Day Leclaire is an American author of more than forty

romance novel A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...

Biography

Early years

Day Leclaire started writing when she was just a child. After a long day of trying to keep occupied in the midst of a snowstorm, Leclaire and her three siblings ran out of things to do. In an effort to keep her own patience, Leclaire's mother challenged her to write her own story. That historical epic, based on

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

and set in the Wild West, was the beginning of her love of writing. Leclaire attended the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

with the intent to major in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

. Shortly thereafter, Leclaire met her husband, Frank, and the two married. They became entrepreneurs, running a film library in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

, remodeling houses in

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, and then opening a produce market. When Leclaire became pregnant with their son Matt, she decided that she really wanted to be a writer.

Writing career

Although

Harlequin Harlequin (; it, Arlecchino ; lmo, Arlechin, Bergamasque pronunciation ) is the best-known of the '' zanni'' or comic servant characters from the Italian '' commedia dell'arte'', associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditional ...

gave her encouraging feedback, Leclaire was not able to sell a book in the beginning. Her career seemed briefly stalled when her younger sister, Nancy, died of a brain tumor and Leclaire, alone in a new city, dealt with her grief. Her husband challenged her to do something to occupy herself, and Leclaire once again turned to writing. Leclaire has since been nominated ten times for the

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...

RITA Award, the romance novelist's equivalent of an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

Family

Leclaire was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2000, and endured chemotherapy and radiation treatment as a result. Leclaire took a break from writing from 2004 to 2005 in an attempt to recover her creativity, but is finally back in her groove. In 2006 she began writing again, this time for Silhouette Desire, and had five books released in 2007. She and her husband live on

Hatteras Island Hatteras Island (historically Croatoan Island) is a barrier island located off the North Carolina coast. Dividing the Atlantic Ocean and the Pamlico Sound, it runs parallel to the coast, forming a bend at Cape Hatteras. It is part of North Carol ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

. Leclaire's only son has recently graduated from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and plans to attend Virginia Tech for graduate studies.

Bibliography

Single novels

* ''Jinxed'' (1990) * ''Where There's a Will'' (1991) * ''To Catch a Ghost'' (1993) * ''Once a Cowboy'' (1994) * ''Her Secret Santa'' (1997) * ''Mail-order Bridegroom'' (1995) * ''One Night Wife'' (1995) * ''Make Believe Engagement'' (1996) * ''The Secret Baby'' (1997) * ''Her Secret Bodyguard'' (2000) * ''To Marry a Sheikh'' (2000) * ''The Marriage Project'' (2001) * ''The Bride Price'' (2001)

Thorsen Brothers Series

# ''In the Market'' (1992) # ''A Wholesale Arrangement'' (1992)

Salvatore Brothers Series

# ''Who's Holding the Baby?'' (1994) # ''Bridegroom on Approval'' (1999) # ''The Brides Proposition'' (2000) # ''The Baby Gift'' (2000)

Fairytale Weddings Series

# ''Temporary Husband'' (1996) # ''Accidental Wife'' (1996) # ''Shotgun Marriage'' (1997) # ''Bridegroom on Approval'' (1999) # ''Long-lost Bride'' (1999)

Guardian Angels Series

:*''The Boss, the Baby and the Bride'' (1998)

The Gem Computer Series

# ''The Twenty-Four Hour Bride'' (1998) # ''The Miracle Wife'' (1998)

Whirlwind Weddings Series Multi-Author

:*''The Twenty-Four Hour Bride'' (1998)

Texas Grooms Wanted! Series

:*''The Nine Dollar Daddy'' (1999)

White Weddings Series

:*''Shotgun Bridegroom'' (1999)

Bachelor Auction Series Multi-Author

:*''The Perfect Solution'' (2000)

The Wedding Blitz Series

# ''The Provocative Proposal'' (2001) # ''The Whirlwind Wedding'' (2002) # ''The Baby Bombshell'' (2002)

Forrester Square Series Multi-Author

:*''Keeping Faith'' (2003)

Nascar Series Multi-Author

:*''Old Flame, New Sparks'' (2007)

The Royals Series

# ''The Royal Affair'' (2007) # ''The Forbidden Princess'' (2007) # ''The Prince's Mistress'' (2007) # ''The Royal Wedding Night'' (2007) # ''The Billionaire's Baby Negotiation'' (2007)

