Fforde, Katie 1952-

PERSONAL:

Born September 27, 1952; daughter of Michael (a teacher) and Barbara (an artist and writer) Cumming; married Desmond Fforde, September 2, 1972; children: Guy, Francis, Briony. Hobbies and other interests: Singing, gardening, pets.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. E-mail—katiefforde@katiefforde.com.

CAREER:

Writer. Has worked as a cleaner and in a health food cafe.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Living Dangerously, Penguin (London, England) 1995.

The Rose Revived, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Stately Pursuits, Michael Joseph (London, England), 1997.

Wild Designs, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY) 1997.

Life Skills, Century (London, England), 1999.

Thyme Out, Century (London, England), 2000.

Second Thyme Around, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2001.

Highland Fling, Century (London, England), 2002.

Artistic License, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Paradise Fields, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2004.

Restoring Grace, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Bidding for Love, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Katie Fforde is the author of several romance novels set in modern-day England. Often described as lighthearted and charming, her books typically feature heroines who are, in the words of Booklist contributor Danise Hoover, "spunky, can-do types who spend their days cheerfully sorting out the dilemmas of others." Her debut novel, Living Dangerously, concerns the love affair between Polly, "a scatty, bosomy Cotswold potter" in the words of a reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement, and David Lockinge-Hall, the handsome owner of a country mansion. The Times Literary Supplement reviewer dismissed Living Dangerously as "ridiculously old-fashioned" and "unrepentantly snobbish," remarking that "niceties of plot, sympathetic characterization and functioning grammar are not part of the package." Fforde's second novel, however, enjoyed more favorable notice. In The Rose Revived, the paths of three well-bred but financially struggling young women cross when they apply for jobs at Quality Cleaners, a London housecleaning agency. Feisty May Sargent needs money to keep up the payments on her houseboat, The Rose Revived; beautiful Sally Bliss is an out-of-work actress ensnared in a bad relationship with a snobbish journalist; and single mother Harriet Devonshire dreams of becoming an artist. After being cheated by their boss, the women decide to open their own agency, Cleaning Undertaken and, by the end of the novel, all have found both true love and financial security. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called The Rose Revived "a slight but spirited" novel with "no complex twists or turns, no surprises, just good, clean (emphasis on the latter), old-fashioned fun." A Publishers Weekly critic deemed Fforde's effort a "delightfully old-fashioned romance … with a refreshing lack of gratuitous and graphic sex."

Stately Pursuits, in which jilted heroine Hetty Longden finds true love while housesitting at her uncle's neglected country mansion, drew similarly enthusiastic reviews. GraceAnne A. DeCandido, writing in Booklist, described the book as "luscious summer reading," while a Publishers Weekly reviewer admired the novel's "warm and fuzzy charm." A stately country house is again the setting for Restoring Grace, which features a blossoming friendship between the house's owner, divorced Grace Ravenglass, and her new lodger, the pregnant and unmarried Ellie Summers. Observing that the novel's many plot twists and turns—including new love interests for its protagonists—are handled with humor and skill, a reviewer for Publishers Weekly called Restoring Grace an "amusing and gratifying" story.

Althea Farraday, the heroine of Wild Designs, is a kindhearted forty-year-old school secretary and divorced mother of three teenage children. Althea is also a superb amateur gardener and, after losing her secretarial job, she sets out to establish herself as a full-time garden designer. She soon meets and falls in love with handsome millionaire architect Patrick, who likewise finds her enchanting, but she is leery of entering a new relationship that could complicate her children's lives and interfere with her professional aspirations. Meddling by various family members adds to her problems, but as a Kirkus Reviews writer remarked, she eventually "manages to iron out the kinks in her life to everyone's satisfaction." The reviewer also called this novel "a considerable improvement over the author's debut."

Second Thyme Around, described by a Publishers Weekly contributor as an "extremely good-natured, if rather predictable" romance, also features a heroine who is a gardener. Perdita, a divorcee, is surprised to reencounter her ex-husband, Lucas, when he signs on as the new chef at the local inn where she sells her organic vegetables. Flustered at being maneuvered into serving as cohost of Lucas's new cooking show, Perdita clashes with Lucas but finds that there is still a spark between them. While sorting out her romantic issues, though, Perdita faces other domestic challenges, particularly the declining health of Kitty, the elderly woman who helped to raise her. This particular subplot, in the view of Library Journal writer Margaret Hanes, gives the book a depth and authenticity that makes it "stand above run-of-the-mill romantic comedies." Danise Hoover, writing in Booklist, also noted the somber tone of this subplot, concluding that Second Thyme Around becomes more "bittersweet" than fluffy.

