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Kathleen WoodiwissWriter of women's novels
Date of Birth: 03.06.1939
Country:  USA |
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Biography of Kathleen Woodiwiss
Kathleen Woodiwiss, an American author, is recognized as a pioneer in the genre of historical romance novels. Many contemporary authors in this genre admit that they were inspired by Woodiwiss' works, and critics consider her to be one of the genre's trailblazers. Despite only writing 16 books, all of them have become bestsellers, with a total circulation of over 37 million copies to date.
Early Life and Career
Kathleen Erin Hogg, later known as Kathleen Woodiwiss, was born on June 3, 1939, in Alexandria, Louisiana. She was the youngest of eight children of World War I veteran Charles Wingrove Hogg and his wife Gladys. As a child, Kathleen loved creating various stories and often told them to herself before bedtime.
At the age of 16, Kathleen attended a dance where she met Lieutenant Ross Eugene Woodiwiss of the United States Air Force. They got married the following year, and Kathleen had to finish school through distance learning as her husband was stationed in Japan. However, Kathleen did not lead a quiet housewife life and instead worked as a fashion model while jotting down the stories that came to her mind on paper.
After three and a half years of military service, Kathleen's husband's term ended, and they returned to the United States, eventually settling in Minnesota. Despite already having three children, Kathleen continued to write. One day, after expressing her frustration with the time-consuming task of handwriting her stories, her husband gifted her an electric typewriter. This improvement led to the completion of a 600-page novel that Kathleen decided to offer to literary agents.
Success and Legacy
Despite unanimous advice from agents to condense the novel to fit the standard format of a mass-market paperback, Kathleen remained steadfast and decided to approach publishers directly. The first publisher on her list, Avon, turned out to be fortunate. Editor Nancy Coffey saw the book as a completely new direction, combining historical epic, romance, and passionate love scenes. "The Flame and the Flower" was released in 1972 with an initial print run of 500,000 copies, and within the next four years, it was reissued multiple times, with sales exceeding two million copies. Critics praised it as the beginning of a new mainstream trend, characterized by historical backgrounds, monogamous relationships, and tender heroines saved by courageous heroes.
Woodiwiss' next novel, "The Wolf and the Dove," was also a bestseller upon its release in 1974. The author took a deliberate and leisurely pace, publishing approximately one book every three to four years. She often took breaks from writing to recover her creative potential or due to personal circumstances. However, her meticulousness and deliberation in her literary work yielded excellent results, establishing Kathleen Woodiwiss as a highly respected author. Writers such as LaVyrle Spencer, Julia Quinn, and others referred to her as their "godmother" in literature, stating that her novels created a magical world for women and united them in a special bond.
Almost all of Kathleen Woodiwiss' novels have been translated into Russian and published by well-known publishing houses. They are set in 18th-century England, the American Civil War era, and the time of William the Conqueror. Her debut novel, "The Flame and the Flower," remains highly popular among Russian readers. Other top-rated novels include "Petals on the River," "The Wolf and the Dove," "Shanna," and more. Reviews highlight the tension in the plots, the somewhat ironic writing style, and the captivating intrigue, although some also note a certain schematism in character development, which relies on a "black-and-white" principle.
Kathleen Woodiwiss lived with her husband in Minnesota in a large house with a vast piece of land, which allowed her to indulge in her passion for horseback riding. After her husband's death in 1996, she moved to Louisiana, where she continued to maintain close relationships with the families of her two sons and her grandchildren (her third son passed away at a young age).
In 2007, at the age of 68, Kathleen Woodiwiss passed away from cancer. Her final novel, "Everlasting," was published posthumously.
