Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, born Kathleen Erin Hogg on June 3, 1939, and died on July 6, 2007, was an American novelist. She helped create the historical romance genre when she published her book The Flame and the Flower in 1972.

Early life

She was born Kathleen Erin Hogg in Alexandria, Louisiana, the youngest of eight children of Charles Wingrove Hogg, a World War I veteran who had disabilities, and his wife, Gladys, whose maiden name was Coker. As a child, she enjoyed making up her own stories, and by the time she was six years old, she would tell herself stories at night to help her fall asleep. Her father died suddenly when Woodiwiss was only 12 years old, leaving her to be raised by her mother and older sisters. Woodiwiss later said, "every single one of us had minds of our own even then; I was no exception. I suppose that carried over into my creations of heroines who weren't weak-willed."

Career

At age 16, she met U.S. Air Force Second Lieutenant Ross Eugene Woodiwiss at a dance. They married the next year on July 20, 1956. She went to school locally and graduated in 1957. Her husband’s job in the military caused the family to move to Japan, where she worked part-time as a fashion model for an American company. After more than three years in Japan, the family moved to Topeka, Kansas, and later settled in Minnesota. During these years, she tried to write a novel several times but stopped each time because writing by hand was too slow. After giving her husband an electric typewriter as a Christmas gift, she used it to begin writing her novel seriously.

Her first novel, The Flame and the Flower, was 600 pages long. Publishers who make hardcover books and agents rejected it because it was too long. Instead of changing the story as they suggested, Woodiwiss sent it to companies that publish paperback books. The first company she contacted, Avon, quickly agreed to publish it. The editor at Avon, Nancy Coffey, gave Woodiwiss $1,500 and arranged for the first printing of 500,000 copies. The Flame and the Flower, published in 1972, was different from other books because it told a long story set in the past with a strong female character and included romantic scenes that were more detailed. This novel sold over 2.3 million copies in its first four years and started the modern romance genre. It was the first romance novel to show characters in romantic situations. The success of this book led to a new style of writing romance stories, focusing on historical settings and relationships between strong female characters and male heroes, even if the heroes had put the heroines in danger. Later romance novels included longer stories, more complex situations, and more detailed romantic scenes.

Woodiwiss helped another writer, LaVyrle Spencer, begin her career. After her own success, Woodiwiss read a manuscript by Spencer, who had not yet found a publisher. Woodiwiss sent the manuscript to her editor at Avon, who agreed to publish it. This led to the publication of Spencer’s first novel, The Fulfillment. Many modern romance writers say Woodiwiss inspired them. Julia Quinn said, “Woodiwiss made women want to read. She gave them an option other than Westerns or crime stories. When I was growing up, I saw my mother and grandmother reading and enjoying romances. When I was old enough to read them myself, I felt like I had joined a special group of women who love reading.”

Woodiwiss wrote twelve popular romance novels, and over 36 million copies of her books are in print. She was known for writing high-quality novels rather than writing many books. She often took four to five years to write a single novel. In some cases, she said delays happened because of personal problems or health issues. In other cases, she admitted she needed time to rest and regain her interest in writing.

All of her novels were historical romances set in different times and places, such as the American Civil War, 18th-century England, or Saxony during the time of William the Conqueror. The heroines in her stories were strong and determined young women. Woodiwiss described her novels as “fairy tales.” She said they were a way for readers to escape, like watching an Errol Flynn movie.

Later life

Woodiwiss loved riding horses and once lived in a large house on 55 acres (220,000 m²) in Minnesota. After her husband passed away in 1996, she returned to live in Louisiana. She died in a hospital in Princeton, Minnesota, at the age of 68 from cancer.

She was survived by two sons, Sean and Heath, their wives, and many grandchildren. A third son, Dorren, died before her. Her last book, Everlasting, was published on October 30, 2007.

Reception

In her essay "The Androgynous Reader" from Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women, Laura Kinsale uses the character Shanna as an example to show that typical romance readers do not see themselves in the heroine. Instead, the reader sees the heroine as a way to imagine being with the hero. Kinsale writes that it would be hard to imagine a heroine sillier or more unwise than Shanna. She also explains that feminists do not need to worry about readers taking in or admiring traits of a heroine who is either overly submissive or annoyingly independent. Instead, readers think about what they would do if they were in the heroine's position.

Selected works

• The Flame and the Flower, published in 1972
• "The Kiss" from THREE WEDDINGS AND A KISS, published in 1995 (co-authored with Catherine Anderson, Loretta Chase, and Lisa Kleypas)
• "Beyond the Kiss" from MARRIED AT MIDNIGHT, published in 1996 (co-authored with Jo Beverley, Tanya Anne Crosby, and Samantha James)
• The Elusive Flame, published in 1998
• A Season Beyond a Kiss, published in 2000

• Wolf and the Dove, published in 1974
• Shanna, published in 1977
• Ashes in the Wind, published in 1979
• A Rose in Winter, published in 1981
• Come Love a Stranger, published in 1984
• So Worthy My Love, published in 1989
• Forever in Your Embrace, published in 1992
• Petals on the River, published in 1997
• The Reluctant Suitor, published in 2002
• Everlasting, published in 2007