Patricia Maxwell, born Patricia Anne Ponder (born March 9, 1942 near
Goldonna, Louisiana
Goldonna is a village in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 430 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Natchitoches Micropolitan Statistical Area. South of Goldonna along Louisiana Highway 156, one may access Sali ...
) is an American writer. A member of 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 ...
Hall of Fame and the ''Affaire de Coeur'' Romance Hall of Fame, Maxwell has received numerous awards for her writing. Her first novel in the romance genre, ''Love's Wild Desire'', became a
New York Times Bestseller
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
.
Maxwell has published books under five different names. Using her real name, Patricia Maxwell, she writes Gothic mystery-suspense romances; she wrote one book in collaboration with
Carol Albritton, that was published under Elizabeth Trehearne. Under her maiden name, Patricia Ponder, she wrote a murder mystery and a romantic suspense story, as Maxine Patrick, she wrote contemporary romances and as Jennifer Blake she writes
historical romance
Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Walter Scott helped popularize in the early 19th century.
Varieties Viking
These books feature Vikings during the Da ...
s.
[
] Many of her books are set in her native Louisiana.
Biography
Early years
Maxwell is a seventh generation Louisianan
[
] of English, Irish, Welsh, Scots-German, French and Indeginous descent.
[
] She was born in a one-hundred-twenty-year-old house constructed by her grandparents near Goldonna.
[
] She spent her childhood on an farm in Northern Louisiana.
Through her mother, who belonged to a mail order book club, Maxwell was introduced at an early age to adult mysteries, westerns, historical novels, and romances.
[
] As a young teenager, she volunteered at the school library, further cementing her love of the written word.
At age 15, the former Patricia Ponder married, took her husband's surname of Maxwell, and became a housewife, and soon, a mother. She began writing one morning when she was 21,
attempting to describe a very vivid dream she'd had that was set in historical Scotland.
She took a six-week correspondence course on writing and began practicing as much as she could.
Writing career
For the next seven years, Maxwell sold various poems, articles, and short stories before deciding to take the time to write a novel.
Her husband supported her efforts, even buying her a typewriter to make the work easier.
After objectively assessing her first novel, Maxwell decided that it was not good enough to sell, and promptly started on a second manuscript. This one sold in 1970, to the first publisher who actually read it.
A stunned Maxwell used her first check to buy a greenhouse—something she had long wanted.
Maxwell's early works, published under her own name, were mystery suspense novels.
In the mid-1970s, this type of novel became less popular, and Maxwell suddenly had trouble selling new works.
After two years of struggling to find another niche, Maxwell was asked to write a proposal for an emerging genre, historical romance.
Her first novel in this genre, ''Love's Wild Desire'', became a New York Times Bestseller under the pseudonym Jennifer Blake (so that fans of her previous work would not be confused).
Maxwell has been writing romance and historical novels as Jennifer Blake for over 30 years.
The book are often set between 1830-1850 and take place in Louisiana.
Personal life
Maxwell writes for six hours a day, five days a week in her home office, usually completing one book each year.
In her spare time, she enjoys collecting antiques, painting, and quilting. Because she is allergic to many chemicals, she and her husband maintain a small organic garden to cultivate their own produce. They also grow antique roses.
Maxwell and her husband live in Northern Louisiana,
with a second home in Colorado.
They have four children and several grandchildren.
