Ray, Francis 1944-

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Ray, Francis 1944-

PERSONAL:

Born July 20, 1944, in Richland, TX; daughter of Mc and Venora Radford, Sr.; married William H. Ray, July 28, 1967; children: Carolyn Michelle. Ethnicity: African American. Education: Graduated from Texas Woman's University.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Dallas, TX. E-mail—Francis-Ray@aol.com.

CAREER:

Parkland Memorial Hospital, Parkland, TX, staff nurse, 1967-68; Chester Clinic-Hospital, LVN Program, teacher, 1968-71; Dallas City Health Department, Dallas TX, nursing supervisor, 1971-82; Dallas Public School system, school nurse practitioner, 1982—; freelance writer, 1992—.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Yellow Rose Award, North Texas Writers, 1990; Multicultural Career Achievement Award, Romantic Times, 1995-96; Outstanding Achievement, Dallas Public Library, Polk Wisdown Branch, 1996; Texas Black Women's Writers Appreciation Award, 1996; Career Achievement Award, Romantic Times, c. 1998.

WRITINGS:

"TAGGART/FALCON" SERIES

Forever Yours, Pinnacle Arabesque, 1994.

Only Hers, Pinnacle Arabesque, 1996.

Heart of the Falcon, Pinnacle Arabesque, 1998.

Break Every Rule, Pinnacle Arabesque, 1998.

"GRAYSON" SERIES

Until There Was You, BET/Arabesque (Washington, DC), 1999.

You and No Other, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2005.

Dreaming of You, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2006.

Irresistible You, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2007.

Only You, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2007.

"INVINCIBLE WOMEN" SERIES

Like the First Time, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2004.

Any Rich Man Will Do, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2005.

In Another Man's Bed, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2007.

OTHER

Fallen Angel, Odyssey, 1992.

Undeniable, Pinnacle Arabesque, 1995.

The Bargain (historical), Denise Little Presents, 1995.

Incognito (romantic suspense), Pinnacle Arabesque, 1997.

Silken Betrayal, Pinnacle Arabesque, 1997.

(With Shirley Hailstock and Donna Hill) Winter Nights (three romance stories), Kensington/BET, 1998.

(Contributor) Rosie's Curl and Weave, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1999.

The Turning Point, St. Martin's Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2001, published as Trouble Don't Last Always, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2004.

I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Somebody's Knocking at My Door, St. Martin's Griffin (New York, NY), 2003.

Someone to Love Me, St. Martin's Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Donna O. Hill) Rockin' around that Christmas Tree, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

(With Jacquelin Thomas and Felicia Mason) How Sweet the Sound, Steeple Hill (New York, NY), 2005.

Chocolate Kisses, Signet Eclipse (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to anthologies, including Spirit of the Season, Arabesque, Della's House of Style, St. Martin's Press, 2000, Welcome to Leo's, St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2000, Getting Merry: A Holiday Anthology, St. Martin's Paperbacks, 2002, and Living Large, New American Library, 2003. Contributor of short fiction to periodicals.

ADAPTATIONS:

Incognito was made into a television movie for Black Entertainment Network; Forever Yours was optioned for a television movie by the African Heritage Network and Chuck Fries Productions.

SIDELIGHTS:

More than twenty years into her career as a school nurse practitioner in Dallas, Texas, Francis Ray began a successful writing career. Her short stories and novels have attracted a wide readership among fans of romance stories and Christian fiction, and her mainstream novels have also earned favorable reviews. Her first work of long fiction was sold in December of 1991 and published as Fallen Angel. Her subsequent novels have been book club selections and have also been recognized on the bestseller lists of numerous periodicals, including the Dallas Morning News and Library Journal. Her fiction has been categorized as multicultural romance because her main characters are usually African Americans.

Though her novels deal with the staples of romance fiction, including love affairs, courtships, betrayals, and reconciliations, Ray has sometimes added other elements, such as a historical dimension or a suspense plot, to her books. In Incognito, for example, she blends romance with suspense. Although Library Journal contributor Kristin Ramsdell felt that the "rather thin" plot of Incognito lacked suspense at times, the critic believed Ray's "generally lively writing" fueled the story's momentum and her main characters' "attraction … [was] exciting and the sexual tension electric."

