her husband. Watching her daughters' lives unfold, Fran finds fleeting happiness in the arms of Craig Hendricks, a married man. Calling Far to Go a "moving family saga," Romantic Times Online Web site contributor Jill M. Smith observed that "Julie Ellis excels at writing uplifting novels which highlight the deep emotional commitment and sacrifices made by strong individuals for the sake of their families." Kathleen Hughes, writing in Booklist, admired Ellis's "natural storytelling skills" and "memorable characters." Ellis "writes with a fluent historical perspective," observed a contributor to Publishers Weekly, who added that "Ellis keeps the story brewing heady and strong."

Moving from 1917 to World War II, Lasting Treasures tells the story of Viktoria Gunsburg, a refugee from revolution-era Russia who marries a tobacco heir and climbs her way to the top of the corporate ladder in America while hiding her Jewish origins. A Publishers Weekly reviewer felt that the book strained too hard to cover too much material, resulting in a "superficial blur" of events. Better received was Commitment, which follows the life of Carol Simon, who marries young after her father's suicide during the Depression and is soon widowed. Determined to become an architect, Carol moves to New York City, gets a job, and meets Seth Walden, a writer from the South. World War II separates the lovers, but they meet again in Paris and wed. Their marriage weathers Seth's blacklisting during the McCarthy era, Carol's numerous miscarriages, and the strain when Carol's eventual success at her career eclipses that of Seth, who remains unknown. A writer for Publishers Weekly found the plot predictable but praised Ellis's use of historical detail and her creation of "likable" characters.

Ellis made use of the post-World War II setting again in Small-Town Dreams. After serving as a WAC, Laurie Evans attended college on the GI bill and is now searching for the right husband. But she finds herself attracting the wrong kind of attention when she comes to the defense of a Russian pianist whose concert had been cancelled because of Cold War suspicions about his politics. Neil, who had made a pass at Laurie but been rejected, now comes to her defense as the town erupts in a Communist witch hunt.

On the Outside Looking In focuses on Castro's Cuba. The novel, which Booklist reviewer Aleksandra Kostovski described as a "portrait of resilience in the face of overwhelming circumstances," traces the romance between Chris, a Havana doctor, and Eva, a nurse. Both are frustrated by the restrictions of Castro's regime, but love their country and stay on to make a life for themselves. When their infant son develops a serious heart ailment, however, they find that the only treatment available is in the United States.

More exotic themes and settings occur with Glorious Morning, in which Ellis explores the world of Rissa Lindowska, a Polish-born actress who finds success in Yiddish theater in New York. True to the form of an Ellis character, she suffers romantic wounds inflicted by untrustworthy men. East Wind takes place in Hong Kong, and in Maison Jennie, Ellis combined her taste for exotic settings—also displayed in her earlier pseudonymous titles such as Chateau Saxony—with her southern roots, placing the book's heroine in New Orleans while her true love is in Paris, France.

Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers contributor Rachel Kumar regretted Ellis' shift to long novels, writing: "The reader is left asking could the story have been told in less than the average 500 pages that an Ellis novel spans. Unfortunately, the answer is yes every time. The time period explored, usually twenty to thirty years, is far too short, the cast of characters limited, and the main theme fairly straightforward. This tends to slow down the pace of the story."

One element that distinguishes Ellis' novels from most others in the genre is her relatively complex heroines, who need more than a satisfying romantic relationship to be content with their lives. Loyalties begins with the stories of Naomi and Rachel, sisters in a family that owns a lumber company in the early twentieth century. Naomi cheats Rachel out of her share of the inheritance. The novel then shows us the children and grandchildren of both Naomi and Rachel as they take their turns at running the family business. These younger-generation women have both personal and business-oriented goals; one of the latter is to reclaim the inheritance of the cheated grandmother. Kumar concluded that, in spite the fact that Ellis' lengthy novels are "steeped in banalities," the stories are often engaging thanks to her unconventional characters.

Ellis also wrote several well-received contemporary novels. Like her historicals, these books often deal with themes of single motherhood and career struggle. Stephanie Richards, protagonist of When the Summer People Have Gone, works as a waitress in Montauk to support her four-year-old daughter. When she meets Paul, on vacation from a demanding job, she knows she has finally met a soul mate. But her estranged husband's attempts to deny her custody threaten Stephanie's new chance for happiness. In Second Time Around, Janet, a homemaker for seventeen years, takes her two teenagers with her to New York City after her cheating husband leaves her. Janet gets work as a freelance writer and starts looking for love in Manhattan's singles bars, without much success. Eventually giving this up, she decides to focus on writing a novel. Against all odds, it succeeds and earns Janet a fortune; at the same time, she finally meets a man who is both desirable and interested.

The theme gets darker in Fire Island Summer, which concerns the affair between South Bronx junior high counselor Anne Evans and ex-con Mark Cameron, still seething at his six-year incarceration for a rape he did not commit. The fact that Anne's now-deceased stepmother is the person who framed Mark only makes matters more difficult between the lovers. Mark decides to get even with the world by setting up a syndicate using preteens as assassins; Anne, meanwhile, is determined to save him from himself. A writer for Publishers Weekly found the conceit of the preteen killers underdeveloped, but clever.

When Tomorrow Comes tells the story of Helen Avery, who is dumped by her husband on the eve of their silver wedding anniversary. He also announces that their money has disappeared and that they have to sell their house so that he can move to California with his new girlfriend. Stunned, Helen must find a way to make ends meet. Booklist contributor Maria Hatton called the novel a "fine tale of upheaval, loss, and rebirth" that shows how even the most inauspicious events can work out for the best.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Falk, Kathryn, Love's Leading Ladies, Pinnacle Books (New York, NY), 1982.

Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, 3rd edition, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1994.

PERIODICALS

Best Sellers, August, 1976, review of The Magnolias, p. 140.

Booklist, July 1, 1980, review of The Hampton Women, p. 1592; November 15, 1982, review of Glorious Morning, p. 427; August, 1983, review of East Wind, p. 1447; June 1, 1984, review of Maison Jennie, p. 1361; April 1, 1985, review of Rich Is Best, p. 1294; April 1, 1986, review of The Only Sin, p. 1116; March 15, 1995, Kathleen Hughes, review of Far to Go, p. 1307; March 15, 1998, Kathleen Hughes, review of Second Time Around, p. 1201; August 1, 1998, Melanie Duncan, review of The Italian Affair, p. 1962; January 1, 1999, Melanie Duncan, review of When the Summer People Have Gone, p. 841; February 15, 2000, Mary McCay, review of Second Time Around, p. 1128; July 1, 2001, John Charles, review of The Hampton Passion, p. 1990; January 1, 2002, Lynne Welch, review of A Town Named Paradise, p. 822; May 15, 2003, Maria Hatton, review of When Tomorrow Comes, p. 1643; March 1, 2004, Maria Hatton, review of A Turn in the Road, p. 1137; November 1, 2004, Maria Hatton, review of Small-Town Dreams, p. 470; March 1, 2005, Maria Hatton, review of One Day at a Time, p. 1148; September 15, 2005, Maria Hatton, review of Dark Legacy, p. 44; March 1, 2006, Maria Hatton, review of Silent Rage, p. 71; July 1, 2006, Maria Hatton, review of Fire Island Summer, p. 40; May 1, 2007, Aleksandra Kostovski, review of On the Outside Looking In, p. 71.

Books, November, 1988, review of A Daughter's Promise, p. 21; November, 1992, review of No Greater Love, p. 18.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 1975, review of Eden, p. 475; February 1, 1976, review of The Magnolias, p. 147; September 1, 1977, review of Savage Oaks, p. 945; September 15, 1978, review of The Hampton Heritage, p. 1026; June 1, 1980, review of The Hampton Women, p. 727; May 15, 1984, review of Maison Jennie, p. 457; April 1, 1985, review of Rich Is Best, p. 290; February 1, 1986, review of The Only Sin, p. 144; April 1, 1987, review of The Velvet Jungle, p. 491; April 15, 1988, review of A Daughter's Promise, p. 558; August 15, 1989, review of Loyalties, p. 1188; March 1, 1992, review of Trespassing Hearts, p. 268; April 15, 1993, review of Lasting Treasures, p. 476; February 1, 1995, review of Far to Go, p. 89.

Library Journal, July, 1975, review of Eden, p. 1344; October 15, 1978, review of The Hampton Heritage, p. 2133; August, 1980, Ellen Kaye Stoppel, review of The Hampton Women, p. 1658; December 1, 1982, review of Glorious Morning, p. 2268; July, 1983, review of East Wind, p. 1381; July, 1984, review of Maison Jennie, p. 1346; March 1, 1986, Joan Kingemeyer, review of The Only Sin, p. 107; June 15, 1988, Beth Ann Mills, review of A Daughter's Promise, p. 68; March 15, 2000, Michael Rogers, review of Single Mother, p. 133.

Publishers Weekly, April 21, 1975, review of Eden, p. 40; March 1, 1976, review of Wexford, p. 96; March 1, 1976, review of The Magnolias, p. 84; March 8, 1976, review of Eden, p. 69; October 18, 1976, review of The Girl in White, p. 61; October 3, 1977, review of Savage Oaks, p. 945; October 2, 1978, review of The Hampton Heritage, p. 128; April 9, 1979, review of Savage Oaks, p. 107; June 27, 1980, review of The Hampton Women, p. 79; October 8, 1982, Barbara A. Bannon, review of Glorious Morning, p. 55; June 3, 1983, review of East Wind, p. 64; May 18, 1984, review of Maison Jennie, p. 144; June 22, 1984, review of East Wind, p. 98; April 5, 1985, review of Rich Is Best, p. 64; August 9, 1985, review of Maison Jennie, p. 228; January 31, 1986, review of The Only Sin, p. 364; May 1, 1987, review of The Velvet Jungle, p. 53; June 12, 1987, review of The Only Sin, p. 81; April 29, 1988, Sybil Steinberg, review of A Daughter's Promise, p. 65; August 18, 1989, Sybil Steinberg, review of Loyalties, p. 50; November 2, 1990, Sybil Steinberg, review of No Greater Love, p. 63; February 24, 1992, review of Trespassing Hearts, p. 42; April 19, 1993, review of Lasting Treasures, p. 50; December 20, 1993, review of Commitment, p. 52; February 13, 1995, review of Far to Go, p. 66; February 23, 1998, review of Second Time Around, p. 53; August 17, 1998, review of The Italian Affair, p. 50; May 15, 2006, review of Fire Island Summer, p. 47.

Tribune Books (Chicago, IL), January 23, 1994, review of Commitment, p. 7.

Washington Post Book World, August 5, 1984, Alan Ryan, review of Maison Jennie, p. 6.

West Coast Review of Books, November, 1982, review of Glorious Morning, p. 33.

ONLINE

Julie Ellis Home Page,http://www.julieellis.net (April 28, 2008).

Romantic Times Online,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (April 28, 2008), Deborah Brent, review of The Hampton Passion, Jill M. Smith, review of Far to Go.