Green, Sharon 1942-

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GREEN, Sharon 1942-

PERSONAL: Born July 6, 1942, in Brooklyn, NY; daughter of Morris and Esther (Bender) Kiner; divorced; children: Andrew, Brian, Curtis. Education: New York University, B.A., 1963.

ADDRESSES: Home—110 Bellevue Rd. #28, Nashville, TN 37221. Agent—Ricia Mainhardt, 612 Argyle Rd. #L5, Brooklyn, NY 11230. E-mail— [email protected].

CAREER: American Telephone & Telegraph Co., New York, NY, shareowner correspondent, 1964-66; Kurt Orban Co., Inc. (steel importers), North Brunswick, NJ, assistant sales manager, 1979-84; writer, 1984—.

MEMBER: Science Fiction Writers of America, Open Chapter.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Rebel Prince, DAW (New York, NY), 1986.

The Far Side of Forever,, DAW (New York, NY), 1987.

Lady Blade, Lord Fighter,, DAW (New York, NY), 1987.

Mists of the Ages, DAW (New York, NY), 1988.

Hellhound Magic, DAW (New York, NY), 1989.

Dawn Song, Avon (New York, NY), 1990.

Silver Princess, Golden Knight, Avon (New York, NY), 1993.

The Hidden Realms, Avon (New York, NY), 1993.

Dark Mirror, Dark Dreams, Avon (New York, NY), 1994.

Wind Whispers, Shadow Shouts, Avon (New York, NY), 1995.

Game's End, Avon (New York, NY), 1996.

Also author of e-books, including Tanderon, Tristesse (two volumes), Esmonia, Xanthia, Aysanne, Tildor, Restin, and Absar.

"JALAV" SERIES; SCIENCE-FICTION NOVELS

The Crystals of Mida, DAW (New York, NY), 1982.

An Oath to Mida, DAW (New York, NY), 1983.

Chosen of Mida, DAW (New York, NY), 1984.

The Will of the Gods, DAW (New York, NY), 1985.

To Battle the Gods, DAW (New York, NY), 1986.

"TERRILIAN" SERIES; SCIENCE-FICTION NOVELS

The Warrior Within, DAW (New York, NY), 1982.

The Warrior Enchained, DAW (New York, NY), 1983.

The Warrior Rearmed, DAW (New York, NY), 1984.

The Warrior Challenged, DAW (New York, NY), 1986.

The Warrior Victorious, DAW (New York, NY), 1987.

"BLENDING" SERIES; FANTASY NOVELS

The Blending: Convergence, Avon (New York, NY), 1996.

The Blending: Competitions, Avon (New York, NY), 1997.

The Blending: Challenges, Avon (New York, NY), 1998.

The Blending: Betrayals, Avon (New York, NY), 1999.

The Blending: Prophecy, Avon (New York, NY), 2000.

The Blending: Enthroned, Eos, 2001.

ROMANCE NOVELS

Haunted House, Harlequin (Tarrytown, NY), 1990.

Werewolf Moon, Harlequin (Tarrytown, NY), 1993.

Fantasy Man, Harlequin (Tarrytown, NY), 1993.

Flame of Fury, Avon (New York, NY), 1993.

Silken Dreams, Avon (New York, NY), 1994.

Enchanting, Zebra (New York, NY), 1994.

To Die For, Harlequin (Tarrytown, NY), 2000.

Haughty Spirit (erotica), Greenery Press (Oakland, CA), 2000.

OTHER

Mind Guest ("Diana Santee" science fiction series), DAW (New York, NY), 1984.

Gateway to Xanadu ("Diana Santee" science fiction series), DAW (New York, NY), 1985.

Work represented in anthologies, including Magic in Ithkar, volume 4, Tor Books (New York, NY); Friends of the Horseclans, volumes 1 and 2, New American Library (New York, NY); and Witchworld Anthology, volume 3, Tor Books.

SIDELIGHTS: Sharon Green is the author of fantasy romance novels characterized by interplanetary settings, futuristic barbarians resembling those of the medieval past, and sexual power struggles. She once told CA: "My novels are about women who become entangled in unusual situations, most often with equally unusual men. Some of the women are very capable and able to take care of themselves, but some are that sort often considered helpless. It's my contention that even a seemingly helpless person—male or female—can very often do something to make the mess they've landed in less messy, but they have to try. Sitting around crying and/or complaining is worse than useless."

