Steele, Marcia (Glennys Howell) 1933–

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Steele, Marcia (Glennys Howell) 1933–

(Jessica Steele)

PERSONAL: Born May 9, 1933, in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England; married second husband, Jesse Peter Steele, 1967. Hobbies and other interests: Caring for dogs, birds, and most wildlife; reading espionage fiction and thrillers.

ADDRESSES: Home—Whitebeams, West Malvern, Worcestershire, England. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harlequin, P.O. Box 5190, Buffalo, NY 14240-5190.

CAREER: Worked as a bookkeeper, estate agent, and civil servant, 1971–78; writer, 1978–.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Engaging Loyalty, IPC Magazines, Ltd. (London, England), 1978.

Tangled Emotions, IPC Magazines, Ltd. (London, England), 1978.

That Special Person, IPC Magazines (London, England), 1978.

Equality of Love, IPC Magazines (London, England), 1979.

ROMANCE NOVELS; UNDER PSEUDONYM JESSICA STEELE

The Icicle Heart, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1979.

Pride's Master, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1979.

Spring Girl, Harlequin (New York, Y), 1979.

Hostile Engagement, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1979.

Intimate Enemies, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1979.

Hostage to Dishonour, Mills & Boon (London, England) 1979, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1980.

Turbulent Covenant, Harlequin (Toronton, Ontario, Canada), 1980.

The Other Woman, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1980.

The Magic of His Kiss, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1980, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1981.

Price to Be Met, Mills & Boon (London, England) 1980, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1983.

Devil in Disguise, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1980, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1981

Innocent Abroad, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1981.

Bachelor's Wife, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1981.

Gallant Antagonist, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1981, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1984.

The Other Brother, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1981, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1982.

Dishonest Women, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1982.

But Know Not Why, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1982.

Distrust Her Shadow, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1982, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1983.

Tethered Liberty, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1983.

No Quiet Refuge, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1983.

Reluctant Relative, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1983.

Tomorrow—Come Soon, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1983, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1984.

Imprudent Challenge, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1984, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

Ruthless in All, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1984, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

Bond of Vengeance, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1984, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

Façade, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1984, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

No Holds Barred, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1984, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

No Honourable Compromise, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1984, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

A Promise to Dishonour, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1985.

So Near, So Far, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1986.

Misleading Encounter, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1986.

Beyond Her Control, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1986.

Relative Strangers, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1987.

Unfriendly Alliance, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1987, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988.

Fortunes of Love, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988.

Without Love, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1988, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

When the Loving Stopped, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1988, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

To Stay Forever, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

Farewell to Love, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

Frozen Enchantment, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1989, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Unfriendly Proposition, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1989, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Passport to Happiness, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Hidden Heart, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

A First Time for Everything, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Without Knowing Why, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Flight of Discovery, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1991.

Runaway from Love, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1991, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

His Woman, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1991, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

Bad Neighbours, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1991, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

Destined to Meet, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1991, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

Hungarian Rhapsody, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1992.

West of Bohemia, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1993, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Relative Values, Mils & Boon (London, England), 1993.

Italian Invader, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1993, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Bachelor's Family, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1995.

The Sister Secret, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1995.

A Wife in Waiting, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1996.

The Marriage Business, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1996.

Unexpected Engagement, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1996.

With His Ring, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1997.

A Business Engagement, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1997.

Married in a Moment, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1998.

The Trouble with Trent!, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1998.

Temporary Girlfriend, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1999.

Agenda: Attraction!, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1999.

A Nine to Five Affair, Mills & Boon (London, England), 1999.

A Wedding Worth Waiting For, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1999.

A Most Eligible Bachelor, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1999.

The Bachelor's Bargain, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2000.

The Feisty Fiancée, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2000.

Bachelor in Need, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2000.

Marriage in Mind, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2000.

A Suitable Husband, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2001.

Part-Time Marriage, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2001.

His Pretend Mistress, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2002.

A Professional Marriage, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2002.

An Accidental Engagement, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

A Paper Marriage, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

Her Boss's Marriage Agenda, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2004.

A Pretend Engagement, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2004.

Vacancy: Wife of Convenience, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2005.

Contributor of stories to anthologies, including The Jasmine Bride, Sweet Promise, Contract Husbands, and Marrying the Boss, all 2003; and White Wedding, and A Christmas to Remember, both 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Jessica Steele is the pseudonym of British writer Marcia Steele, a prolific author who began penning romance novels in her mid-forties. Steele is particularly well known for her "workplace romances," in which women fall in love with their employers and vice versa—not without complications. A widely traveled writer, Steele incorporates the places she visits into her novels, but does not let an exotic locale override the human emotions in her stories. In Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, a contributor noted that Steele's novels focus "on the relationship between hero and heroine, which is a style difficult to maintain with both conviction and pace. Jessica Steele succeeds admirably with both, and she is also able to sustain the intense emotion necessary, while at the same time varying it during the course of the book. The introspection of the heroine about her own feelings is done with skill and care, never becoming maudlin or tedious."

Steele told CA: "My husband, Peter, suggested I should try writing. I tried, and that was when I realized that it was not that easy. After what I term as a five-year apprenticeship in learning how to write, my eighth manuscript was accepted for publication.

"Starting a new book is the hardest part; but once I'm at my desk, I play around with various ideas until one comes along that will carry through for the eight or nine chapters that I usually write. I pencil out a chapter-by-chapter synopsis in the hope that I will be able to stick to it—characters have an extraordinary habit of wanting to take over the story for me. I write the story in longhand first, and then work on my computer.

"I discovered, to my surprise, that when writing something sad, it sometimes gets to me, and I actually have to wipe the tears away. Of course, I laugh too, so it isn't all pain.

Of my books, I have many favorites. The ones that stick out are Temporary Girlfriend (which made me laugh), and Bachelor's Wife (which made me cry). Hostage to Dishonour, Devil in Disguise, and Reluctant Relative are favorites too. I particularly enjoyed writing A Pretend Engagement."