Coulter, Catherine

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COULTER, Catherine

(Jean Coulter Pogony)

PERSONAL: Born in TX; married Anton Coulter (a radiologist). Education: University of Texas, B.A.; Boston College, M.A.

ADDRESSES: Home—P.O. Box 17, Mill Valley, CA 94942. Agent—Robert Gottlieb, William Morris Agency, 1325 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. E-mail—ReadMoi@aol.com.

CAREER: Writer. Worked in human resources for firms in New York, NY and San Francisco, CA.

AWARDS, HONORS: Romantic Times Award for best historical romance author, 1989.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

The Rebel Bride, Dutton (New York, NY), 1979.

Lord Harry's Folly, Dutton (New York, NY), 1980, reprinted, Signet (New York, NY), 2001.

Lord Deverill's Heir, Dutton (New York, NY), 1980.

An Honorable Offer, 1981, revised edition published as The Offer, Topaz (New York, NY), 1997.

The Generous Earl, Dutton (New York, NY), 1981.

Devil's Embrace, Signet (New York, NY), 1983.

Sweet Surrender, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Devil's Daughter, Dutton (New York, NY), 1985.

Chandra, Dutton (New York, NY), 1985.

Midnight Star, Dutton (New York, NY), 1986.

Wild Star, Onyx (New York, NY), 1986.

Midsummer Magic, Dutton (New York, NY), 1987.

Jade Star, Dutton (New York, NY), 1987.

Moonspun Magic, Dutton (New York, NY), 1988.

Calypso Magic, Dutton (New York, NY), 1988.

False Pretenses, Dutton (New York, NY), 1988.

Night Shadow, Avon (New York, NY), 1989.

Night Fire, Avon (New York, NY), 1989.

An Intimate Deception, Dutton (New York, NY), 1989.

Night Storm, Avon (New York, NY), 1990.

Impulse, Dutton (New York, NY), 1990.

Fire Song, Dutton (New York, NY), 1990.

Earth Song, Dutton (New York, NY), 1990.

Secret Song, Dutton (New York, NY), 1991.

Season of the Sun, Dutton (New York, NY), 1991.

Beyond Eden, Dutton (New York, NY), 1992.

The Hellion Bride, Jove (New York, NY), 1992.

The Heiress Bride, Putnam (New York, NY), 1993.

The Nightingale Legacy, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

The Wyndham Legacy, Putnam (New York, NY), 1994.

Lord of Raven's Peak, Jove (New York, NY), 1994.

Lord of Falcon Ridge, Jove (New York, NY), 1995.

The Valentine Legacy, Putnam (New York, NY), 1995.

The Sherbrooke Bride, Jove (New York, NY), 1996.

Rosehaven, Putnam (New York, NY), 1996.

Lord of Hawkfell Island, Jove (New York, NY), 1996.

The Cove, Jove (New York, NY), 1996.

The Heir, Topaz (New York, NY), 1996.

The Maze, Putnam (New York, NY), 1997.

The Duke, Topaz (New York, NY), 1997.

The Wild Baron, Jove (New York, NY), 1997.

The Target, Putnam (New York, NY), 1998.

The Deception, Topaz (New York, NY), 1998.

Aftershocks, Mira Books (Buffalo, NY), 1998.

The Edge, Putnam (New York, NY), 1999.

Mad Jack, Wheeler, 1999.

Riptide, Putnam (New York, NY), 2000.

Warrior's Song, Thorndike Press (Waterville, ME), 2000.

Afterglow, Mira Books (Buffalo, NY), 2000.

Hemlock Bay, Putnam (New York, NY), 2001.

Scottish Bride, Jove (New York, NY), 2001.

Eleventh Hour, Putnam (New York, NY), 2002.

The Aristocrat, Mira Books (Buffalo, NY), 2002.

Pendragon, Jove (New York, NY), 2002.

Blindside, Putnam (New York, NY), 2003.

The Penwyth Curse, Jove (New York, NY), 2003.

Blowout, Putnam (New York, NY), 2004.

Also author of The Autumn Countess, Signet (New York, NY), The Courtship, and The Sherbrooke Twins.

