Foster, Lori 1958- (L.L. Foster)

PERSONAL:

Born 1958; married; children: three sons. Religion: Christian.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Ross, OH. E-mail—lorifoster1@fuse.net; L.L.Foster@fuse.net.

CAREER:

Writer.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Career Achievement Award, Romantic Times, 2001 and 2005; Best-selling Original Contemporary Romance award, BGI Group, 2004.

WRITINGS:

Impetuous, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1996.

Scandalized!, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1997.

Outrageous, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1997.

Fantasy, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1998.

(With others) Charmed, Berkley Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Sizzle!, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1999.

Taken!, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1999.

Tantalizing, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1999.

(With Jayne Ann Krentz) The Private Eye / Beguiled, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 1999.

Little Miss Innocent?, Silhouette (Richmond, Surrey, England), 1999.

Married to the Boss, Silhouette (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2000.

(With others) All I Want for Christmas, 2000.

(With Suzanne Forster, Kimberly Randell, and Maggie Shayne) Sinful, Jove, 2000.

In Too Deep, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2000.

(With others) All through the Night, Brava (New York, NY), 2001.

Say Yes, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2001.

(With others) Hot and Bothered, St. Martin's Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2001.

Annie Get Your Guy / Messing around with Max, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Sex Appeal: Heat, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Never Too Much ("Brava Brothers" series), Brava (New York, NY), 2002.

Too Much Temptation: A Novel about Erotic Temptation ("Brava Brothers" series), Brava (New York, NY), 2002.

Heat of the Night, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2002.

Riley, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Donna Kauffman and Jill Shalvis) Men of Courage, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2003.

Unexpected (originally published as the e-book Brazen, DiskUs Books), Brava (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Linda Lael and Carla Neggers) Under His Skin: Three Sizzling Tales of Romance, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2003.

(With others) Jingle Bell Rock, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2003.

(With others) Perfect for the Beach, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2004.

Scandalous, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Kristine Rolofson and Caroline Burnes) The Truth about Cats & Dogs, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Julie Elizabeth Leto) Lip Service, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Lucy Monroe and Dianne Castell) Star Quality, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2005.

(With others) Unzipped: Tantalizing Playmates: His Every Fantasy, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2005.

(With others) The Night before Christmas, Brava (New York, NY), 2005.

(With Donna Kauffman and Jill Shalvis) Men of Courage II, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2005.

Jude's Law ("Law Books" series), Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

Murphy's Law ("Law Books" series), Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Gemma Bruce and Janice Maynard) A Very Merry Christmas, Brava (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Carly Phillips and Jennifer Cruise) Santa, Baby, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

Causing Havoc ("SBC Fighters" series), 2007.

Simon Says, ("SBC Fighters" series), 2007.

PRP Truth or Dare, Zebra, 2007.

The Write Ingredients: Recipes from Your Favorite Authors (nonfiction), Samhain Publishing, 2007.

Also author of Hot Chocolate, Jove; author of e-books Marrying Mary and Stranded, for eHarlequin.com.

"WINSTON BROTHERS" SERIES

Wild, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Say No to Joe?, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2003.

Just A Hint—Clint, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2004.

The Secret Life of Bryan, Brava (New York, NY), 2004.

When Bruce Met Cyn …, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2004.

Wildly Winston, Berkley Sensation (New York, NY), 2006.

"BAD BOYS" OMNIBUS SERIES

(With Janelle Denison and Donna Kauffman) I Love Bad Boys: Indulge Me / Naughty by Night / And When They Were Bad, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Janelle Denison and Shannon McKenna) I Brake for Bad Boys: Drive Me Wild / Something Wilde / Touch Me, Brava (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Janelle Denison and Nancy Warren) Bad Boys to Go: Bringing Up Baby / Wilde One / Going after Adam, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Donna Kauffman and Nancy Warren) Bad Boys on Board: My House, My Rules / Going Down? / Fast Ride, Brava (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Erin McCarthy and Morgan Leigh) Bad Boys in Black Tie: Good with His Hands / Miss Extreme Congeniality / Last Call, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2004.

(With Erin McCarthy and Amy Garvey) Bad Boys of Summer: Luscious / It's about Time / Wish You Were Here, Brava/Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

(With Erin McCarthy and HelenKay Dimon) When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys: Playing Doctor / Lady of the Lake / Hardhats and Silk Stockings, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2006.

"P.I. MEN TO THE RESCUE" SERIES

Wanton, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2000.

Caught in the Act, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Mr. November, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2001.

Treat Her Right, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2001.

