Potter, Patricia 1940-

PERSONAL:

Born January 1, 1940.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Memphis, TN.

CAREER:

Writer, novelist, public speaker, and journalist. Atlanta Journal, Atlanta, GA, reporter. Worked as an editor for a suburban newspaper in Atlanta, and as the president of a public relations firm in Atlanta. Speaker and presenter at writers' conferences.

MEMBER:

Romance Writers of America (member of national board), Georgia Romance Writers (past president), River City Romance Writers (Memphis, TN; past board member).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Story Teller of the Year award, Romantic Times Online, 1993; Career Achievement Award for Western Romances, Romantic Times Online, 1995; Maggie Award (three-time recipient), Georgia Romance Writers; Reviewer Choice Award (multiple recipient), Romantic Times Online; RITA finalist (three times), Romance Writers of America.

WRITINGS:

"LINK" SERIES

Swampfire, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1988.

Samara, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1989.

The Silver Link, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1991.

"AMERICAN/SCOTTISH" SERIES

Diablo, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

The Marshal and the Heiress, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996.

The Scotsman Wore Spurs, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

"STAR" SERIES

Starcatcher, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997.

Starfinder, Bantam (New York, NY), 1998.

Star Keeper, Bantam (New York, NY), 1999.

"SCOTTISH" SERIES

The Black Knave, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2000.

The Heart Queen, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2001.

The Diamond King, Berkley (New York, NY), 2002.

"MACLEAN" SERIES

Beloved Impostor, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2004.

Beloved Stranger, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2006.

Beloved Warrior, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2007.

OTHER NOVELS

Between the Thunder, Harlequin Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 1989.

Seize the Fire, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1989.

Dragonfire, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1990.

The Abduction, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1991.

Lawless, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1991.

Rainbow, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Island of Dreams, Harper (New York, NY), 1991.

The Greatest Gift, Bantam (New York, NY), 1991.

Lightning, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1992.

Notorious, Bantam (New York, NY), 1993.

Renegade, Bantam (New York, NY), 1993.

Troubadour, Bantam (New York, NY), 1993.

Relentless, Bantam (New York, NY), 1994.

Wanted, Bantam (New York, NY), 1994.

Defiant, Bantam (New York, NY), 1995.

Impetuous, Bantam (New York, NY), 1995.

Home for Christmas, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1998.

The Perfect Family, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Cassidy and the Princess, Silhouette (New York, NY), 2001.

Broken Honor, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Twisted Shadows, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Dancing with a Rogue, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2003.

Cold Target, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2004.

Tangle of Lies, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2005.

Tempting the Devil, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2006.

Catch a Shadow, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2008.

Contributor to anthologies, including Harlequin Historical Christmas Stories, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1990; Untamed, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1994; Christmas Rogues, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1995; Unchained Lightning, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996; To Make a Wish, Bantam (New York, NY), 1997; A Knight's Vow, Jove (New York, NY), 2001; and How to Lasso a Cowboy, Jove (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Patricia Potter is the author of more than forty novels of historical and contemporary romance. According to her home page, she has more than two million copies of her books in print. Potter is the winner of a number of awards, including a Storyteller of the Year award and a Career Achievement Award in Western Romances from Romantic Times Online, and three Maggie awards from Georgia Romance Writers. She is a three-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA award. She is a frequent speaker and guest at writers' conferences and conventions, including numerous regional writers' conferences, a number of Romantic Times Online conferences, and at four national Romance Writers of America conferences.

Potter is the author of more than twenty-five stand-alone novels as well as five separate series. Her "Link" series consists of Swampfire, Samara, and The Silver Link, while the "American Scottish" series opens with Diablo, continues with The Marshal and the Heiress, and concludes with The Scotsman Wore Spurs.

