Byrd, Adrianne

PERSONAL: Female.

ADDRESSES: Home—GA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Harper Collins, 10 East 53rd St., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10022. E-mail—adrianne@adriannebyrd.net; abyrd2000@aol.com.

CAREER: Romance novelist.

AWARDS, HONORS: Romance in Color Reviewers' Awards, Author of the Year, and Book of the Year, all for Comfort of a Man.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Defenseless, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 1997.

Forget Me Not, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 1998.

I Promise, BET Publications (New York, NY), 1999.

Love's Deception, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 2000.

Say You Love Me, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 2000.

All I've Ever Wanted, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 2001.

Surrender to Love, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 2002.

Comfort of a Man, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 2003.

My Destiny, BET Publications (Washington, DC), 2003.

If You Dare, HarperTorch (New York, NY), 2004.

Unforgettable, Arabesque (Washington, DC), 2004.

Measure of a Man, Arabesque (New York, NY), 2005.

Also author of novella One in a Million, published in Man of the House, Arabesque (New York, NY), 1998. Contributor to periodicals, including Today's Black Woman, Upscale, and Heart and Soul.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Moist, an erotic e-book.

SIDELIGHTS: Romance novelist Adrianne Byrd traveled through much of Europe during her childhood as a self-proclaimed "Army brat." Although calling the constant moving "pretty awful" and regretting the difficulty she had developing enduring friendships, Byrd shared with a Shades of Romance Online interviewer that "it did wonders for my developing a great imagination. Which helps a lot as a writer." Byrd began writing as a hobby in her teens, but refrained from publishing her works until the late 1990s, when she read an article on Romance Writers of America. Her first novel, Defenseless, was published in 1997, and she has published at least one romance title a year since.

My Destiny follows two neighbors over a period of ten years, from their initial and mutual dislike to their nascent friendship and slowly developing attraction to one another. Gwendolyn Osborne noted in a review for the Romance Reader Web site that "Byrd has crafted an intelligent, poignant and sometimes funny anatomy of a ten-year relationship" and "has assembled the best cast of secondary characters I've encountered in some time." Booklist reviewer Megan Kalan described the book as "reminiscent of 'When Harry Met Sally,' and just as captivating."

In If You Dare Byrd incorporates mystery and suspense into the romantic storyline. Retired art thief Damien gets roped into doing one more job, but the heist becomes complicated when he falls in love with the sister of the man who has hired him. Likesbooks.com reviewer TaKiesha Smith remarked that the novel "has all the elements of a great romantic suspense: a hero to die for, a heroine with secrets, and a fast moving plot that pulls the reader in. This is one great ride." Harriet Klausner commented in a review for Allreaders.com that If You Dare, "stars two delightful protagonists that hook the reader the moment they first meet," and added that the novel is strengthened by a "deep support cast [that] enables the audience to understand what motivates the lead characters."

Measure of a Man centers on the budding long-distance relationship between Peyton, an art dealer, and a firefighter named Lincoln. The relationship is complicated when Peyton's gay brother becomes friends with Lincoln and Peyton's parents are led to believe their son has a new boyfriend. Maria Hatton wrote in a review for Booklist that, "In one of the more unusual 'how we got together' stories to come down the pike, Byrd creates a farcical situation that really works." Hatton dubbed the novel "a finely written, hilarious series of encounters that add up to one entertaining book," while Kristin Ramsdell, writing in Library Journal, called Measure of a Man a "lively comedy of errors" with a "funny" and "satisfying" conclusion.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2003, Megan Kalan, review of My Destiny, p. 857; November 15, 2004, Maria Hatton, review of Measure of a Man, p. 567.

Library Journal, January 1, 2005, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Measure of a Man, p. 91.

ONLINE

Adrianne Byrd Home Page, http://www.adriannebyrd.net (March 22, 2005).

All about Romance Web site, http://www.likesbooks.com/ (March 22, 2005), TaKiesha Smith, review of If You Dare.

AllReaders.com, http://www.allreaders.com/ (March 22, 2005), Harriet Klausner, review of If You Dare.

Romance Reader Web site, http://www.theromancereader.com/ (March 22, 2005), Gwendolyn Osborne, review of My Destiny.

Shades of Romance Online, http://www.sormag.com/ (January-February, 2003), interview with Byrd.