Dante's Legacy Series

# ''Dante's Blackmailed Bride'' (2008) # ''Dante's Stolen Bride'' (2008) # ''Dante's Wedding Deception'' (2008) # ''Dante's Contract Marriage'' (2008) # ''Dante's Ultimate Gamble'' (2010) # ''Dante's Temporary Fiancee'' (2010)

Omnibus In Collaboration

* ''Christmas Treats'' (1998) (with

Lindsay Armstrong Lindsay Armstrong is a popular South African-Australian writer of over 65 romance novels. She published her novels in Mills & Boon's since 1981. Armstrong was born and raised in South Africa, and married a New Zealand-born man who worked in We ...

and

Penny Jordan Penelope Halsall (née Jones; 24 November 1946 – 31 December 2011) was a best-selling and prolific English writer of over 200 romance novels. She started writing regency romances as Caroline Courtney, and wrote contemporary romances as Penny ...

) * ''Her Baby Secret'' (1999) (with

Jacqueline Baird Jacqueline Baird (born 1 April in Northumberland, England) is popular English writer of over 30 romance novels since 1988. Awards * Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award 1998. Best Harlequin Presents * Romantic Times Wishes * Numerous Waldenb ...

Lynne Graham Lynne Graham (born 30 July 1956 in Northern Ireland) is a Northern Irish author of over 100 romance novels. She published her novels in Mills & Boon since 1987. Biography Graham was born on 30 July 1956 in Northern Ireland to an Irish- Scotti ...

) * ''Wedlocked'' (1999) (with

Anne McAllister Barbara Schenck under the pseudonym Anne McAllister is an American best-selling writer of over 55 romance novels since 1985. Biography Barbara Schenck was born in California, but spent time on her grandparents' ranch in Colorado and visiting ...

and

Margaret Way Margaret Way (b. Brisbane d. Cleveland, Queensland, Australia ) was an Australian writer of romance novels and women's fiction. A prolific author, Way wrote more than 120 novels since 1970, many through Mills & Boon, a romance imprint of Briti ...

) * ''Mail-Order Grooms'' (2000) (with

Vicki Lewis Thompson Vicki Lewis Thompson (born 11 October 1950 in United States) is a best-selling American writer of over seventy romance novels. She has also been published under the pseudonyms Cory Kenyon and Corey Keaton with Mary Tate Engels. Biography Vic ...

) * ''Rainy Day Kisses / The Bride Price'' (2001) (with

Debbie Macomber Debbie Macomber (born October 22, 1948) is an American author of romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Six of her novels have become made-for-TV movies and her ''Cedar Cove'' series of novels was adapted into a Cedar Cove (TV series), t ...

) * ''Christmas Wishes, Christmas Gifts: The Heart of Christmas / Her Secret Santa'' (2002) (with

Tara Taylor Quinn Tara may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tara'' (1992 film), an Indian film directed by Bijaya Jena * ''Tara'' (2001 film), an American film, also known as ''Hood Rat'', directed by Leslie Small * ''Tara'' (2010 film), a ...

) * ''Marriage Mergers'' (2002) (with Susan Napier and

Michelle Reid Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish wi ...

) * ''Tender Love Stories: Compliments of the Groom / Who's Holding the Baby?/ One-night Wife / A Secret Valentine/ East *''of Today'' (2002) (with

Dixie Browning Dixie Browning, née Burrus (born September 9, 1930 in North Carolina) is an American artist and writer of over 100 romance novels. She also has published under the pen name Zoe Dozier, and with her sister Mary Burrus Williams, she writes histor ...

and

Kasey Michaels Kasey is a unisex given name, nickname and ring name which may refer to: Women * Kasey Boucher (born 1990), American ice hockey player * Kasey Brown (born 1985), Australian squash player * Kasey Campbell, an early member of the group The Pussycat ...

) * ''Western Weddings'' (2002) (with Susan Fox) * ''Kissing Frosty / The Boss, the Baby and the Bride'' (2002) (with Anne Stuart) * ''In Name Only'' (2003) (with Jill Shalvis)

Graphic Novels

* ''Jinxed'' (2006) art by

Akemi Maki Akemi is a unisex Japanese given name. Possible writings Akemi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *, "bright, beauty" *, "bright, fruit" *, "bright, sea" *, "bright, sign of the snake (Chinese zodiac)" *, "vermilion, b ...

References

External links

Day Leclaire Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leclaire, Day 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American romantic fiction writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Novelists from North Carolina American women novelists Women romantic fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers