KAUFFMAN, Donna 1960(?)

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1960, in Washington, DC; married Mark Jean (in law enforcement); children: (first marriage) two sons; (second marriage) one stepson. Hobbies and other interests: "Soccer mom," hiking the Blue Ridge Mountains, driving in the country.

ADDRESSES:

Home—P.O. Box 541, Ashburn, VA 20146-0541. Agent—Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Random House, Inc., 1745 Broadway, New York, NY, 10019. E-mail—[email protected]; [email protected].

CAREER:

Romance novelist. Previously worked as a hairdresser and competitive bodybuilder.

MEMBER:

Romance Writer's Association, Washington Romance Writers (board member; past president).

AWARDS, HONORS:

RIO Dorothy Parker Award for best paranormal, for The Legend MacKinnon; Reviewers Choice Award, Romance Communications, for The Legend of the Sorcerer and The Legend MacKinnon; National Readers Choice Award for best erotic romance, for Her Secret Thrill; lifetime achievement award, Washington Romance Writers, 2001.

WRITINGS:

Illegal Motion, Bantam (New York, NY), 1993.

Black Satin, Bantam (New York, NY), 1994.

Tango in Paradise, Bantam (New York, NY), 1994.

Bounty Hunter, Bantam (New York, NY), 1994.

Wild Rain (spin-off from Black Satin), Bantam (New York, NY), 1995.

Bayou Heat, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Tease Me, Bantam (New York, NY), 1998.

Her Secret Thrill, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2001.

His Private Pleasure (spin-off from Her Secret Thrill), Harlequin (New York, NY), 2002.

Sean (spin-off from Men of Courage anthology; also see below), Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

Jingle Bell Rock, Kensington Brava (New York, NY), 2003.

Against the Odds (spin-off from His Private Pleasure), Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

Merry Christmas Baby, Kensington Brava (New York, NY), 2004.

NOVELS; "THREE MUSKETEERS" SERIES

The Three Musketeers: Surrender the Dark, Bantam (New York, NY), 1995.

The Three Musketeers: Born to Be Wild, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

The Three Musketeers: Midnight Heat, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

NOVELS; "DELGADO'S DIRTY DOZEN" SERIES

Santerra's Sin, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

Silent Warrior, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

Light My Fire, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

Dark Knight, Bantam (New York, NY), 1998.

ANTHOLOGIES

(With others) Yours 2 Keep, Bantam (New York, NY), 1999.

(With Lori Foster and Janelle Denison) I Love Bad Boys, Kensington Brava (New York, NY), 2002.

Men of Courage, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Lori Foster and Janelle Denison) Bad Boys on Board, Kensington Brava (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Lori Foster and Janelle Denison) Bad Boys, Next Exit, Kensington Brava (New York, NY), 2004.

PARANORMAL NOVELS

The Legend MacKinnon, Bantam (New York, NY), 1999.

The Legend of the Sorcerer, Bantam (New York, NY), 2000.

Your Wish Is My Command, Bantam (New York, NY), 2000.

The Royal Hunter, Bantam (New York, NY), 2001.

The Charm Stone, Bantam (New York, NY), 2002.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE NOVELS

The Big Bad Wolf Tells All (formerly titled The Last Bridesmaid), Bantam (New York, NY), 2003.

The Cinderella Rules, Bantam (New York, NY), 2004.

Dear Prince Charming, Bantam (New York, NY), 2004.

OTHER

Also author of Walk on the Wild Side, In the Heat of the Night, and Carried Away, all published by Harlequin.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

Articles in anthologies, including Men of Courage 2, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2005, and Velvet, Leather, and Lace, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Romance novelist Donna Kauffman has either won or been nominated for an award for nearly every book she has published. She wrote her first romance novel, Illegal Motion, while pregnant with her second child. According to Sarah Schafer of the Washington Post, when Kauffman is confronted with the frequently asked question of when she intends to "write a real book," her response is simply that "It's entertainment … that's what I want to do," and jokes that country singer Willie Nelson is not ever asked about writing an opera. "Besides," Kauffman added, "romance books are a billion-dollar business. Who has to defend that?"