The relationship between Lauren Bennett, a beautiful divorcee with a child, and Jordan Hamilton, a wealthy business owner, is explored in Silken Betrayal. Although the attraction between the two lovers is dishearteningly based too much on "protective instinct," judged a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, Ray "writes smoothly, and her description of Jordan's all-out courtship is the root and leaf of romance." Readers can find another romance story by Ray among the three works in Kensington's holiday volume Winter Nights. "Until Christmas" is Ray's story about an accountant's quest to become the housewife of a middle-class man who has two sons. Commenting that "[the heroine's] career path borders on camp," a Publishers Weekly contributor wrote: "Samantha's beauty, unfailing kindness and near-mythic cooking ability ensure a happy ending."

Ray has interlinked the stories of many of her characters in several series of novels. The "Taggart/Falcon" series begins with Forever Yours, a romance recommended by Library Journal contributor Kristin Ramsdell as "fast-moving, sensual, and with dashes of humor." The story recounts the arrangement between Victoria Chandler and Kane Taggart—her money for his role as her husband—so Victoria will not lose her business. Published four years later, Break Every Rule focuses on Kane Taggart's sister, Madelyn, who fantasizes about a wealthy man named Daniel Falcon. Capitalizing on a coincidental encounter with her beloved, she seduces him and becomes pregnant with his child. However, in the end she refuses his "condescend[ing]" marriage proposal—opting for single parenthood instead of "a loveless marriage" with Daniel, noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer. The reviewer went on to describe the novel as "a well-written, tender story about a man's growing into respect and trust."

In Break Every Rule, Daniel's sister Dominique is featured. The rich and beautiful Dominique has a pattern of changing jobs, moving to different cities and, after divorcing an abusive husband, distancing herself from men. However, the novel's hero, Trent, endures her emotional hurdles, eventually winning her heart and lastly, "but not as an afterthought," according to a contributor to Publishers Weekly, having sex with her. "It's the kind of warm, humane portrayal we've come to expect of Ray," concluded the Publishers Weekly reviewer.

Among Ray's more popular series is the "Grayson" novels. Until There Was You introduces former FBI agent Luke Grayson, who goes to his mountain cabin in New Mexico to escape his mother's pressure on him to marry. Looking for solitude, he finds to his initial chagrin that a cousin has lent the retreat to a beautiful stranger. Dr. Catherine Stewart, a child psychologist and bestselling author, is hoping to stay at the cabin while recovering from an assault. Discovering that Catherine is being stalked, and finding himself attracted to her, Grayson offers his professional help. A Publishers Weekly reviewer noted the book's focus on the loving and mutually-supportive relationship that blossoms between Grayson and Catherine in this novel. The series continues with You And No Other, in which family matriarch Ruth Grayson successfully marries off Luke and his brother, Morgan, and Dreaming of You, which focuses on middle son Brandon, a celebrity chef. Like his brothers, he dreads his mother's matchmaking and prefers the company of his childhood friend, Faith, not suspecting that Faith has pined for him since high school. As Lillian Lewis observed in a Booklist review, the romantic tension between this pair creates a "great romance." A contributor to Publishers Weekly praised the book for being sweet but not cloying, hailing it as a "warm, winning story of friendship, lust and love."

In the third Grayson novel, Irresistible You, youngest brother Pierce is drawn to beautiful actress Sabra Raineau, whose presence in Santa Fe hides a mystery. Pierce is attracted to Sabra, but he has a history of loving women and then moving on. The developing romance between Pierce and Sabra, according to a contributor to Grits Book Club, make this novel sensual and enticing. With all the Grayson brothers successfully paired off, lone sister Sierra is the focus of the final Grayson novel, Only You.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Essence, February 1, 2006, Imani Powell, "Feel the Fire Fiction," p. 90.

Library Journal, May 15, 1994, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Forever Yours, p. 65; February 15, 1997, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Incognito, p. 126; November 15, 1998, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Winter Nights, p. 57; August 1, 1999, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Until There Was You, p. 72; November 1, 2003, Tamara Butler, review of Rockin' around That Christmas Tree, p. 64.

Publishers Weekly, June 23, 1997, review of Silken Betrayal, p. 88; January 12, 1998, review of Heart of the Falcon, p. 57; July 20, 1998, review of Break Every Rule, p. 216; October 26, 1998, review of Winter Nights, p. 45; July 12, 1999, review of Until There Was You, p. 92; April 29, 2002, review of Resolution, p. 45; November 17, 2003, "'Tis the Season," p. 46; November 8, 2004, review of Let's Get It On, p. 36; August 15, 2005, review of Any Rich Man Will Do, p. 32; August 7, 2006, review of Dreaming of You, p. 39.