SIDELIGHTS: Catherine Coulter is a best-selling author who established herself writing Regency romances. She moved on to more steamy historical romances, proving herself to be one of the most popular writers in that genre with books such as Sweet Surrender, Devil's Embrace, and Calypso Magic. Coulter eventually gave some of her books contemporary settings as well. Whatever the period, her books often incorporate elements of mystery and suspense as well as romance.

Coulter first became interested in writing romance novels while her husband was attending college. She was reading twenty to thirty romance novels a week, and decided she could write superior books. She and her husband sat down and plotted out a novel that was eventually published as The Autumn Countess. In an article for People, Gabrielle Saveri quoted the author's thoughts on the popularity of romance novels: "Since our entire civilization is based on the relationship between men and women, it's not surprising that the genre would be especially popular. I hope sincerely that everyone experiences those wonderful emotions of discovery, romance, love, and instant lust at least once. With romance, the focus of the novels is on these newly discovered feelings…. Also, life is very much with us most of the time. A novel that provides good entertainment, good escapism, is just what we need many times in order to come back to reality refreshed and ready to go again."

A rather dark view of sexuality pervades many of Coulter's romances, noted an essayist for Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers. Heroines are abducted, imprisoned, and enslaved, often by the very man who turns out to be her special love. While this view has drawn some negative comments about her work, the essayist remarked, "it is apparent from her following that her graphic descriptions of these sorts of relationships are popular with her readers, if not the critics." The writer found that the strength of Coulter's work lies in her way of "creating likeable, dynamic characters and putting them in a spicy, adventure-filled story."

Coulter's use of suspense is one of the hallmarks of her romances. In Beyond Eden, for instance, a successful model becomes a murderer's next possible target. A private investigator is hired to protect her, and their relationship grows into a "spicy romance," according to a Publishers Weekly reviewer. The critic added that "the mystery, sometimes frenzied, is nonetheless intriguing." The Maze tells of a woman avenging the murder of her sister seven years earlier, all the while dealing with her growing relationship with her FBI superior. "Coincidence stretches belief," admitted Andrea Lee Shuel in the Library Journal, "but the book is an easy, fast read, good for summer entertainment." Coulter continued to develop her skills in the suspense genre, even creating some books in which the romance is distinctly secondary to the action. Contemporary books such as Eleventh Hour, The Edge, and Riptide proved her ability to craft gripping plots. Eleventh Hour, one of several books to feature FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, is a mystery about the murder of a priest in his confessional. The only witness is a homeless woman, who is in fact a college professor on the run from an abusive spouse. Booklist contributor Diana Tixier Herald was favorably impressed, writing, "Long popular for her sizzling romances, Coulter gets better and more cinematic with each of her suspenseful FBI adventures." Riptide is a "terrific thriller," according to a writer for the San Francisco Examiner, one that "will drag you into its chilling web of terror and not let go until the last paragraph." The story concerns Becca, a young woman whose pleasant life is disrupted by a stalker. Unable to convince the police that she is really being targeted, Becca goes undercover and flees to a remote village in Maine, but after a peaceful interlude, the threatening telephone calls begin again. "This is the perfect beach book—fast-paced twists and turns driven by believable dialogue between a cast of well-developed characters. A ripping good read," concluded the San Francisco Examiner reviewer.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, St. James Press (Detroit, MI), 1994.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 1, 1994, Denise Perry Donavin, review of Lord of Raven's Peak, p. 1180; October 15, 1994, Mary Carroll, review of The Nightingale Legacy, p. 371; January 15, 1995, Mary Frances Wilkins, review of Lord of Falcon Ridge, p. 868; August, 1995, Denise Perry Donavin, review of The Valentine Legacy, p. 1928; May 15, 1997, Jennifer Henderson, review of The Maze, p. 1540; September 15, 1997, Margaret Flanagan, review of Moonspun Magic, p. 208; March 15, 1998, Patty Engelman, review of The Target, p. 1179; June 1, 1999, Diana Tixier Herald, review of The Edge, p. 1741; January 1, 2000, Diana Tixier Herald, review of The Courtship, p. 886; May 15, 2000, Kristine Huntley, review of Riptide, p. 1700; December 1, 2000, Whitney Scott, review of Riptide, p. 743; January 1, 2001, Patty Engelmann, review of Scottish Bride, p. 927; June 1, 2001, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Hemlock Bay, p. 1796; July, 2002, Diana Tixier Herald, review of Eleventh Hour, p. 1796; December 15, 2002, Patty Engelmann, review of The Penwyth Curse, p. 707; August, 2003, review of Blindside, p. 1924; March 15, 2004, John Charles, review of The Sherbrooke Twins, p. 1274.

