Smith, Haywood 1949–

PERSONAL: Born 1949, in Atlanta, GA; married (divorced); children: one son.

ADDRESSES: Home—Boston, MA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, St. Martin's Press, 175 5th Ave., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—haywood100@aol.com.

CAREER: Novelist. Former real-estate agent.

AWARDS, HONORS: Maggie Award.

WRITINGS:

Shadows in Velvet (historical romance novel), St. Martin's Paperbacks (New York, NY), 1996.

Secrets in Satin (historical romance novel), St. Martin's Paperbacks (New York, NY), 1997.

Damask Rose (historical romance novel), Five Star (Unity, ME), 1999.

Dangerous Gifts (historical romance novel), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 1999.

Highland Princess (historical romance novel), St. Martin's Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2000.

Border Lord (historical romance novel), St. Martin's Paperbacks (New York, NY), 2001.

Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch (novel), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2002.

The Red Hat Club (novel), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

The Red Hat Club Rides Again (novel), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2005.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Ladies of the Lake; the final book of the "Red Hat Club" trilogy; two more humorous women's fiction novels.

SIDELIGHTS: Haywood Smith did not initially set out to become a novelist. However, motivated by a midlife crisis that left her tired and unhappy with her career as a real estate broker, she changed her profession. "I started writing after a midlife assessment in 1989, at my fortieth birthday," she said in an interview on the Barnes and Noble Web site. Her self-assessment prompted her to quit her job in real estate and pursue her dream of writing fiction, despite warnings of the difficulty of breaking into publishing and stories of the volatility of the fiction market. The Georgia chapter of Romance Writers of America (RWA) helped steer her toward the resources that would help her hone her writing craft. Despite the help and encouragement, "it took me five years to learn how to 'get it right.'" Smith remarked in the Barnes and Noble Web site interview. A three-minute pitch session at an RWA conference landed her an agent, and within weeks, publishers were showing interest in Smith's work. Her first book, an historical romance titled Shadows in Velvet, appeared in 1996.

Shadows in Velvet is set in seventeenth-century France, where civil unrest threatens to overflow at any moment. Convent-raised Anne-Marie de Bourbon-Corbay finds it difficult to cope with the materialistic and corrupt world she occupies after an arranged marriage to her cousin, Philippe. The two become embroiled in deadly civil unrest that sets the range of French classes, from commoners to nobles, against the rule of Cardinal Mazarin and Anne of Austria. "Rich in history, romance and fine narrative drive, this is an impressive debut that explores new territory" in the romance genre, noted a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

Secrets in Satin takes place during the English Civil War. When Edward Garrett Viscount Creighton sees Elizabeth, Countess of Ravenwold, dance on the grave of her recently deceased husband, he believes her to be cold and unpleasant. However, he is shocked when King Charles I compels him to marry her. Unaware of her former husband's abuse, Garrett does not warm to his new bride, and neither does she find anything to like in her new, unwanted husband. However, as the two cohabitate, Garrett begins to realize that he has misjudged his first wife, and he begins the slow process of nurturing a relationship. Before the two can reach any new understanding, war erupts and requires Garrett's presence, threatening the newly meaningful marriage between Elizabeth and Garrett. Smith provides "intelligent, sensitive—but not saccharine—historical romance for readers who expect more from the genre," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer.

The Red Hat Club chronicles the lives and views of a group of five middle-aged women who have been friends since their high-school days. Vivacious, determined, intelligent, and still sexy and full of life, the women meet for lunch wearing their gaudiest clothes and red hats, in honor of Jenny Joseph's poem "Warning," which characterizes red hats and purple clothing as symbols of defiance of aging and social stagnation. Their loosely framed secret society gathers for food, drinks, and gossip; adheres (more or less) to a twelve-point code of conduct, including minding one's own business and telling no lies; and serves as social and moral support during tough times and crises. During one meeting, the ladies discover that one of their own is in the midst of a home-life crisis of giant proportions. Red Hat member Diane has discovered her husband cheating on her and needs to arrange his comeuppance. The five begin plotting how to visit unequivocal revenge on Diane's husband. Along with corporate exec Teeny, divorcee SuSu, happily married Linda, and married narrator Georgia, Diane begins looking for documents to prove her banker husband's infidelity, as well as revealing his hidden cache of funds and his hidden property assets. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called the book "rowdy southern feminist fantasy for women of a certain age."

