Title, Elise

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TITLE, Elise

(Alison Tyler)

PERSONAL: Born in New York, NY; married Jeffrey Title (a psychologist); children: David, Rebecca. Hobbies and other interests: Architecture, design, decorating, watching movies.

ADDRESSES: Home—New England. Agent—Helen Rees, 123 North Washington St., Boston, MA 02114-2113. E-mail—elise_title@hotmail.com.

CAREER: Psychotherapist and novelist. Writer, 1983—.

MEMBER: Mystery Writers of America (New England branch), Authors' Guild, Authors League of America.

AWARDS, HONORS: Certificate of Excellence for Innovative Series Romance, Romantic Times, 1991-92, and four others; named among Favorite Top-Ten Authors, Affaire de Coeur.

WRITINGS:

FICTION

Business before Pleasure, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Too Good to Be True, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Tender Awakening, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

A Daring Alliance, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Playing It Safe, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Tamed Spirit, Dell (New York, NY), 1984.

Pulling the Strings, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

A Matter of Style, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Free and Easy, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Lost in Love, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

A Question of Honor, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

How Many Tomorrows?, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Perfect Charade, Dell (New York, NY), 1985.

Today and Always, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

(Under pseudonym Alison Tyler) The Bitter with the Sweet, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

Take-Charge Lady, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

King of Seduction, Dell (New York, NY), 1986.

Runaway Lover, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

Tempting Angel, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

Wild Surrender, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

Pink Satin Lady, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

Restless Yearning, Dell (New York, NY), 1987.

(Under pseudonym Alison Tyler) Chase the Storm, 1987.

(Under pseudonym Alison Tyler) Chase the Wind, 1988.

Love Letters, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988.

Baby, It's You!, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988.

Circle of Deception, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1988.

McNamara and Hall, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

All through the Night, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

Out of the Blue, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1989.

Too Many Husbands, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

The Face in the Mirror, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1990.

Trouble in Eden, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1991.

Making It, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1991.

Shadow of the Moon, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1991.

Till the End of Time, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1991.

Nearly Paradise, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1991.

Stage Whispers, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

Adam and Eve ("Fortune Boys" series), Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

For the Love of Pete ("Fortune Boys" series), Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

True Love ("Fortune Boys" series), Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

Taylor Made ("Fortune Boys" series), Harlequin (New York, NY), 1992.

No Right Turn, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1993.

Jack and Jill, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1993.

You Were Meant for Me, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1993.

Who Is Deborah?, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1993.

Body Heat, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Meg and the Mystery Man, Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Dangerous at Heart ("Hart Girls" series), Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Heartstruck ("Hart Girls" series), Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Heart to Heart ("Hart Girls" series), Harlequin (New York, NY), 1994.

Hot Property, Mira (New York, NY), 1995.

Romeo, Bantam (New York, NY), 1996, published as Bleeding Heart, Warner (London, England), 1996.

Chain Reaction, 1998.

Killing Time ("Natalie Price" series), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2002.

Naughty or Nerdy? (romantic comedy), bound with The Husband Hotel by Darlene Gardner, Harlequin (New York, NY), 2002.

Inside Out ("Natalie Price" series), St. Martin's Press (New York, NY), 2003.

Author of other novels, many under the pseudonym Alison Tyler. Author of e-book Free and Easy.

Title's books have been translated into French, Italian, Greek, German, and Austrian.

OTHER

(With husband Jeffrey Title and sister-in-law Jacqueline Title) Loving Smart: Putting Your Cards on the Table, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1993.

Author, with son, David Title, of screenplay.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Conviction, book three in the "Natalie Price" series.

SIDELIGHTS: A prolific novelist, Elise Title began typing at the age of three, sitting on her father's knee at his old manual typewriter. She never viewed writing as more than a hobby, however, until 1983, when she became inspired to write romance novels. In an interview published on eHarlequin.com, Title explained that, while driving to the country with her family, she heard an interview with romance novelist Janet Dailey. "I was captivated," she recalled; she bought a dozen romance novels and read them over the weekend. "Afterward, my husband said, 'What do you think?' I'm pretty sure he meant what did I think of the stories, so my answer surprised him. 'I'm going to write one!'" She did just that, and began a new career as a writer.

At the time she penned her first novel Title had been a psychotherapist for fifteen years, the first six working within the Massachusetts prison system. Later, she worked as a private counseling center before entering private practice. However, she began to tire of dealing with the darker side of life, and found penning romance fiction a much-needed escape. Title has gone on to publish more than fifty romance, and had over ten million books in print worldwide by 2002, some under her pseudonym Alison Tyler.

In 1995 Title altered her standard literary fare, and began writing longer, more complex novels. Making use of experiences in her previous career, she penned Romeo, a psychosexual thriller that portrays the darker side of love. Romeo is a serial killer living in San Francisco. The murderer has been so-dubbed by the police because he attracts his upscale victims with champagne, sex, and sadomasochism, then ritually tortures them before killing them, cutting out their heart, and replacing it with one removed from a previous victim. After a female psychiatrist helping the police to trap Romeo becomes his next victim, her younger sister, Sarah—a sexually repressed rehabilitation counselor—vows to avenge her sister's violent death. Sara decides to play the killer's game by enticing him into making her his next victim, then turning the tables. But who is Romeo? "Title plays a cat-and-mouse game, keeping her readers guessing until the last possible moment—and along the way, she offers up ample helpings of sex and chills," commented Emily Melton in a review for Booklist. Pam Lambert wrote in People that, "Beneath the intermittently thick psychoanalyzing—and the equally copious kinky sex—beats a seductive puzzler as dark as Romeo's heart."

Title has also started a mystery series featuring protagonist Natalie Price. Of Killing Time, the first in the "Natalie Price" series, a reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted: "Those who think women can't write tough prose should meet the star of this series debut." The fictional Price is superintendent of a pre-release prison facility in Boston, Massachusetts, Her best friend, Maggie, is an English professor teaching creative writing. Dean, admitted to the facility after serving eight years for a rape he claims not to have committed, is a would-be poet in Maggie's class. Three weeks after Dean's arrival, Maggie is found dead, tied to a bed with her own pantyhose. While Dean is the first suspect, as the plot unfolds he is joined by many others, including a slew of Maggie's lovers of both gender, and Natalie's unfaithful husband. Natalie believes Dean just may be innocent, does her own investigating, and runs into all sorts of trouble. However, she also runs into an attractive homicide detective, Leo Coscarelli, while helping with the case, adding a thread of romance to the mix. "Though some may find the plot overly familiar, this is a work of fine intelligence and sensitivity that should appeal to readers of both sexes who like their mysteries raw," noted a critic for Publishers Weekly.

Price returns in Inside Out, as transexual inmate Lynn Ingram becomes her latest charge. Imprisoned for four-years on a manslaughter rap and still protesting her innocence, Ingram had a rough time in prison, and since her release it is clear that someone is out to kill her. Price and Coscarelli soon find themselves on the case in a novel that Allreaders.com reviewer Harriet Klausner described as "a very gritty … thriller that gives readers a glimpse into the lives of people who live in the shadow of society."

Title told CA: "My characters often take on a life of their own and will often guide me and surprise me in ways I would never have imagined. As a writer, first and foremost, I want to entertain readers and keep them eager to turn pages. In my mysteries, I aim to keep them guessing until the denouement. In my mystery series I also want to highlight themes regarding crime and incarceration that will spur thought and discussion."