Smith, Barbara Dawson

PERSONAL:

Married; children: two daughters. Hobbies and other interests: Collecting research books.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Houston, TX. E-mail—bds@barbaradawsonsmith.com.

CAREER:

Writer and instructor at writing seminars.

MEMBER:

Romance Writers of America.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Golden Heart Award, Romance Writers of America; Best Historical Romantic Suspense Award and Best Regency Historical Award, Romantic Times; RITA Award, Best Short Historical, 2002, for Tempt Me Twice.

WRITINGS:

No Regrets, Silhouette (New York, NY), 1985.

Defiant Embrace, Zebra (New York, NY), 1985.

Defiant Surrender, Zebra (New York, NY), 1987.

Stolen Heart, Avon (New York, NY), 1989.

Silver Splendor, Avon (New York, NY), 1989.

Dreamspinner, Avon (New York, NY), 1990.

Candle in the Snow, included in Avon Christmas Romance, Avon (New York, NY), 1990.

Fire on the Wind, Avon (New York, NY), 1992.

Fire at Midnight, Avon (New York, NY), 1992.

A Glimpse of Heaven, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1995.

Never a Lady, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1996.

Once upon a Scandal, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1997.

Her Secret Affair, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Beauty and the Brute, included in Scandalous Weddings, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1998.

Too Wicked to Love, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Seduced by a Scoundrel, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Romancing the Rogue, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2000.

Tempt Me Twice, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2001.

With All My Heart, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2002.

One Wild Night, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

The Wedding Night, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2004.

The Duchess Diaries, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2005.

Countess Confidential, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

The Rogue Report, St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Two weeks after romance writer Barbara Dawson Smith sent her first historical romance novel to a publisher, the publisher bought it. Smith, who lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two daughters, has been writing ever since.

A Glimpse of Heaven tells the Cinderella-like story of Burke Grisham, Earl of Thornwald, his near-death experience following the battle of Waterloo, and his return to offer succor to his dead friend Alfred Snow's wife. Catherine Snow is virtually held hostage by her mother-in-law and her dead husband's sisters. Burke's vision of an ethereal beauty begging for his help (which came to him while he was dying) is realized in the person of Catherine, and the two slowly begin to come together—while Alfred's mother and sisters try to capture Burke for their own reasons. "This downtrodden heroine could easily have been a caricature," a Publishers Weekly contributor concluded, "but Dawson Smith … has given her the depth to match her well-plotted story."

Never a Lady is the story of innocent, Bible-toting Mary Sheppard, who is being coached by aristocrat Adam Brentwood, the Duke of St. Chaldon, to impersonate her twin sister, the loose-living Josephine—missing after being accused of killing Adam's brother, Cyril. Although Adam has sworn revenge against Josephine, he nonetheless (and against his will) finds himself slowly falling in love with Mary and her naïve manner. "With style and panache," Kathe Robin declared in the Romantic Times, "Barbara Dawson Smith brings readers a wondrous romance that is at once poignant and humorous, tender and touching."

In Once upon a Scandal, Marquess of Wortham Lucas Coulter is angered when he finds out on his wedding night that Lady Emma tricked him into the marriage because she is pregnant by another man. He abandons her, leaving the country, but eventually returns. Lady Emma asks for a divorce, but in revenge for her betrayal, he refuses to free her and insists that she move in with him and be his wife. He enforces this by blackmailing her with the fact that he has discovered she is a jewel thief. In time he learns that Lady Emma's pregnancy was the result of a rape, but his gentle love for her eventually overcomes her resistance to him.

In Her Secret Affair, Smith tells the story of Venus Isabel Darling, who is on a search for her father's identity as well as that of the man who murdered her mother. Her mother had written a tell-all memoir that scandalized society, and one of the men named in it is the father of Justin Culver, Earl of Kern. Justin wants to stop Venus from publishing the memoir. A Publishers Weekly reviewer praised the novel, saying the characters' "warring wills and sexual tension … sizzles throughout." Ellen Hestand, in a review for Romance Reader, commented, "Her Secret Affair is a skillfully written book. It's lively and interesting, the characters are well-developed, and the plot is credible."

In Too Wicked to Love, Smith explores the consequences of the rakish lifestyles enjoyed by her protagonists. Spinster Jane Mayhew is confounded when she discovers a baby—believed to be the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Chasebourne—on her doorstep. She in turn confounds the Earl himself, who denies having fathered little Marianne. Jane, unwilling to send the little girl off to live with a man of questionable character, follows the Earl into his household, and the attraction between the two begins to grow. "Barbara Dawson Smith makes magic," wrote Robin in her Romantic Times Online review of the book, "bringing unlikely people together in a dance of love that is exciting, mysterious and altogether joyous."