The irrepressible members of the Red Hat Club return in The Red Hat Club Rides Again. When the ladies discover that their old friend, Pru, is suffering from the effects of drug addiction, they plot a way to come to her rescue. Four of the five jet off to Las Vegas, Nevada, where they pull Pru from the depths of a seedy casino and help her with her recovery. Family crises erupt around them and personal challenges loom, but they remain loyal to their sister-in-crisis and help Pru when she needs it most. A month-long ocean cruise devoted to plastic surgery and physical transformation caps the Red Hatters' good deeds. "Smith's lilting twang and kitchen-sink wisdom permeate every paragraph," observed a Kirkus Reviews contributor. "For all their mischief, these women on the verge of second adolescence retain core values of Southern womanhood: goodness, graciousness and grandchildren," observed a Publishers Weekly reviewer. The Kirkus Reviews critic noted that "even if Smith's is a well-explored genre, her adventurous tale of six middle-aged Atlanta women remains a welcome ride."

Smith told CA: "I have been a lifelong reader of all genres and classics, and am influenced by everything I've ever read. I also love movies and think very cinematically when I write. I have osteoarthritis and work in a recliner with a large monitor and cordless mouse andkeyboard.

"I plan each book based on a 'high concept' idea, then I structure the characterizations, conflicts, subplots, andevents into a brief synopsis. After that's approved by my editor, I brainstorm a detailed outline with my critique partner, Betty Cothran. Once that's in place, I sit down and write. Ideally, it's like being a director with an improvisational cast of characters. I know the objectives for each scene, and I sit back and record what plays out in my imagination. I do two rewrites, then send the material, chapter by chapter, for critique, then do a third rewrite and send in the final manuscript.

"I try to write every day, except when I'm on the road. I do two out-of-town appearances a month, except for a month-long book tour with the release of each new book.

"The most surprising thing I've learned is that I could write funny and romantic books while going through a devastating divorce, the loss of my father, and several serious surgeries, but I give most of the credit to my Christian faith—plus a boatload of anti-depressants.

"The objective of all my books is to bring laughter and encouragement to my readers."

"I love all my books. If I didn't, I couldn't very well expect my readers to! But if I had to pick … Of my historicals, I loved my first, Shadows in Velvet the best, because I had the luxury of unlimited research and time, and it's the most historical of my romance novels. Of my women's fiction, Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch is close to my heart, because the divorced heroine was further along in the healing process than I was, and she acted as my guide for becoming whole after the death of a thirty-three-year marriage."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 15, 1999, Catherine Sias, review of Dangerous Gifts, p. 1047; September 15, 2002, Carol Haggas, review of Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, p. 209; September 1, 2003, Carol Haggas, review of The Red Hat Club, p. 62; February 1, 2005, Carol Haggas, review of The Red Hat Club Rides Again, p. 943.

Kirkus Reviews, September 15, 2002, review of Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, p. 1344; July 15, 2003, review of The Red Hat Club, p. 934; January 15, 2005, review of The Red Hat Club Rides Again, p. 81.

Library Journal, May 15, 1997, Kristin Ramsdell, review of Secrets in Satin, p. 68; September 1, 2002, Rebecca Sturm Kelm, review of Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, p. 216; September 1, 2003, Shelley Mosley, review of The Red Hat Club, p. 211; March 1, 2005, Shelley Mosley, review of The Red Hat Club Rides Again, p. 80.

MBR Bookwatch, March, 2005, Harriet Klausner, review of The Red Hat Club Rides Again.

Publishers Weekly, May 27, 1996, review of Shadows in Velvet, p. 75; March 10, 1997, review of Secrets in Satin, p. 64; March 9, 1998, review of Damask Rose, p. 65; February 8, 1999, review of Dangerous Gifts, p. 210; September 2, 2002, review of Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch, p. 52; September 15, 2003, review of The Red Hat Club, p. 45; February 28, 2005, review of The Red Hat Club Rides Again, p. 43.

ONLINE

Barnes and Noble Web site, http://www.barnesandnoble.com/ (September 25, 2005), interview with Haywood Smith.

Haywood Smith Home Page, http://www.haywoodsmith.net (September 25, 2005).

Reading Group Guides, http://www.readinggroupguides.com/ (September 25, 2005), brief biography of Haywood Smith.

Romance Reader, http://www.romancereader.com/ (April 30, 1998), review of Damask Rose; (February 8, 1999) review of Dangerous Gifts; (April 26, 2001) review of Border Lord.

Romantic Times, http://www.romantictimes.com/ (September 25, 2005), biography of Haywood Smith.