In the first novel of Potter's "Star" series, Starcatcher, she provides "some sparkling scenes" in a "serviceable Scots romance" set just as the Restoration is about to dawn, noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. Ian Sutherland, the protagonist of Starfinder, loses everything that is important to him at the Battle of Culloden. Accused of being a traitor, he is sent away to indentured servitude in the new English colonies. Ian's services are bought by the dying John Marsh, who wants him to look after his wife, Fancy, and children after he is dead. Ian's presence is also intended to keep Marsh's valuable land out of the clutches of his repugnant brother, Robert. Touched by the kindness and love of the Marshes, Ian marries Fancy to protect both her reputation and legacy. Soon, however, the marriage of convenience evolves into a relationship of very genuine emotion and devotion. "Ian and Fancy are strong and compelling characters, and Potter brings their story vividly to life," commented Pat Engelmann in Booklist. The final book of the trilogy, Star Keeper, rejoins the Sutherland family as the next generation lives through the Revolutionary War. John Patrick Sutherland, privateer and foe of the British, is injured while abandoning his sinking ship. He seeks assistance from his brother, Noel Marsh, a Philadelphia doctor. No revolutionary, Noel is reluctant to help, but he manages to find John a spot in a British loyalist hospital operated by Annette Carey. John is im- mediately smitten and tries to hide his identity from her, but Annette soon discovers who he is. The emotional stirrings in her heart, however, prevent her from turning him over to the British. As the American Revolution unfolds, John and Annette fall deeply in love. A Publishers Weekly contributor called the novel a "nicely detailed Revolutionary War historical."

The Black Knave, opens up another Scottish series in which a battle hero and a Jacobite heroine are forced into a marriage of convenience by the King, to their mutual dismay and interpersonal conflict. "Well-drawn, memorable characters, compelling action, and Machiavellian political intrigue add" to Potter's story, remarked Kristin Ramsdell in Library Journal. In The Heart Queen, when Janet Leslie and Neil Forbes, torn apart after a doomed relationship in their youth, are brought together again after years, they realize that their mutual attraction has not dimmed. Janet has married another man and started a family, thinking that Neil had once betrayed her love, but when her husband dies, she seeks Neil's help to protect her and her children. Neil would like nothing more than to reunite with Janet and be a father to her children, but doing so would make him a traitor to his country. Potter can "play on the heartstrings and she makes marvelous music in this poignant, tender, yet action-packed romance," commented Romantic Times Online reviewer Kathe Robin. In the last book of the series, The Diamond King, Scottish nobleman Lord Alex Leslie undergoes a profound change after the dreadful and bloody Battle of Culloden. He becomes an outlaw, Will Malfour, and finds himself in the position of protecting ten orphans. Two years later, Malfour has become a privateer on his way to South Africa to exploit the diamond mines. On the way, Malfour overtakes a ship on which twenty-five-year-old British spinster Jenna Campbell is traveling. Soon, Malfour is taking out all his anger at the British out on Jenna, but the stirrings of love between them promise to overcome all hatred. A "rake becomes a hero and a courageous, resourceful woman finds love against all odds" in Potter's "exciting historical," noted Booklist critic Shelley Mosley.

With Beloved Impostor, Potter inaugurates another Scottish trilogy, the "Maclean" series. To help protect the Maclean clan, Rory Maclean seeks to negotiate a peace between his family and the Campbells. Mindful of a centuries-old curse against anyone who marries a Maclean, Rory rejects the traditional peacemaking tactic of an interclan marriage, and seeks other ways to calm the tensions between the two families. Elsewhere, Felicia Campbell flees an arranged marriage to a brutal, uncouth man. She is captured by Macleans who mistake her for Janet Campbell, daughter of the laird of the Campbell clan. She is presented to Rory as his bride, but he resists, trying to stave off the looming curse. Felicia continues to pretend to be Janet Campbell, but soon, neither curse nor clan war nor all good intentions otherwise will prevent Rory and Felicia from falling in love. Kathe Robin, writing on the Romantic Times Online, commented favorably on Potter's "unique gift for creating unforgettable characters and delving into the deepest parts of their hearts." The second "Maclean" novel, Beloved Stranger, tells the story of Lachlan Maclean. Severely injured while in service to the king, and suffering from amnesia, Lachlan is rescued by Kimbra Charleton, a British widow. Thinking she might be able to get a ransom for the handsome Scot, Kimbra resists the British king's order that all Scots must be killed. As their attraction swells, Kimbra changes her mind about Lachlan and grows to want to love and protect him. No matter how hard she tries, though, her attempts to keep him safe are undone. "Betrayals, greed, and violence abound in a complex plot," commented Booklist reviewer Mary K. Chelton. Potter concludes the trilogy with Beloved Warrior, the story of Patrick Maclean. Forced into slavery on a Spanish ship, Patrick leads a successful mutiny as the vessel plies the seas. After doing so, he discovers alluring passenger Julia Mendoza, reluctantly sailing toward an arranged political marriage to a man she doesn't even know. Instead, with his attraction to her increasing, Patrick takes her to the ancestral Maclean home in Scotland. Still mindful of the Maclean family curse, Patrick frets over what to do until Julian devises a masterful plan to overcome their troubles. Potter "offers as much satisfaction in this story as in its predecessors," Chelton remarked in another Booklist assessment.

