Tarr, Hope

PERSONAL:

Born in Baltimore, MD; married Earl Pence (cofounder of a management consulting firm). Education: Towson State University, B.A.; Catholic University of America, M.A., Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Fredericksburg, VA. E-mail—hope@hopetarr.com.

CAREER:

Romance novelist. Prevent a Litter Coalition (PaLC) STAMP OUT Campaign, volunteer project director, 1996-2002.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Top Ten Victories for Animals, Genesis Awards, 2002, for work as campaign director of STAMP OUT.

WRITINGS:

A Rogue's Pleasure, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2000.

My Lord Jack, Jove Books (New York, NY), 2002.

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

Vanquished, Medallion Press (New York, NY), 2006.

It's a Wonderfully Sexy Life, Harlequin (Buffalo, NY), 2006.

The Haunting, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2007.

Enslaved, Medallion Press (New York, NY), 2007.

SIDELIGHTS:

Former research consultant Hope Tarr turned to writing after stumbling across a "how-to" manual on writing romance novels. In an interview with Writerspace contributor Leena Hyat, Tarr described the challenging process of publishing her first book: "First novels are notoriously horrible and mine was no exception. But the important thing was that, though it took me three years, I did finish that book. By the time it was completed, I'd made just about every mistake possible and, in the process, learned so much about what not to do." Tarr's first published title is set in Regency England and tells the story of a burgeoning relationship between a wealthy viscount and a desperate young woman who has turned to thievery to save her brother's life. Tina Engler described the book in a Romance Reader review as a "sensational debut novel packed full of humor, wit, intrigue, and sexual tension galore."

Tarr has written both historical and contemporary romance novels, all centering on characters who are loyal, honest, and compassionate. My Lord Jack a historical set in Scotland, describes the sparks that fly when a beautiful French exile is remanded to the custody of a local executioner when she is caught trying to steal a horse. Tarr described Tempting as a twist on the story of "My Fair Lady," a case of "opposites attract," between an aspiring politician and the destitute young woman that he rescues from a brothel. Describing the Victorian romance Vanquished, Booklist reviewer Nina C. Davis remarked: "Against an incredibly textured backdrop of Edwardian politics and social change, Tarr pens a vibrant tale." Tarr's contemporary title The Haunting is set in her hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia, with a modern-day heroine who falls in love with a ghost from the Civil War.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2006, Nina C. Davis, review of Vanquished, p. 49.

ONLINE

Hope Tarr Home Page,http://www.hopetarr.com (July 23, 2007).

Romance Reader,http://www.theromancereader.com/ (July 23, 2007), Tina Engler, review of A Rogue's Pleasure.

Writerspace,http://www.writerspace.com/ (June, 2002), Leena Hyat, author intervew.