Monday, July 9, 2007

Passings

On July 6th, Kathleen Woodiwiss passed away. And romance lost one of its pioneers.

Love her or hate her, Woodiwiss is considered a founder of the modern romance genre. She actually *gasp* followed the hero and heroine into the bedroom.

Quite a number of people who talk about romance say, "The first romance book I read was by Kathleen Woodiwiss...and I was hooked!" I've heard that over and over again throughout my time spent discussing and writing romance.

I myself grew up on a steady of Woodiwiss (along with other genres). I can still remember a relative not wanting to lend me one of her books because she didn't feel I was old enough to read it. Luckily Mom did, and she took me to the library to check the book out.

I became hooked on the happily ever after in Woodiwiss and in the books that came after her. It's why I read and write a lot of romance.

Thank you, Mrs. Woodiwiss for sharing your stories with the world and influencing a generation of people. Like me.

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com/
http://www.melanylogen.com/

2 comments:

N.J.Walters said...

I was so sad to hear of her passing. My favorites are A Rose In Winter and The Wolf and The Dove. She was among the first historical romance books I ever read.

J.C. Wilder said...

What a darling woman she was. I posted a blog about her on my site at:

http://www.jcwilder.com

I will never forget her.

JC