Twisted Shadows, one of Potter's stand-alone novels, finds protagonist Samantha Carroll, astonished at the recent revelation that she is the daughter of a mob boss, unwillingly embroiled in dangerous crime family turmoil. When she travels for what will probably be the final reunion with her dying father, she also gets the chance to meet the twin brother she never knew she had. When she arrives, her presence sparks deep resentments among other family members. As long-hidden family secrets are brought to light and plans of others are thwarted, Samantha discovers the deadly dangers of belonging to a family that is willing to kill to protect itself or to get what it wants. Library Journal critic Kristen Ramsdell observed that "exceptionally well-developed secondary characters enliven this chilling tale of murder, ambition, and greed."

The lust for revenge fuels the story in Dancing with a Rogue. Thomas Kane, the villainous Earl of Stanhope, is responsible for the death of Merry Anders's mother. Now a famous actress, Merry seeks retribution for her mother's murder. Kane and his nefarious associates are also responsible for driving Gabriel Manning's father to suicide. Intent on fulfilling a promise he made to his father years ago, Gabriel is also plotting revenge against Kane. Neither Gabriel nor Merry know of the other's plan. When they meet and fall in love, however, neither their relationship nor the newly discovered fact that Kane is actually Merry's father will divert them from their search for justice. With this novel, Mosley stated in another Booklist review, Potter "proves that she's adept at penning both enthralling historicals and captivating contemporary novels."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 1998, Donna Seaman, review of Diablo, p. 211; September 15, 1998, Pat Engelmann, review of Starfinder, p. 210; December 1, 2001, Shelley Mosley, review of Broken Honor, p. 635; July, 2002, Shelley Mosley, review of The Diamond King, p. 1830; July, 2003, Shelley Mosley, review of Dancing with a Rogue, p. 1875; January 1, 2004, Shelley Mosley, review of Cold Target, p. 837; February 1, 2006, Mary K. Chelton, review of Beloved Stranger, p. 36; April 1, 2007, Mary K. Chelton, review of Beloved Warrior, p. 34.

Library Journal, November 15, 1998, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Home for Christmas, p. 58; May 15, 2000, Kristin Ramsdell, review of The Black Knave, p. 78; February 15, 2003, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Twisted Shadows, p. 123; June 1, 2005, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Tangle of Lies, p. 121.

Publishers Weekly, April 5, 1993, review of Renegade, p. 71; October 25, 1993, review of Notorious, p. 57; November 17, 1997, review of Starcatcher, p. 59; October 12, 1998, review of Starfinder, p. 74; July 12, 1999, review of Star Keeper, p. 92; December 24, 2001, review of Broken Honor, p. 49.

ONLINE

Dear Author,http://dearauthor.wordpress.com/ (April 23, 2006), review of Beloved Stranger.

Fantastic Fiction,http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ (March 17, 2008), bibliography of Patricia Potter.

Genre Go Round Reviews,http://genregoroundreviews.blogspot.com/ (January 30, 2008), Harriet Klausner, review of Catch a Shadow.

Patricia Potter Home Page,http://www.patriciapotter.com (March 17, 2008).

Romance Reader,http://theromancereader.com/ (March 17, 2008), Jean Mason, review of Star Keeper; Thea Davis, review of Home for Christmas.

Romantic Times Online,http://romantictimes.com/ (March 17, 2008), Jill M. Smith, review of The Perfect Family; Linda Anselmi, review of Impetuous; Kathe Robin, review of Diablo; Kathe Robin, review of The Marshal and the Heiress; Kathe Robin, review of The Scotsman Wore Spurs; Kathe Robin, review of Defiant; Kathe Robin, review of The Heart Queen; Debbie Richardson, review of Cassidy and the Princess; Kathe Robin, review of Beloved Impostor; Jill M. Smith, review of Tempting the Devil.