Garlock, Dorothy 1942-

(Dorothy Glenn, Dorothy Phillips, Johanna Phillips)

PERSONAL: Born 1942, in Texas; married Herb Garlock; children: two.

ADDRESSES: Home—Clear Lake, IA. Office—c/o Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Writer. Romance novelist; previously worked as bookkeeper and columnist for a local newspaper, c. 1964–78.

AWARDS, HONORS: Named Outstanding Western Writer, Romantic Times magazine, 1986; Silver Pen Award, Affaire de Coeur, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1989; Reviewer Choice Award, 1988, for Best Western Trilogy, 1990, for Best Western Saga; Best Americana Novel, Romantic Times, 1991; Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award, 1997.

WRITINGS:

The Searching Hearts, Pocket Books (New York, NY), 1982, reprinted, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1997.

The Planting Season, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 1984.

Restless Wind, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1986.

Wind of Promise, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1987.

Lonesome River, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1987.

River of Tomorrow, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1988.

Dream River, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1989.

Homeplace, G.K. Hall (Boston, MA), 1991.

Night Rose, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Ribbon in the Sky, G.K. Hall (Thorndike, ME), 1991.

A Gentle Giving, Wheeler Publishing (Hingham, MA), 1993.

A Love for All Time, Bantam Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Tenderness, G.K. Hall (Thorndike, ME), 1993.

Forever Victoria, G.K. Hall (Thorndike, ME), 1994.

Midnight Blue, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1994.

Wayward Wind, Popular Library (New York, NY), 1994.

Sins of Summer, G.K. Hall (Thorndike, ME), 1994.

Love and Cherish, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1995.

Annie Lash, Thorndike Press (Thorndike, ME), 1995.

Wild Sweet Wilderness, Thorndike Press (Thorndike, ME), 1995.

Yesteryear, Thorndike Press (Thorndike, ME), 1995.

Almost Eden, G.K. Hall (Thorndike, ME), 1996.

This Loving Land, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1996.

The Listening Sky, Wheeler Publishing (Rockland, MA), 1996.

Larkspur, Thorndike Press (Thorndike, ME), 1997.

Nightrose, G.K. Hall (Thorndike, ME), 1997.

Glorious Dawn, Five Star (Unity, ME), 1997.

Sweetwater, Wheeler Publications (Rockland, MA), 1998.

With Hope, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1998.

With Song, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1999.

With Heart, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1999.

After the Parade, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2000.

The Edge of Town, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2001.

More than Memory, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2001.

High on a Hill, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2002.

A Place Called Rainwater, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Mother Road, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Hope's Highway, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Song of the Road, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2004.

With Heart, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2004.

With Hope, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2004.

River Rising, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Train from Marietta, Warner Books (New York, NY), 2006.

Short stories "Interlude in Big Bend," and "Beneath the Midnight Sun," launched the Universal Press Syndicate series, Day Dreams, with a chapter each day running in major newspapers for one month; works translated into eighteen different languages.

AS DOROTHY GLENN

Sunshine Every Morning, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

The Hell Raiser, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

AS DOROTHY PHILLIPS

Marriage to a Stranger, Dell (New York, NY), 1982.

Sing Softly to Me, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

She Wanted Red Velvet, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

AS JOHANNA PHILLIPS

Gentle Torment, Jove (New York, NY), 1981.

Amber-Eyed Man, Jove (New York, NY), 1981.

Passion's Song, Jove (New York, NY), 1982.

Strange Possession, Jove (New York, NY), 1982.

Hidden Dreams, Jove (New York, NY), 1983.

ADAPTATIONS: Many of Garlock's books have been recorded as audiobooks, including Hope's Highway, Sound Library: BBC Audiobooks America, 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Dorothy Garlock is an Iowa-based romance novelist whose adventurous stories are matched by her lack of pretension. On her Web site, Garlock wrote: "I'm not looking to write the great American novel, win a Pulitzer or teach history. I write to entertain my readers." With more than forty romances to her credit, Garlock has certainly found an audience for her books, written under her own name and under three pseudonyms: Dorothy Glenn, Dorothy Phillips, and Johanna Phillips. Sybil Steinberg, writing for Publishers Weekly, commented on Wild Sweet Wilderness, noting that Garlock's characters "provide double doses of action and romance." In reviewing Sins of Summer, another critic writing for Publishers Weekly advised: "For those who like their romances dark, emotionally complex and brimful of grit, Garlock holds the reins masterfully." Another Publishers Weekly reviewer stated that "Garlock's narrative and dialogue lend rich visual, almost cinematic, flavor" to her romances.

