Phillips, Christi

PERSONAL:

Married Brian Beverly (an attorney). Education: Graduate of Sam Houston State University. Hobbies and other interests: Animals and playing the piano.

ADDRESSES:

Home—San Francisco Bay area, CA. Office—H Texas Magazine, 523 N. Sam Houston Pkwy. E., Ste. 300, Houston, TX 77060.

CAREER:

Writer and editor. H Texas Magazine, Houston, TX, assistant editor.

WRITINGS:

The Rossetti Letter (novel), Pocket Books (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

To research her first novel, The Rossetti Letter, Christi Phillips traveled to Venice, Florence, and the Tuscan countryside of Italy. The novel focuses on Claire Donovan, who, when offered a temporary position as a chaperone, gets an opportunity to visit Venice and complete her thesis on Alessandra Rossetti, a Venetian courtesan who helped expose a Spanish plan to overthrow the Venetian government. The author tells the stories of both Claire and Rossetti, who is an intellectual young woman forced to become a prostitute because of family difficulties. A Publishers Weekly contributor wrote that the author portrays a "nicely detailed Venice, a clear affection for the main characters and extensive period touches." Anna M. Nelson, writing in the Library Journal, commented: "The alternate story lines … are nicely woven together; the details are seamlessly blended." Reviewers also commented on the author's research efforts. For example, Booklist contributor Laurie Sundborg called them "impeccable." Sundborg went on to write that The Rossetti Letter is "an intriguing literary suspense debut." Writing on the Romantic Times Online, Sheri Melnick referred to the story as "a complex web of intrigue enhanced by captivating characters."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2007, Laurie Sundborg, review of The Rossetti Letter, p. 33.

Kirkus Reviews, December 1, 2006, review of The Rossetti Letter, p. 1195.

Library Journal, March 1, 2007, Anna M. Nelson, review of The Rossetti Letter, p. 76.

Publishers Weekly, November 13, 2006, review of The Rossetti Letter, p. 30.

ONLINE

H Texas Magazine,http://www.htexas.com/ (August 26, 2007), brief profile of author.

Romance Readers at Heart,http://romancereaderatheart.com/ (August 26, 2007), Nancy Davis, review of The Rossetti Letter.

Romantic Times,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (August 26, 2007), Sheri Melnick, review of The Rossetti Letter.

Rossetti Letter Web site,http://therossettiletter.com (August 26, 2007).