Denver Post, August 29, 1999, review of The Edge, p. G4.

Houston Chronicle, August 18, 2002, Melanie Danburg, review of Eleventh Hour, p. 21.

Kirkus Reviews, July 1, 2002, review of Eleventh Hour, p. 916; June 15, 2003, review of Blindside, p. 820.

Kliatt, July, 2003, Sunnie Grant, review of The Penwyth Curse (audiobook review), p. 61.

Library Journal, June 15, 1997, Andrea Lee Shuel, review of The Maze, p. 96; August, 1997, Michael Rogers, review of Moonspun Magic, p. 142; October 15, 1997, Melody Moxley, review of The Maze, p. 108; April 15, 1998, Andrea Lee Shuey, review of The Target, p. 111; November 15, 1998, Jodi L. Israel, review of The Offer, p. 111; May 15, 1999, Barbara Perkins, review of The Deception, p. 146; July, 1999, Andrea Lee Shuey, review of The Edge, p. 129; September 1, 1999, Michael Rogers, review of Jade Star, p. 238; May 1, 2000, Barbara Perkins, review of The Edge, p. 168; October 1, 2000, Barbara Perkins, review of False Pretenses, p. 165; January 1, 2001, Michael Rogers, review of Midnight Star, p. 164; June 1, 2001, Barbara Perkins, review of Riptide, p. 248; January, 2003, Michael Rogers, review of The Rebel Bride, p. 166; February 15, 2003, Michael Rogers, review of The Deception, p. 174; June 15, 2003, Michael Rogers, review of The Heir, p. 107; February 15, 2004, Kristin Ramsdell, review of The Sherbrooke Twins, p. 112.

Palm Beach Post, August 19, 2001, review of Hemlock Bay, p. 9J.

People, September 23, 1996, Gabrielle Saveri, interview with Catherine Coulter, p. 34.

Publishers Weekly, March 11, 1988, p. 97; March 30, 1990, Sybil Steinberg, review of Impulse, p. 52; August 3, 1990, Peggy Kaganoff, review of Earth Song, p. 72; January 4, 1991, Peggy Kaganoff, review of Secret Song, p. 69; August 30, 1991, review of Season of the Sun, p. 77; November 29, 1991, review of Beyond Eden, p. 42; February 10, 1992, review of The Sherbrooke Bride, p. 77; September 28, 1992, review of The Hellion Bride, p. 70; November 2, 1992, review of The Heiress Bride, p. 51; September 27, 1993, review of Lord of Hawkfell Island, p. 59; November 29, 1993, review of The Wyndham Legacy, p. 56; February 21, 1994, review of Lord of Raven's Peak, p. 248; October 3, 1994, review of The Nightingale Legacy, p. 49; February 6, 1995, review of Lord of Falcon Ridge, p. 80; July 3, 1995, review of The Valentine Legacy, p. 49; February 26, 1996, review of The Cove, p. 99; June 24, 1996, review of Rosehaven, p. 47; March 3, 1997, review of The Wild Baron, p. 71; June 2, 1997, review of The Maze, p. 51; March 30, 1998, review of The Target, p. 69; December 21, 1998, review of Mad Jack, p. 65; June 7, 1999, review of The Edge, p. 70; January 8, 2001, review of The Scottish Bride, p. 53; July 16, 2001, review of Hemlock Bay, p. 158; December 17, 2001, review of Pendragon, p. 70; July 29, 2002, review of Eleventh Hour, p. 56; December 9, 2002, review of The Penwyth Curse, p. 68; June 30, 2003, review of Blindside, p. 55; June 30, 2003, Brianna Yamashita, interview with Catherine Coulter; February 16, 2004, review of The Sherbrooke Twins, p. 157; June 7, 2004, review of Blowout, p. 32.