Harte, Amanda

PERSONAL:

Born in Davenport, IA. Education: Syracuse University, B.A.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Cheyenne, WY. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE FICTION

Silver Thorns, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1996.

Midnight Sun, Leisure Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Strings Attached, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2000.

North Star, Leisure Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Strangers in the Night, Leisure Books (New York, NY), 2000.

Moonlight Masquerade, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Imperfect Together, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Rainbows at Midnight, Leisure Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Carousel of Dreams, Leisure Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Bluebonnet Spring, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of works to anthologies, including Winter Wonderland, Lovespell Books (New York, NY), 1999.

"THE WAR BRIDES" TRILOGY

Dancing in the Rain, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Whistling in the Dark, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2004.

Laughing at the Thunder, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2004.

"HIDDEN FALLS" SERIES

Painted Ponies, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2006.

The Brass Ring, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2007.

Dream Weaver, Avalon Books (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Amanda Harte believes in the power of dreams, and that belief is reflected in the romantic nature of the books that she writes. Foreign settings also play a role, inspired by Harte's love of travel and her early wish to live abroad, one that was fulfilled first when she spent time in France as a student, and later on when her husband was stationed in Germany. In Dancing in the Rain, the first of Harte's "War Brides" trilogy, the heroine, Caroline Wentworth, shares the author's wanderlust and romantic ideals, leaving her small hometown in Texas to work as a nurse's aid in France during World War I, and falling in love one of the doctors she works with. Booklist reviewer John Charles noted the book's "delicately romantic love story and intriguing WWI setting." Whistling in the Dark, the second book in the series, features Caroline's sister Emily, who leaves America to drive a French ambulance and search for her missing brother, again during World War I. The final volume of the trilogy, Laughing at the Thunder, remains on Texas soil, where Wentworth sister Martha serves as muse for a photographer in search of the perfect woman to embody the Fourth of July. Again reviewing for Booklist, John Charles remarked: "Harte expertly brings her War Brides trilogy to a sweetly satisfying conclusion with this gentle story."

Painted Ponies kicks off a new series, this one beginning with Anne Moreland, a young woman who has been living in Switzerland undergoing plastic surgery for her severely scarred face. Returning home, Anne plans to open a nursery at her family's mill to help care for the children of their employees, but finds that romance is also in her future. Booklist reviewer John Charles called the book "a sweet, charming historical romance."

Amanda Harte once told CA: "Although my books have been inspired by a myriad of things—everything from a snippet of a song overheard in a restaurant to a chance encounter with a carousel horse in (of all places) a highway rest area—and although the time frames and settings have ranged from medieval France to modern-day New Jersey, all of my books have one thing in common: the healing power of love and the ability of people to surmount seemingly impossible obstacles. Yes, I believe in happy endings!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August 1, 2003, John Charles, review of Dancing in the Rain, p. 1964; February 15, 2004, John Charles, review of Whistling in the Dark, p. 1045; November 15, 2004, John Charles, review of Laughing at the Thunder, p. 567; September 15, 2006, John Charles, review of Painted Ponies, p. 41; February 1, 2007, John Charles, review of The Brass Ring, p. 37.

Library Journal, February 15, 2004, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Whistling in the Dark, p. 111.