Kauffman described to Schafer that her first book was published through an "accidental" meeting with an editor while attending a writers conference in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The editor was frightened by a noise in the spooky old hotel the group was staying in and "came barreling into" Kauffman in the hallway. Kauffman helped the woman trace the noise to a handyman simply doing his duty; the editor helped her publish her book. The women became fast friends, and the editor ultimately became deputy vice publisher with Bantam.

Kauffman's books almost always receive favorable reviews. Reviewing for Romance Reader, Ellen He-stand commented after reading Tease Me that the book and the author "are both gems in my book," and called the story a "sexy, funny, good-timing romp that nevertheless packs a few emotionally intense punches … and doesn't sacrifice quality for laughs." Judi McKee, also a reviewer for Romance Reader, noted that Kauffman's characters are believable, real-world types and praised the way in which Kauffman builds a "real sexual tension" between them. "The relationship heats up at a believable pace, with a nice blend of action and insight into the characters' thoughts," commented McKee. Similarly, Romance Reader contributor Linda Mowery liked the fact that in Walk on the Wild Side, Kauffman's characters "seem normal, more like you and me, with fears and doubts about finally giving up autonomy and letting another person matter deeply."

The Legend of MacKinnon was Kauffman's first paranormal romance and could almost be said to be three novels in one. "Somehow, she wove the combination of six main characters and the various paranormal threads into a cohesive, if busy, whole," wrote Susan Scribner for Romance Reader. Duncan MacKinnon is a tall, 300-year-old Scottish ghost who, when spooking Maggie the mortal heroine for the first time, wears nothing but a kilt. Of the several challenges faced by Kauffman in this book, it was important, she told Schafer, for the heroine "to have reactions we would have." In order to make the entire story believable, she traveled to Scotland to complete her background research.

Kauffman's subsequent paranormals were also well received. A reviewer for Kirkus Reviews commented that The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, the story of a "been-there, done-that babe [who] falls for Mr. Nice Guy," is a "wisp of a story deftly spun to novel length—with a zippy style to keep it going." Of The Charm Stone, an intergenerational romance between a young South Carolina surfer girl and (again) a 300-year-old Scottish ghost, a Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote that the book is a good balance of romance and humor and that its "charm lies … in its playful plot, lively Scottish island setting, appropriately funny writing style, and eccentric cast of characters." Regarding Royal Hunter, Maria Hatton of Booklist commented that readers "are in for a great adventure."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2000, Nina Davis, review of Santerra's Sin, p. 225; September 15, 2001, Maria Hatton, review of The Royal Hunter, p. 204; May 1, 2003, Beth Leistensnider, review of The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, p. 1579.

Entertainment Weekly, June 13, 2003, review of The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, p. 100.

Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2003, review of The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, pp. 496-497.

Library Journal, May 1, 2003, review of The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, p. 154.

Publishers Weekly, August 6, 2001, review of The Royal Hunter, p. 66; July 8, 2002, review of The Charm Stone, p. 37; May 26, 2003, review of The Big Bad Wolf Tells All, p. 48.

Washington Post, September 9, 1999, Sarah Schafer, "Author Profits from Her Passion; Sterling Woman Finds Her Happily Ever After Writing Romance Novels," interview with Donna Kauffman, V5.

ONLINE

AuthorsontheWeb.com Web site,http://www.authorsontheweb.com/ (February, 2004), "Chick Lit Author Roundtable."

Donna Kauffman Home Page,http://www.donnakauffman.com (July 10, 2004).

Romance Reader Web site,http://www.theromancereader.com/ (July 10, 2004), Susan Scribner, review of The Royal Hunter; Irene Williams, review of Your Wish Is My Command; Susan Scribner, review of The Charm Stone; Susan Scribner, review of The Big Bad Wolf Tells All; Susan Scribner, review of The Royal Hunter; Irene Williams, review of In the Heat of the Night; Ellen Hestand, review of Tease Me; Judi McKee, review of Carried Away; Linda Mowery, review of Walk on the Wild Side; Susan Scribner, review of The Legend of the Sorcerer.*