Fallen Angels: Beguiled / Wanton / Uncovered (omnibus), Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2004.

"BUCKHORN BROTHERS" SERIES

Gabe, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2000.

Sawyer, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2000.

Jordan, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2001.

Morgan, Mills & Boon (Richmond, Surrey, England), 2001.

Casey, Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Forever and Always: Gabe / Jordan (omnibus), Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Once and Again: Sawyer / Morgan (omnibus), Harlequin Books (New York, NY), 2002.

SIDELIGHTS:

Romance novelist Lori Foster never dreamt she would become a writer. After marrying her high school sweetheart and becoming the mother of three sons, she had her hands full for many years. Then, when she was in her thirties, she began to pick up and read romance fiction. "Before that, I hadn't read much of anything," she confessed on the Contemporary Romance Writers Web site. "Cereal boxes, occasional make-up advice in a magazine. I can't remember my exact age when I first started, but I was grown and already had 3 kids before it occurred to me to write." "The first few years," she reflected on the Passionate Pen Web site, "I wrote for my own entertainment, in long hand, with pencil and paper. After I realized that not everyone finishes a book, I got a typewriter and wrote several books on it. A friend later took pity on me and loaned me a word processor, and that's what produced my first book that sold. Revising a book that was NOT on a computer wasn't fun, I can tell you that! When I got my first advance, I bought a computer. Now we have 4 PCs in the house, and a laptop …. By the way, I had written over 10 complete books before selling that first one, but since then, several of them have sold."

Although her first book, 1996's Impetuous, was published about a year after she began writing in earnest, Foster has known her share of rejection. Impetuous was the eleventh romance novel she had penned. She described her first publishing experience in the Passionate Pen as "totally morale breaking. The type of thing that would make most people give up." The first time she attracted an editor with one of her manuscripts, the editor asked for a complete rewrite.

This was difficult, because the book had been written on a word processor that only saved six pages at a time, so Foster ended up doing a lot of retyping. After resubmitting the book, she did not hear anything about it from the publisher for six months. She was asked to do a second rewrite, and then another six months passed before the work was finally released. "By the time I'd sold my first book, I was pretty much disillusioned with the whole process. I'd been rejected so many times, almost given up so many times," the author recalled on the Escape to Romance Web site.

Once she broke into writing, however, Foster met with considerable success. She writes prolifically—about twenty pages a day—and this pace has led to her releasing almost seventy books in just over a decade. Known for her contemporary romances, Foster typically spices up her stories with humor. She favors strong heroines and heroes, and is careful to try to portray her male leads as sympathetic, well-rounded, and honorable men, not the cads, rakes, and chauvinists one so often sees in romance fiction. "Readers often tell me how much they like my honorable heroes," Foster commented on the Escape to Romance Web site. "That surely comes from knowing so many good men and being married … to my husband."

"Known for her funny, sexy writing, Foster doesn't hesitate to turn up the heat," Shelley Mosley observed in her Booklist review of Foster's Unexpected. Mary K. Chelton similarly remarked on Foster's ability to blend good humor and tasteful romantic scenes in a Booklist review of Causing Havoc, writing that the author "provides good sex and great humor along the way in a thoroughly enjoyable romance." Writing again in Booklist, Mosley complimented Foster on her interesting characters and "lots of action, lots of laughter, and lots of sex—heartwarming, hilarious, and hot" in Say No to Joe?

Although many of her reviews have been positive, some critics have felt that Foster occasionally hits a sour note. For instance, in a review of Say No to Joe?, a Publishers Weekly critic was uncomfortable with how some of the sex scenes "occur in the presence of children" in a work the writer felt "is far from Foster's best." Another Publishers Weekly contributor commented that the relationship in Jude's Law can be "forced and uncomfortable." Nevertheless, the reviewer concluded that "neatly dovetailing plotlines and plenty of family drama more than compensate." Such comments, however, have been in the minority. As Kristin Ramsdell noted in a Library Journal review of Unexpected, Foster is already appreciated as "a veteran writer of romance novels."