In Life Skills, protagonists Suzy and Julia become friends while serving as managers of a hotel boat on an English canal barge. Julia has just broken her engagement to a man she realizes is a sexist and a snob. She has also just lost her job. Deciding that a radical change is necessary, she signs on as a ship's cook on a floating bed-and-breakfast. Suzy, the owner's niece, is her boss, and is struggling to cope with the various challenges of running a business—including being suddenly short-handed when the boat's only other crewman quits without notice. The desperate Suzy hires Fergus, against whom Julia still holds a grudge because of a prank he played on her when they were children. As a Publishers Weekly contributor pointed out, Fergus serves as the focus of the typical romance motif in which the man who is initially despised becomes the heroine's love interest. While finding herself repelled by but attracted to Fergus, Julia must also decide what to do about her fiancé, who is trying to woo her back. Margaret Ann Hanes, writing in the Library Journal, considered the novel "delightful," though predictable, while Booklist contributor Alexandra Baker Shrake praised it as original and witty. The Publishers Weekly reviewer enjoyed the novel's engaging plot and appealing characters, describing Julia and Suzy as a "nautical Thelma and Louise."

Highland Fling, as its title suggests, is set in Scotland, where Jenny Porter takes a job as a "virtual assistant" for a financial executive who asks her to find out why a rural woolen mill is losing money. Jenny has recently broken off with her boyfriend, and finds herself falling in love with this Scottish hamlet and its residents—particularly the handsome Ross Grant. Many reviewers pointed out that Fforde employs a plot here she has used several times before. Library Journal contributor Margaret Hanes, however, observed that the book's "tried-and-true formula … hasn't faltered."

Nel Innes, the heroine of Paradise Fields, is a middle-aged widow who lives a contented life raising her almost-grown children and supervising a farmers' market in Paradise Fields. This quiet existence is upset when the local landowner dies and leaves his estate to his developer son, who has big plans for the property. As a result, land that the hospice had been using may be taken over and used to build a new housing estate that, Nel is sure, will attract a horde of vulgar nouveau-riche to the area. While determined to fight the development, however, she finds herself strangely attracted to the lawyer who is representing the developer. Though a Kirkus Reviews writer found the results predictable, a reviewer for Publishers Weekly described Paradise Fields as the "sweet literary equivalent of warm fuzzy slippers."

In Bidding for Love, Flora Stanza inherits her uncle's shares in the family's antique auction business, making her the majority shareholder. The plot follows Flora's adventures as she vies for control of the business with her cousin Charles, while falling in love with the rural village where the business is located. Observing that the novel relies on a formulaic theme and plot, a reviewer for Publishers Weekly nevertheless considered Flora an endearing character.

Fforde told CA: "I write light hearted novels, mainly for women, which, while designed to entertain, do have a slightly deeper aspect, for those who care to see it. My heroines are real women, to whom other women can relate."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 1998, GraceAnne A. DeCandido, review of Stately Pursuits, p. 1722; September 15, 1998, Sally Estes, review of Stately Pursuits, p. 220; September 15, 1999, Alexandra Baker Shrake, review of Life Skills, p. 240; July 1, 2001, Danise Hoover, review of Second Thyme Around, p. 1978; July 1, 2002, Danise Hoover, review of Artistic License, p. 1820; August 1, 2003, Danise Hoover, review of Highland Fling, p. 1951; November 1, 2004, Danise Hoover, review of Paradise Fields, p. 462; May 1, 2006, Danise Hoover, review of Restoring Grace, p. 74.

Kirkus Reviews, January 15, 1996, review of The Rose Revived, p. 87; June 15, 2003, review of Highland Fling, p. 822; October 1, 2004, review of Paradise Fields, p. 930; May 15, 2006, review of Restoring Grace, p. 482; January 15, 2007, review of Bidding for Love, p. 40.

Library Journal, June 1, 1998, Margaret Ann Hanes, review of Stately Pursuits, p. 150; January 1, 1999, Shirley E. Havens, review of Stately Pursuits, p. 204; August 1, 1999, Margaret Ann Hanes, review of Life Skills, p. 138; June 1, 2001, Margaret Hanes, review of Second Thyme Around, p. 214; July 1, 2003, Margaret Hanes, review of Highland Fling, p. 122; October 15, 2004, Margaret Hanes, review of Paradise Fields, p. 53; June 15, 2006, Rebecca Vnuk, review of Restoring Grace, p. 55.

Publishers Weekly, February 5, 1996, review of The Rose Revived, pl 78; May 25, 1998, review of Stately Pursuits, p. 64; August 9, 1999, review of Life Skills, p. 341; July 16, 2001, review of Second Thyme Around, p. 160; November 8, 2004, review of Paradise Fields, p. 35; April 17, 2006, review of Restoring Grace, p. 165; January 8, 2007, review of Bidding for Love, p. 31.

Times Literary Supplement, March 17, 1995, p. 22.