KLEINSCHMIT, Sandra

(Sandra James, Samantha James)

PERSONAL:

Born in Joliet, IL; married; children: three daughters. Hobbies and other interests: Playing piano.

ADDRESSES:

Office—P.O. Box 21042, Salem, OR 97307-1042. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Romance and historical novelist, 1984—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Career Achievement Award, Romantic Times, for historical romances; Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence, 1995, for Gabriel's Bride. Best British Isles Awards for Best First Medieval Romances, 1996, for My Cherished Enemy and My Lord Conqueror, and for Historical Romance, 1998, for Every Wish Fulfilled.

WRITINGS:

Probable Cause, Bantam (New York, NY), 1984.

Heaven on Earth, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

Love Undercover, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1986.

Irresistible Force, Harlequin (New York, NY) 1988.

UNDER PSEUDONYM SANDRA JAMES

Stronger by Far, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1987.

Spring Thunder, Harlequin (New York, NY) 1988.

Guardian Angel, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988.

Summer Lightning, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

North of Eden, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Almost Heaven, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1991.

A Family Affair, Harlequin (New York, NY) 1991.

Gun Shy, Harlequin, (New York, NY), 1991.

Family Affair, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Like a Lover, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

Nothing But Trouble, Harlequin, (New York, NY), 1992.

"Family Affair," Making Babies, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1995.

Also contributor of story "Belonging" in A Family Affair, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1987, and "Bride in Blue" in To Have and to Hold, Harlequin (New York), 1992.

UNDER PSEUDONYM SAMANTHA JAMES

My Cherished Enemy, Avon (New York, NY), 1992.

Outlaw Heart, Avon (New York, NY), 1993.

My Rebellious Heart, Avon (New York, NY), 1993.

Gabriel's Bride, Avon (New York, NY), 1994.

My Lord Conqueror, Avon (New York, NY), 1995.

Just One Kiss, Avon (New York, NY), 1996.

Every Wish Fulfilled, Avon (New York, NY), 1997.

One Moonlit Night, Avon (New York, NY), 1998.

A Promise Given, Avon (New York, NY), 1998.

His Wicked Ways, Avon (New York, NY), 1999.

His Wicked Promise, Avon (New York, NY), 2000.

The Truest Heart, Avon (New York, NY), 2001.

The Perfect Bride, Avon (New York, NY), 2004.

The Perfect Groom, Avon (New York, NY), 2004.

The Perfect Marriage, Avon (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author of "Scandal's Bride" in Married at Midnight, Avon (New York, NY), 1996.

SIDELIGHTS:

Sandra Kleinschmit grew up in the environs of Chicago, far from the settings of her novels. Writing first under her own name and later under the pseudonyms Sandra James and Samantha James, her work comprises award-winning historical romances, a Western (Outlaw Heart), and numerous contemporary romances. She has made the bestseller lists of USA Today and the New York Times, and more than two million of her books are currently in print.

Her Web site characterizes her work as emotional, "three-hanky reads." It elicits in fans and critics an equal amount of passion. His Wicked Promise was reviewed by a Publishers Weekly contributor, who proclaimed, "With excellently drawn, complex characters and a moving plot, James delivers a delicious and exciting romance … as steamy as it is tender." Of A Promise Given, about a beautiful young widow who vows never to love again but is bent by the forces of nature, Lizabelle Cox wrote in Romantic Times, "Samantha James enthralls readers once again with a provocative love story shrouded in mystery and the wild beauty of the Highlands." And Kathe Robin gushed over My Lord Conqueror in Romantic Times, characterizing the book as brimming with "sizzling sexual tension and an intriguing plot."

Kleinschmit used her own name for her first two books, but when she sold her third Harlequin Superromance, she chose to use the pseudonym Sandra James, hoping to enhance the enigmatic aura of her books. Then, when she began to write in the historical romance genre, the author and her publisher agreed on the more exotic Samantha James, which was similar enough to her previous nom de plume so as not to confuse readers, but also timeless enough for new readers to imagine that she was a medium through which these magical tales were simply filtered, a conduit connecting historical eras. Like actors, writers are people who live to convince an audience of another reality, and for precisely this reason they sometimes change their names.

As a child Kleinschmit was profoundly influenced by fairy tales, especially Cinderella. "I've never grown tired of the rags-to-riches theme," she told interviewer Jean Marie Ward of the online magazine Crescent Blues. In fact, Kleinschmit likened romances to "adult fairy tales" or "women's adventure stories." The comparison is apt because, like fairy tales, Kleinschmit's stories are tales of transformation, which is more than likely to be achieved by the invincible power of love.