On her home page, Foster discussed what she feels has been most rewarding about her experience as a romance novelist and how her new life has changed her: "I used to be horribly shy. I know, if you've met me, that's hard to believe. I got tunnel vision in high school and wanted to faint if the teacher called on me. No way would I have ever stood in front of a group of ladies and spoke about writing. Now I love meeting new people and friends and sharing our love or stories. It's so wonderful when I meet someone who tells me that her favorite historical novel is the same one I love—Honor's Splendor by Julie Garwood. And when someone tells me her favorite book is one I wrote—it thrills me so much, it's almost devastating."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 15, 2001, Mary K. Chelton, review of Sex Appeal: Heat, p. 210; October 1, 2002, Mary K. Chelton, review of Never Too Much, p. 306; August 1, 2003, Shelley Mosley, review of Say No to Joe?, p. 1964; September 15, 2003, Shelley Mosley, review of Unexpected, p. 220; March 15, 2004, Shelley Mosley, review of The Secret Life of Bryan, p. 1274; October 1, 2004, Shelley Mosley, review of Just A Hint—Clint, p. 316; May 15, 2005, Shelley Mosley, review of Jamie, p. 1641; February 15, 2006, Shelley Mosley, review of Jude's Law, p. 52; September 15, 2006, Shelley Mosley, review of Murphy's Law, p. 40; January 1, 2007, Mary K. Chelton, review of Causing Havoc, p. 66.

Library Journal, February 15, 2002, Jo Manning, review of Too Much Temptation: A Novel about Erotic Temptation, p. 129; August 1, 2003, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Unexpected, p. 64; November 15, 2003, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Jingle Bell Rock, p. 55; October 15, 2006, "Romance," p. 48.

Publishers Weekly, September 20, 1999, review of Charmed, p. 83; September 24, 2001, review of All through the Night, p. 69; February 4, 2002, review of Too Much Temptation, p. 53; June 16, 2003, review of Say No to Joe?, p. 56; May 2, 2005, review of Jamie, p. 182; January 9, 2006, review of Jude's Law, p. 37; December 18, 2006, review of Causing Havoc, p. 50.

ONLINE

All about Romance,http://www.likesbooks.com/ (July 7, 2007), Christine Peterson, review of Jordan; Ellen Micheletti, reviews of Hot and Bothered, Hot Chocolate, Taken!, and Gabe; Laurie Shallah, review of Say Yes; Monica Schwarze, review of Sinful; Liz Zink, review of Charmed; LaNita Cornwall, review of Fantasy; Lisa Gardineer, review of A Very Merry Christmas; Rachel Potter, review of Wild; Christine Peterson, review of All I Want for Christmas; Sybil Cook, review of When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys: Playing Doctor / Lady of the Lake / Hardhats and Silk Stockings; Leigh Thomas, review of The Night before Christmas; Dee Sains, review of Impetuous; Sandy Coleman, review of Jingle Bell Rock; Donna Newman, review of Bad Boys on Board: My House, My Rules / Going Down? / Fast Ride; Marianne Stillings, review of I Love Bad Boys; Jennifer Keirans, review of Too Much Temptation.

Contemporary Romance Writers,http://contemporaryromancewriters.com/ (July 5, 2007), "About Lori," interview with Lori Foster.

Escape to Romance,http://www.escapetoromance.com/ (July 5, 2007), interview with Lori Foster.

In the Library Reviews,http://www.inthelibraryreviews.net/ (April 1, 2002), "Interview with Lori Foster"; (June 24, 2003), Robin Tayler, review of Say No to Joe?; (November 2, 2003), Robin Tayler, reviews of Jingle Bell Rock and Bad Boys to Go: Bringing Up Baby / Wilde One / Going after Adam; (February 1, 2004), Robin Tayler, reviews of Fallen Angels, Beguiled, Uncovered, and Wanton.

Lori Foster Home Page,http://www.llfoster.com (July 5, 2007).

Passionate Pen,http://www.passionatepen.com/ (May 1, 2004), "Our Interview with Lori Foster."

Romance Review,http://www.aromancereview.com/ (July 1, 2001), review of Charmed; (September 1, 2001), reviews of Annie, Get Your Gun / Fooling around with Max and Sinful; (October 1, 2001), review of Sawyer; (November 1, 2001), review of Outrageous; (January 1, 2002), review of Too Much Temptation; (December 1, 2001), review of Wild; (September 1, 2002), review of Tantalizing; (November 1, 2002), reviews of Treat Her Right and Never Too Much; (June 1, 2003), reviews of Riley and Impetuous; (September 1, 2003), reviews of Unexpected and Say No to Joe?; (February 1, 2004), reviews of The Secret Life of Bryan and Fallen Angels; (July 1, 2004), review of When Bruce Met Cyn …; (June 1, 2005), reviews of Just A Hint—Clint and Jamie; (September 1, 2005), review of The Night before Christmas; (March 1, 2006), review of Jude's Law; (September 1, 2006), review of Murphy's Law; (December 1, 2006), review of Santa, Baby.