Bibliography
As Patricia Maxwell
Single novels
*''The Secret of the Mirror House'', 1970
*''Stranger at Plantation Inn'', 1971
*''The Bewitching Grace'', 1973
*''The Court of the Thorn Tree'', 1973
*''Dark Masquerade'', 1974
*''Bride of a Stranger'', 1974
*''Love's Wild Desire'', 1977
*''The Notorious Angel'', 1977
*''Sweet Piracy'', 1978
*''Night of the Candles'', 1978
As Elizabeth Trehearne
Single Novel
*''Storm at Midnight'', 1973
As Patricia Ponder
Single novels
*''Haven of Fear'', 1974
*''Murder for Charity'', 1974
As Maxine Patrick
Single novels
*''The Abducted Heart'', 1978
*''Bayou Bride'', 1978
*''Snowbound Heart'', 1979
*''Captive Kisses'', 1980
*''Love at Sea'', 1980
*''April of Enchantment'', 1981
As Jennifer Blake
Single novels
*''Tender Betrayal'', 1979
*''The Storm and the Splendor'', 1979
*''Golden Fancy'', 1980
*''Embrace and Conquer'', 1981
*''Midnight Waltz'', 1984
*''Surrender in Moonlight'', 1984
*''Fierce Eden'', 1985
*''Prisoner of Desire'', 1986
*''Louisiana Dawn'', 1987
*''Southern Rapture'', 1987
*''Perfume of Paradise'', 1988
*''Love and Smoke'', 1989
*''Spanish Serenade'', 1990
*''Joy and Anger'', 1991
*''Wildest Dreams'', 1992
*''Arrow to the Heart'', 1993
*''Shameless'', 1994
*''Silver-Tongued Devil'', 1995
*''Tigress'', 1996
*''Garden of Scandal'', 1997
Royal Family of Ruthenia series
#''Royal Seduction'', 1983
#''Royal Passion'', 1985
Louisiana's Gentlemen Benedict series
#''Kane'', 1998
#''Luke'', 1999
#''Roan'', 2000
#''Clay'', 2001
#"Adam" in ''With a Southern Touch'', 2002
#''Wade'', 2002
Masters at Arms series
#''Challenge to Honor'', 2005
#''Dawn Encounter'', 2006
#''Rogue's Salute'', 2007
#''Guarded Heart'', 2008
#''Gallant Match'', 2009
Anthologies in collaboration
*"Dream Lover" in ''A Dream Come True'', 1994 (with
Georgina Gentry,
Shirl Henke,
Anita Mills
Anita or ANITA may refer to:
Arts
* ''Anita'' (1967 film), an Indian film
* ''Anita'' (2009 film), an Argentine film
* ''Anita'' (2021 film), a Hong Kong film
*'' Anita: Swedish Nymphet'', a 1973 erotic film
People
*Anita (given name), people w ...
and
Becky Lee Weyrich)
*"Besieged Heart" in ''Secret of the Heart'', 1994 (with
Madeline Baker
''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series a ...
,
Georgina Gentry,
Shirl Henke and
Patricia Rice
Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word ''patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United State ...
)
*"The Warlock's Daughter" in ''Star-Dust'', 1994
*"Reservations" in ''Honeymoon Suite'', 1995 (with Margaret Brownley,
Ruth Jean Dale and
Sheryl Lynn)
*"Out of the Dark" in ''A Purrfect Romance!'', 1995 (with
Robin Lee Hatcher and
Susan Wiggs
Susan Wiggs (born May 17, 1958) is an American author of historical and contemporary romance novels.
Early years
Wiggs began writing as a child, finishing her first novel, ''A Book About Some Bad Kids'', when she was eight. She temporarily aban ...
)
*"Pieces of Dreams" in ''The Quilting Circle'', 1996 (with
Jo Anne Cassidy
Jo, jo, JO, or J.O. may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Jo'' (film), a 1972 French comedy
* ''Jo'' (TV series), a French TV series
*"Jo", a song by Goldfrapp from ''Tales of Us''
*"Jo", a song by Mr. Oizo from ''Lambs Anger''
* Jo a fictio ...
,
Joanne Cassity Joanne may refer to:
Music
* ''Joanne'' (album), 2016 album by Lady Gaga
** "Joanne" (Lady Gaga song), a 2016 song from the album ''Joanne''
* "Joanne" (Michael Nesmith song), a 1970 song from the album ''Magnetic South''
* "Joanne", a song by C ...
,
Christina Cordaire Christina may refer to:
People
* Christina (given name), shared by several people
* Christina (surname), shared by several people
Places
* Christina, Montana, unincorporated community, United States
* Christina, British Columbia, Canada
* Chr ...
and
Linda Shertzer
Linda may refer to:
As a name
* Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named)
* Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer
* Anita Linda (born Alice Lake ...
)
*''A Vision of Sugarplums'' in ''Joyous Season'', 1996 (with
Olga Bicos
Olga may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Olga (name), a given name, including a list of people and fictional characters named Olga or Olha
* Michael Algar (born 1962), English singer also known as "Olga"
Places
Russia
* Olga, Russia ...