Garlock is perhaps best known for her Depression-era novels set in Dust Bowl Oklahoma. This unlikely choice of time and setting for a romance novel has allowed the author to explore character and romantic love under less-than-ideal conditions. In With Hope, published in 1998, Henry Ann Henry must cope with the dual tasks of running her failing farm while caring for her rebellious half-siblings and the abused child of the married man she loves. Molly McKenzie in With Song, shattered by the sudden murders of her parents, is herself placed in danger by the federal agent seeking their killers. And in With Heart, Kathleen Dolan arrives in Rawlings, Oklahoma, to run the daily newspaper, only to find herself in a hotbed of dirty secrets and mortal peril. In Booklist, Diana Tixier Herald called With Hope a "satisfyingly warm romance," while a Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the same work for its "wit, freshness, and memorable characterization." Library Journal correspondent Barbara Perkins found the "wonderful Great Depression series" to be "a fun way to while away a long afternoon."

Garlock's After the Parade is a spin-off of With Heart and features a love story between Kathleen and Johnny, who become estranged prior to Johnny going off to fight in World War II. When he returns, the two live apart but are soon brought together when Kathleen's life appears to be in danger from a stalker. Joan Hammond, writing on the Romantic Times Web site, called the novel a "touching story of two people at cross purposes."

In The Edge of Town, nineteen-year-old Julia is taking care of her five younger siblings and the household after her mother dies. Julia soon finds herself falling in love with neighbor Evan Johnson, who has just returned from World War I, but she dreads sharing a terrible secret with him. Writing in Booklist, Diana Tixier Herald noted that the author has created "settings and characters so authentic the reader believes they have a past and a future." In a review on the AllReaders.com Web site, Kristi Kirkley called The Edge of Town "another wonderful book by Dorothy Garlock that will keep you on the edge."

More than Memory is set in the 1950s and recounts the romance between Nelda and Lute, who are forced into marriage as teenagers when Nelda becomes pregnant. The marriage soon ends and the two go their separate ways. They come into contact years later, after the baby's death, when the successful Nelda returns to Iowa after inheriting the family farm. A Publishers Weekly contributor called the romance novel a "breezy read." Harriet Klausner, writing on the AllReaders.com Web site, commented that the book is "an enjoyable historical relationship drama that makes the lifestyle of the 1950's heartland seem very much alive."

High on a Hill features Annabel Lee, the daughter of 1920s Missouri bootlegger Murphy Donovan, and the romance she develops with law officer Corbin Appleby. When Appleby finds out about the illegal activities of the elder Lee, his relationship with Annabel is threatened as he faces the dilemma of abiding by his sworn duty to apprehend criminals. AllReaders.com Web site contributor Klausner wrote that the author "shows why she is so highly regarded by readers and reviewers with her latest tale." Writing once again in Booklist, Herald commented that the author is "such a good storyteller that the reader can feel the textures, hear the music, and smell the baking pie."

Garlock brings back the Jones family from previous novels, including The Edge of Town, in her book A Place Called Rainwater. Jill Jones finds herself in Rainwater, Oklahoma, running her sick aunt's hotel when she and friend and possible lover Thad Taylor find the severed arm of a murdered woman, who may have been the victim of a serial killer. Booklist contributor Herald wrote that the author "provides topnotch, edge-of-the-seat suspense."

Garlock has also written a series of Depression-era romance and mystery novels that feature characters traveling on the old interstate system. In Mother Road, Garlock tells of the romance between H.L. Yates, who is taking care of a friend's garage on old Route 66 in 1932 Sayre, Oklahoma. Yates is attracted to his friend's sister-in-law Leona, who is looked down upon in the small town because of past indiscretions. Klausner, writing on the AllReaders.com Web site, noted the many characters that pass by the old town because of the highway and commented that "the story line is at its strongest when Dorothy Garlock opens a panoramic view of a bygone America." Hope's Highway is the sequel to Mother Road and continues the Depression-era story featuring traveler Margie Kinnard, who is on her way to California and meets Colorado rancher Brady Hoyt, also headed for California with his orphaned niece. The group soon begins traveling together, providing each other with protection from robbers and a stalker, as Kinnard and Hoyt begin to fall in love. In a review for Booklist, Herald wrote that the novel will "keep the reader eagerly turning pages and anxious for the next installment in this engaging series. The "road" series continues with Song of the Road, which features a romance between the pregnant widow Mary Lee Clawson, who is running a motor court in Cross Roads, New Mexico, and an ex-convict named Jake. AllReaders.com Web site contributor Klausner called the novel "a poignant angst laden romance." Klausner went on to note: "Hearts will go out to the heroine who has to worry about operating the business, paying off the mortgage, caring for her mother and worrying if her father-in-law will try to take custody of her unborn."

