REED, Joy 1962-

PERSONAL: Born August 16, 1962, in Fort Scott, KS; daughter of George (a college professor) and Carolyn (a college professor; maiden name, Custer) Brooker; married Craig Reed (an automotive warranty audit specialist), December 23, 1983; children: Angela Nicole. Ethnicity: "Caucasian/Native American." Education: Pittsburg State University, B.S.T., 1984. Hobbies and other interests: Tactical firearms, arachnoculture, karate, gardening, cooking.

ADDRESSES: Agent—Mary Jack Wald, Mary Jack Wald Associates, Inc., 111 East 14th St., New York, NY 10003. E-mail—reed706@aol.com.

CAREER: Pittsburg Public Library, Pittsburg, KS, page and library clerk, 1977-83; Ford Motor Co., Parts and Service Division, Kansas City District Office, Lenexa, KS, service zone manager, 1983-85; Rusty Eck Ford, Wichita, KS, warranty manager, 1985-86; Van Chevrolet, Merriam, KS, warranty manager, 1986-89; writer.

MEMBER: American Tarantula Society, American Arachnological Society, National Rifle Association, British Tarantula Society.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE FICTION

An Inconvenient Engagement, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1993.

(With others) A Mother's Joy, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1994.

Twelfth Night, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1995.

The Seduction of Lady Carroll, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1996.

(With Carola Dunn and Karla Hocker) A ChristmasCourtship, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1996.

Midsummer Moon, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.

(With Jo Ann Ferguson and Karla Hocker) SpellboundHearts, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.

Lord Wyland Takes a Wife, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1997.

The Duke and Miss Denny, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1998.

A Home for the Holidays, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1998.

(With Cathleen Clare and Alana Clayton) Sweet Delights, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

Lord Caldwell and the Cat, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 1999.

Miss Chambers Takes Charge, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Donna Bell and Catherine Blair) Magical Kittens, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2000.

Catherine's Wish, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2000.

Emily's Wish, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2000.

Anne's Wish, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2001.

(With Shannon Donnelly and Alice Holden) My SweetValentine, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2002.

The Baron and the Bluestocking, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2002.

Lord Desmond's Destiny, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2002.

Mr. Jeffries and the Jilt, Kensington Publishing (New York, NY), 2003.

Also a regular columnist, Forum magazine.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on St. Rose of Lima; research on theraphosid spiders.

SIDELIGHTS: Joy Reed told CA: "Ever since I could write, I've been a writer of sorts. Working in a couple of libraries while growing up had exposed me to the novels of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer, which in turn led me to discover the category of contemporary Regency romance novels. I wrote my first one at sixteen, but never made any effort to get it published. It lay stored along with a number of other manuscripts for ten years or so. I churned out any number of short stories and a few novels before I was out of my teens, but it wasn't until the birth of my daughter that I considered writing professionally.

"When my daughter was born, I resigned my position in the automotive industry to stay home and take care of her. It was about this time I that stumbled across the old manuscript of my Regency novel. Rereading it, I found it extremely bad, but the basic plot seemed sound. By this time I was starting to long for some more intellectual pursuit to balance the physical demands of child care, and I decided to rewrite my early novel and try to get it published. It took several tries, but I finally got a manuscript accepted by the Kensington Publishing Corporation, and I've been writing for them ever since.

"I mentioned Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as being among my inspirations, but it was reading the novel Vanity Fair at age twelve that initially got me interested in the Regency period. History in general fascinates me, but England's Regency was a particularly interesting time in terms of political, social, and economic activity, and all the novels I've published so far have been set in this period.

"My writing process has changed over the years. Initially I composed on a typewriter, writing a first draft in a matter of a few weeks and going through three or more complete revisions. Now I use a computer, and the first draft of a novel takes me several months to compose because I revise as I go. There tends to be very little editing necessary once this is done, however, and the overall process is much quicker.

"I continue to be inspired by Jane Austen and Thackeray, whose books I reread every few years. I also read a lot of historical nonfiction, especially biographies and diaries, finding this both an excellent source of plot material and a help in acquiring authentic period detail for my novels."