,
Hannah Howell
Hannah Dustin Howell (born 1950 in Massachusetts) is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland. She also writes under the names Sarah Dustin, Sandra Dustin, and Anna ...
and
Fern Michaels
Fern Michaels (born Mary Ruth Kuczkir; April 9, 1933) is an American author of romance and thriller novels, including nearly 150 best selling books with nearly 200 million copies in print. Her ''USA Today'' and ''New York Times'' best selling b ...
)
*"Love in Three-Quarter Time" in ''Unmasked'', 1997 (with
Janet Dailey
Janet Anne Haradon Dailey (May 21, 1944 – December 14, 2013) was an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey (her married name). Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold more than 300 million ...
and
Elizabeth Gage
Elizabeth Gage MBE is a British jewellery designer and trained master goldsmith who has been creating collectable jewellery for over 50 years. She has been described by the trade as someone ''"whose large rings, historical references, gorgeous ...
)
*"John 'Rip' Peterson" in ''Southern Gentleman'', 1998 (with
Emilie Richards
Emilie Richards is an American author of over 50 contemporary romance and mystery novels.
Early years
Emilie Richards was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. After receiving an undergraduate degree in American studi ...
)
*''With a Southern Touch'', 2002 (with
Heather Graham
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. After appearing in television commercials, her first starring role in a feature film came with the teen comedy ''License to Drive'' (1988), followed by the critically acclaimed ...
and
Diana Palmer)
*"Pieces of Dreams" in ''With Love'', 2002 (with
Kristin Hannah
Kristin Hannah (born September 25, 1960) is an American writer. Her most notable works include ''Winter Garden'', '' The Nightingale'', ''Firefly Lane'', '' The Great Alone'', and ''The Four Winds''.
Biography
Kristin Hannah was born in Californ ...
and
Linda Lael Miller
Linda Lael Miller (born 1949 as Linda Lael), is a best-selling American author of more than 100 contemporary and historical romance novels. She has also written under the pen name Lael St. James.
Personal life
Linda Lael was born in 1949 in Wash ...
)
Awards
*Inducted into Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame
*1997 Frank Waters Award for Writing Excellence
*1997 Holt Medallion, Southern Theme, Virginia Romance Writers: SILVER-TONGUED DEVIL
*1995 "Climbing Rose" Award, North Louisiana Romance Authors
*1995 Lifetime Honorary Membership, Coeur de Louisiane, Inc. Writers Club
*1994 Romance Hall of Fame, Affaire de Coeur Magazine
*1994 Reviewer’s Choice Winner, Affaire de Coeur: SHAMELESS
*1993-1994 Reviewer’s Choice Certificate of Excellence, Romantic Times: SHAMELESS
*1992-1993 Reviewer’s Choice Certificate of Excellence, Romantic Times: ARROW TO THE HEART
*1991-1992 Reviewer’s Choice Certificate of Excellence, Romantic Times: WILDEST DREAMS
*1988 Keynote Speaker, Romance Writers of America National Conference
*1988 Honorary Membership, Romance Writers of America
*1988 Silver Plume Award, Affaire de Coeur: SOUTHERN RAPTURE 1988 Best Colonial Romance, Romantic Times: LOUISIANA DAWN
*1987 Golden Treasure Award, Lifetime Achievement, Romance Writers of America
*1987 "Maggie" Award, Georgia Romance Writers: SOUTHERN RAPTURE
*1987 "Climbing Rose" Award, North Louisiana Romance Authors
*1985 "Maggie" Award, Georgia Romance Writers: MIDNIGHT WALTZ
*1985 Historical Romance Author of the Year, Romantic Times
See also
*
List of romantic novelists
Notable novelists who specialise or specialised in writing romance novels include:
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
V
W
X-Z
See also
* Lists of writers
The following are lists of writers: ...
References and sources
Patricia Anne Ponder Maxwell's Official WebsiteJennifer Blake at Mills & Boon
External links
Jennifer Blake at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maxwell, Patricia Anne Ponder
1942 births
American romantic fiction writers
Living people
Novelists from Louisiana
20th-century American novelists
21st-century American novelists
20th-century American women writers
21st-century American women writers
American women novelists
Women romantic fiction writers
People from Goldonna, Louisiana
20th-century pseudonymous writers
21st-century pseudonymous writers
Pseudonymous women writers