In River Rising, the author revisits the Missouri town of Fertile with a sequel to The Edge of Town that takes place a decade later. A new nurse, April Asbury, has come to Fertile to become the nurse for much-sought-after bachelor Dr. Forbes. Although the men in town pay dutiful attention to the attractive April, the women gossip about her relationship with Dr. Forbes and perhaps other men. April, however, finds herself becoming smitten with the diffident Joe Jones, who had rescued her during a rainstorm when she first came to town. Gerry Benninger, writing on the Romantic Times Web site, called the novel "top-quality reading about an interesting American era." In her review for Booklist, Herald noted that "fans will be delighted to catch up with the growing Jones family."

Garlock recounts the romance between Tate Castle, a rugged west Texan rancher, and Katherine Tyler, a beautiful but delicate woman from New Orleans, in Train from Marietta. The two become involved after Kate is kidnapped from the train in Texas and Tate is hired by Kate's father to find her. After coming to her rescue, Tate finds that he is attracted to Kate but doubts she is the tough kind of woman he needs, until the two face a series of travails together as they escape from Kate's kidnappers. A Publishers Weekly contributor called the novel a "sweet, satisfying Depression-era romance."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 1998, Diana Tixier Herald, review of With Hope, p. 210; October 1, 2000, Patty Engelmann, review of The Long Road Turning, p. 320; December 1, 2000, Ted Hipple, review of With Heart, p. 740.; April 15, 2001, Diana Tixier, review of The Edge of Town, p. 1538; May 1, 2002, Diana Tixier, review of High on a Hill, p. 1512; October 1, 2002, Diana Tixier Herald, review of A Place Called Rainwater, p. 306; July, 2003, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Mother Road, p. 1872; December 15, 2003, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Hope's Highway, p. 733; June 1, 2004, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Song of the Road, p. 1710; May 1, 2005, Diana Tixier Herald, review of River Rising, p. 1573.

Library Journal, October 15, 1999, Barbara Perkins, review of With Hope, p. 123; November 15, 2000, Barbara Perkins, review of With Heart, p. 116; February 15, 2001, Barbara Perkins, review of With Song (audio version), p. 218.

Publishers Weekly, April 12, 1985, Sybil Steinberg, review of Sweet Wild Wilderness, p. 98; November 1, 1991, review of Ribbon in the Sky, p. 77; June 14, 1993, review of Tenderness, pp.64-65; May 9, 1994, review of Sins of Summer, p. 69; March 11, 1996, review of The Listening Sky, p.58; December 30, 1996, review of Larkspur, p. 63; August 3, 1998, review of With Hope, p. 81; January 1, 2001, review of More than a Memory, p. 73; April 2, 2001, review of The Edge of Town, p. 39; December 12, 2005, review of Train from Marietta, p. 38.

State (Columbia, SC), August 8, 2002, Lezlie Patterson, review of High on a Hill.

ONLINE

AllReaders.com, http://www.allreaders.com/ (February 21, 2006), Harriet Klausner, reviews of A Place Called Rainwater, High on a Hill, Hope's Highway, More than a Memory, Mother Road, and Song of the Road; Kristi Kirkley, review of The Edge of Town; Ashley Abbott, review of Midnight Blue.

All About Romance, http://www.likesbooks.com/ (February 21, 2006), Jennifer Keirans, review of The Edge of Town; Heidi Haglin, review of High on a Hill; Donna Newman, review of A Place Called Rainwater; Colleen McMahon, review of Mother Road.

BookLoons, http://www.bookloons.com/ (February 21, 2006), Sally Selvadurai, review of Mother Road; Kim Atchue-Cusella, review of Song of the Road.

BookReporter.com, http://www.bookreporter.com/ (February 21, 2006), Judy Gigstad, review of Mother Road.

Capital Times Online Archive, http://www.oldsite.captimes.com/ (May 14, 1999), Heather Lee Schroeder, "After 41 Novels, She Doesn't Mind 'Romantic' Label."

Dorothy Garlock Home Page, http://www.dorothygarlock.com (February 21, 2006).

Romance Readers Connection, http://www.theromancereadersconnection.com/ (February 21, 2006), Debora Hosey and others, "January Author of the Month: Dorothy Garlock"; Shelby Bagby, review of The Edge of Town; Amanda Killgore, review of More than a Memory; Debora Hosey, review of A Place Called Rainwater.

Romantic Times, http://www.romantictimes.com/ (February 21, 2006), Joan Hammond, reviews of With Song, With Hope, With Heart, The Listening Sky, The Edge of Town, Sweetwater, More than a Memory, Love and Cherish, Larkspur, High on a Hill, Almost Eden, After the Parade, and A Place Called Rainwater; Gerry Benninger, review of River Rising; Kathe Robin, reviews of Mother Road and Hope's Highway.