Seduced by a Scoundrel features Lady Alicia Pemberton, who must take care of her aging mother and her irresponsible brother. When her brother gambles away the last of the family funds, Alicia offers herself to Drake Wilder, a gambling hall owner, in order to pay debts. He refuses, but proposes marriage to her. Desperate, she unwillingly agrees to marry the apparently odious Wilder, but eventually succumbs to his charms and falls in love with him. In Publishers Weekly, a reviewer commented that Smith "brings a refreshing twist to a familiar plot" in this historical romance.

In Romancing the Rogue, Smith tells the story of Gypsy beauty Vivien Thorne, who is actually of noble descent, and her love affair with the Marquess of Stokeford, Michael Kenyon. In Publishers Weekly, a reviewer commended Smith for taking a storyline that is well-worn and making it fresh, commenting, "plots and subplots contrive to make this an entertaining novel."

Tempt Me Twice, which won a 2002 RITA award for best short historical novel, stars artist Gabriel Kenton—who plans to travel to Africa in search of a lost city—and Kate Talisford, who tries to prevent him from leaving by seducing him. She is unsuccessful, but when he returns to England, he is appointed her guardian after her father is murdered. Kate is suspicious of Gabriel, whom she suspects of being involved in her father's death, but eventually he is exonerated and she and Gabriel fall in love.

In With All My Heart, Smith tells the story of Lord Joshua Kenyon, who is stunned when he discovers his dueling opponent is a beautiful woman in disguise. Anna despises Kenyon, but her life is at stake because a mysterious man is trying to kill her, so she must join forces with Kenyon. Eventually, she finds that she is in love with him.

One Wild Night teams Lady Charlotte Quinton with Brand Villiers, a former flame, in an effort to discover the people responsible for the road accident that injured Charlotte's grandmother. Soon the couple is involved in a search for the culprits that leads them to the Lucifer League, a band of dissolute noblemen only interested in the pursuit of pleasure. "Smith spins an engaging mystery," a Publishers Weekly reviewer wrote, "and throws in a few finely drawn red herrings to keep readers guessing."

The Wedding Night pits a married couple—Samuel Firth and his wife, Lady Cassandra—against one another. Four years before the story opens, Samuel deserted Cassie on their wedding night, partly because Cassie's youth and innocence put him off and partly to take care of business matters in other countries. Cassie has come to loathe her absentee husband and has petitioned for a separation. Samuel returns to try to repair the damage, and the couple begin to find the attraction toward each other that had been lacking from their marriage. "The Wedding Night is an enjoyable read," Tracy Merritt declared in the Romance Reader. "This is a good book to take to the park or beach while enjoying the warm summer weather." This "wonderfully creative plot laced with danger and rendered in deliciously witty prose," stated Booklist contributor John Charles, "should be irresistible to readers who like clever, sexy Regency romances."

The Rogue Report is both the title of Smith's twenty-fourth romance novel and the title of a newsletter designed to expose the misdeeds of various Regency bucks. In this case, the rogue is Jack Mansfield, and the publication of his scandalous past puts an end to his chances of making a good—and profitable—marriage. He promptly embarks on a mission of vengeance against the purported author of the article, Lady Julia Corwyn, who runs a boarding school for children of the aristocracy. Lady Julia, however, proves to be a woman with a past of her own, and Jack, in turn, turns out to have a talent for teaching he had never suspected existed. "This is another example of Smith's exemplary storytelling ability," Robin stated, "and why she's a beloved author of the genre."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, April 15, 2004, John Charles, review of The Wedding Night, p. 1430; November 1, 2005, John Charles, review of The Duchess Diaries, p. 32; February 15, 2006, John Charles, review of Countess Confidential, p. 54.

Publishers Weekly, November 13, 1995, review of A Glimpse of Heaven, p. 58; March 16, 1998, review of Her Secret Affair, p. 61; November 29, 1999, review of Seduced by a Scoundrel, p. 57; August 14, 2000, review of Romancing the Rogue, p. 333; July 9, 2001, review of Tempt Me Twice, p. 52; July 14, 2003, review of One Wild Night, p. 62; March 1, 2004, review of The Wedding Night, p. 55.

ONLINE

Barbara Dawson Smith Web site,http://www.barbaradawsonsmith.com (February 21, 2008), author biography.

Romance Reader,http://www.theromancereader.com/ (February 21, 2008), Ellen Hestand, review of Her Secret Affair, Tracy Merritt, review of The Wedding Night.

Romantic Times Online,http://www.romantictimes.com/ (February 21, 2008), Kathe Robin, reviews of Never a Lady, Too Wicked to Love, and The Rogue Report.