Despite being grounded in history, there is more than a touch of fantasy to Kleinschmit's tales. Her characters bear names like Lady Gillian and Damien Tremayne. Locales may include 1854 Boston, twelfth-century Scotland, and England of the Norman Conquest in 1066. Setting her stories in the past not only encourages the fantasy element but also serves a practical purpose for the writer. Kleinschmit explained that the use of certain historical periods as backdrops helps to "set up a conflict between my hero and heroine," especially when that setting reflects a tumultuous historical period, such as the Norman invasion or feuding fourteenth-century Highland clans. "As a romance writer my aim is not to give a history lesson but to involve my audience so that the reader feels the ups and downs of falling in love," she told Ward. The majority of her novels are set in the medieval era—a time associated with chivalry and clearly defined gender roles—and during the English Regency period in the second decade of the 1800s—during the heyday of exuberance, Beau Brummel, and the Romantic poets Lord Byron, Shelley, and Keats. The two periods delight the writer, because "towering stone castles and knights in shining armor have always held a certain fascination for me," she reflected. "But I also love being able to see my heroine dress up in a glittering ball gown and go to a London gala on the arm of a dashing earl."

But how does the writer strike the right tone, between conveying a sense of historical authenticity while writing in a style contemporary enough to hold her readers' interest? "I work hard to achieve the right balance," Kleinschmit admitted. "For example, in the book I just finished, part of the editing process involved going through the manuscript to make sure I didn't burden the reader with excessive use of 'tis and 'twas."

The success of the romance genre, which is much more popular with female than male readers, got a boost from the sexual revolution of the 1970s, noted a writer for Romantic Times. After the 1970s, romance novels doubled in popularity, thanks to the new societal openness to sexuality. This openness is reflected in Kleinschmit's work. By placing her characters in the past, the author offers insight into how women survived in any number of male-dominated societies. In order to maintain enough realism for a story to be believable, Kleinschmit's heroines cannot be totally independent. However, they can be strong-minded and influential, like Meredith Munro in His Wicked Ways, which takes place in Scotland during the 1200s. In an act of vengeance, Meredith is kidnapped on her way to take her vows as a nun (perhaps the only profession in which women could live independently of men at the time). Through Meredith, Kleinschmit demonstrates that even under the worst conditions a woman can gain a semblance of power. Kidnapper Cameron MacKay, scion of a once powerful clan, is caught off guard by Meredith's resistance, courage, and resourcefulness. In the end, the captor becomes the captivated, and Cameron and Meredith become the only people capable of healing the hatred that has existed between the families for generations.

An injury to her hand sidelined Kleinschmit for several years, but during that time her active imagination continued to spin plots. In 2004 she returned to print with the trilogy The Perfect Bride, The Perfect Groom, and The Perfect Marriage. This trio of historicals charts the rocky path to romantic bliss for three siblings: Sebastian, Justin, and Julianna Sterline. On her Web site, Kleinschmit said that she was concerned that she would have a difficult time resuming her career after hand surgery. She was pleasantly surprised to find that the time away from her desk did little to blunt her creativity. "It was like riding a bike," she said. "It was such a relief to know that the words were still there and not forever buried."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Publishers Weekly, December 16, 1996, review of Every Wish Fulfilled, p. 55; December 15, 1997, review of A Promise Given, p. 55; October 26, 1998, review of One Moonlit Night, p. 63; August 21, 2000, review of His Wicked Promise, p. 55; April 16, 2001, review of The Truest Heart, p. 50.

ONLINE

Crescent Blues,http://www.crescentblues.com/ (December 31, 2001), Jean Marie Ward, "Samantha James: Romancing the Odds."

HarperCollins,http://www.harpercollins.com/ (November 10, 2004), biography of Samantha James.

Romantic Times,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (December 31, 2001), Lizabelle Cox, review of A Promise Given, Kathe Robin, review of His Wicked Promise, One Moonlit Night, The Truest Heart, His Wicked Ways, and My Lord Conqueror, Michell Phifer, review of Every Wish Fulfilled, and Frances L. Trainor, review of Just One Kiss.

Samantha James, Romance Novelist,http://www.samanthajames.com/ (December 31, 2001).

Trudy Doolittle, http://www.trudydoolittle.com/ (November 10, 2004), biography of Samantha James.*