Green's first novel, The Warrior Within, established her reputation and many of the recurring themes in her subsequent work. In this story, Terrilian, a respected woman with unusual powers, is raped and forced into slavery by Tammad, a brute from a distant and far less civilized planet. Once in Tammad's world, Terrilian is stripped of her freedom and regularly subjected to sado-masochistic sexual torments. Over time Terrilian develops a fondness for Tammad, who occasionally shows her respect but never ceases to mistreat her. Terrilian is finally returned to her home, as is initially promised by Tammad, where she learns that her period of humiliating confinement was arranged by her diplomat father. In The Warrior Enchained, the second novel in the series, Terrilian is recalled by Tammad, who promptly resumes his brutality, plunging Terrilian to new depths of despair.

Another Green series from the 1980s revolves around the adventures of Jalav, a headstrong, sword-wielding Amazon warrior who similarly confronts barbarous, abusive men. Unlike Terrilian, however, Jalav is a defiant, highly capable combatant. While attempting to retrieve stolen crystals in The Crystals of Mida, she and her Amazonian sisters are besieged and defiled by men whom they themselves once detained and similarly mistreated. "The story thus becomes a stylized fetishistic ritual of escape and punishment," noted Peter T. Garrett in St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers.

Both the "Terrilian" and "Jalav" novels were inspired by the work of John Norman, and Green is sometimes compared to Norman. In point of fact, however, Green consciously set out to improve upon Norman's formula for helpless female characters. In an interview published on her Web site, Green noted that she "exploded and hit the ceiling" when she began one of Norman's "Gor" books. "When I sat down to counter him, I also tried to lampoon his style of overstating every description. I didn't quite get that far, but I got far enough to add to my own writing what it was lacking: a decent amount of description. . . . So I can't really complain about that Gor book. I read one of his, and got ten of my own from it."

Green has continued writing books in the fantasy vein. Dawn Song, for example, revolves around the undertakings of a resolute princess with magical powers and little regard for her uncharacteristically deferential male counterparts. In addition to its more imaginative wonderland setting, Garrett noted, "there is one torture scene, glossed over and not sexually charged, and the story ends without anyone being forced to do anything sexual against their will."

Green abandoned altogether the violent medieval trappings of her early fiction as the author of several Harlequin romance novels. Her preference when working for Harlequin is to create mystery romances for the "Intrigue" line, a task far more challenging than it might seem. In her online interview she said, "A lot of writers claim thay won't write formula, but don't kid yourself. It takes a lot of self discipline, and some people just don't have that. My own private boast is that if you can't be creative in formula, you can't be creative anywhere else either."

Green once explained to CA: "My writing is for fun! Hopefully it is something to relieve the tedium of people's lives rather than to make deep, philosophical statements. One stand I do contend against rather strongly is the taboo on sex. Violence and gruesome dismemberment are considered to be totally acceptable, but descriptions of the reproductive process are not. I refuse to accept that and will continue to refuse until people grow up. Then I will probably find another point of contention.

"I really am not trying to make any deep philosophical statements, but most of my writing seems to show my own belief in the need for a personal code of honor. People tend to laugh at the idea of honor these days, but their laughter has never disturbed me and never will. Just because most people crow over cheating on their income tax or short-changing some trusting fool or walking away with more change then they're entitled to doesn't mean I have to do the same. I've decided what's right for me, but I would no more try to foist the concept off on others than I would let others make me do it their way. I think most people would enjoy having their own code of behavior to adhere to, but either can't quite find one or are afraid of being an object of ridicule. Again I say, let 'em laugh! I treat people the way I want to be treated, and if they take advantage of that, I simply never trust them again. The practice saves a lot of effort in making value judgments—you don't judge people, you simply let them show you what they're like. Over the years I've found myself pleased considerably more often than disappointed. When you get right down to it, people are unbelievably great in their variety, and that's what most of my books are about: people."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1996.

PERIODICALS

Fantasy Review, February, 1985, p. 23; May, 1985, p. 13; April, 1986, p. 23.

Kliatt, April, 1988, p. 20; April, 1990, p. 26.

Locus, October, 1989, p. 29; October, 1990, p. 52; August, 1994, p. 54; January, 1995, p. 49.

Publishers Weekly, August 12, 1988, Penny Kaganoff, review of Mists of the Ages, p. 452; October 7, 1996, review of The Blending: Convergence, p. 69.

Science-Fiction Chronicle, February, 1985, p. 35; July, 1986, p. 40.

Voice of Youth Advocates, June, 1985, p. 138.