In Memoriam Kathleen Woodiwiss

Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, called by Publisher's Weekly a, "Trailblazing romance author," died Saturday, July 7. She was 68.

Kathleen is widely credited with inventing the modern historical romance novel. She broke onto the scene in 1972 with The Flame and the Flower, which featured an historical backdrop and (again from PW) "flashy sex scenes." This was a departure from the traditional historical novel which featured fictional characters on the periphery of actual of recorded history and were stories of either adventure or intrigue.

Kathleen Woodiwiss' new take on the genre struck a chord with the reading public and was wildly successful. She went on to write 13 novels and to influence many other romance authors. She was, as bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips put it, a towering figure in the genre. "We all owe our careers to her. She opened the world of romance to us as readers." There are currently more than 26.7 million copies of Woodiwiss’s novels in print; her last novel, Everlasting, will be released in October.

Other writers of sensual historical fiction are:

Shirlee Busbee; Johanna Lindsey; Fern Michaels; Rosemary Rogers; Bertrice Small

While I have enjoyed a book by one of these authors on more than one occasion, I really prefer the more old-style historical novel that has more history than romance. I like feisty female main characters and I think it is a shame that a lot of current historical fiction is written mainly for men.

My all-time historical novel is Katherine by Anya Seton. I once devoured all the historical novels of Jean Plaidy chronologically, and I liked most of her books written as Norah Lofts too.

A book I used to recommend all the time to people is A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux. I know that's not a "pure" historical novel, and the time travel element might put people off, but it's a terrific read, especially for a rainy day or a day on the beach. Fans of Diane Gabaldon might like that one.

Why not leave a comment on your favorite historical novel or join the debate on what's an historical novel and what's not.