Jill Marie Landis (born November 8, 1948, in

Clinton, Indiana Clinton is a city in Clinton Township, Vermillion County, Indiana, Clinton Township, Vermillion County, Indiana, Vermillion County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 4,893 at the 2010 census. History The city was established in 18 ...

, United States) is an American

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

of historical and contemporary

romance novels 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

Jill Marie Landis was born on November 8, 1948, in Indiana, but moved to California when she was only ten years old. While studying for her

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

in history from

Long Beach State University California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

, Landis held summer jobs working as a ride operator for

Fantasyland Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at all of the Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed after Disney's animated fairy tale films. Each Fantasyland has a castle, as well as several gentle ri ...

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

. Upon graduation, she spent ten years as a kindergarten teacher and then three years teaching English as a Second Language part-time. Although Landis wrote her first romance novel in junior high, she did not decide to pursue a writing career until 1983. Three years after she committed to writing a full-length novel, Landis sold a manuscript. From 1988 through 2003, she published sixteen historical romance novels. In July 2003, she made her debut in the contemporary romance genre. In 2008, her first inspirational historical romance, Homecoming, was published by Steeple Hill. It was followed in 2009 by The Accidental Lawman. Writing for Zondervan, Landis published Heart of Stone, the first book of the Irish Angels Series in 2010. Landis and her husband of over forty years, Steve, an actor and slack key guitar player, claim to share their eighty-year-old home in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, with the ghost of writer

Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in seve ...

br>
The childless couple (by choice) also have a home in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

where they now live full-time. Landis has successfully completed the 6.5 hour

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

ing trip around

Kauai Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

Na Pali Na Pali can refer to: *Nā Pali Coast State Park (a portion of the Nā Pali coast) in Kaua'i *''Return to Na Pali'' expansion pack for the computer game ''Unreal (1998 video game), Unreal'' {{disambig ...

coastline, and she also enjoys raising

orchids Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

, playing the

ukulele The ukulele ( ; from haw, ukulele , approximately ), also called Uke, is a member of the lute family of instruments of Portuguese origin and popularized in Hawaii. It generally employs four nylon strings. The tone and volume of the instrumen ...

quilting Quilting is the term given to the process of joining a minimum of three layers of fabric together either through stitching manually using a needle and thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting system. A ...

and dancing

hula Hula () is a Hawaiian dance form accompanied by chant (oli) or song (Mele (Hawaiian language), mele). It was developed in the Hawaiian Islands by the Native Hawaiians who originally settled there. The hula dramatizes or portrays the words of t ...

. Over the last few years her back list of award-winning, bestselling historical romances has been re-issued in eBook formats. By the end of 2014 most of her works will be available as eBook downloads.

Bibliography

Flowers Series

# ''Sun Flower'' (1988) # ''Wild flower'' (1988) # ''Rose'' (1990) # ''Come Spring'' (1994)

Single novels

* ''Jade'' (1991) * ''Past Promises'' (1993) * ''Until Tomorrow'' (1994) * ''Glass Beach'' (1998) * ''The Orchid Hunter'' (2000) * ''Summer Moon'' (2001) * ''Magnolia Creek'' (2002)

Cassidy Family Saga Series

# ''After All'' (1995) # ''Last Chance'' (1995)

Louisiana Series

# ''Day Dreamer'' (1996) # ''Just Once'' (1997) # ''Blue Moon'' (1999)

Twilight Cove Series

# ''Lover's Lane'' (2003) # ''Heat Wave'' (2004) # ''Heartbreak Hotel'' (2005)

Inspirational Romance

# ''Homecoming'' (2008) # ''The Accidental Lawman'' (2009) # ''Heart of Stone'' (2010)

The Tiki Goddess Mysteries

# ''Mai Tai One On'' (2011) # ''Two to Mango'' (2012) # ''Three to Get Lei'd'' (2013) # ''Too Hot Four Hula'' (2014)

Omnibus

* "Faithful and True" in ''Loving Hearts'' (1992) * "Picture Perfect" in ''Sweet Hearts'' (1993) (with

Kathleen Kane Kathleen Granahan Kane (born Kathleen Margaret Granahan; June 14, 1966) is an American former politician and lawyer who served as the 48th Attorney General of Pennsylvania from 2013 until her resignation in 2016 following her conviction for per ...

Colleen Quinn Colleen is an Irish language name and is of Irish origin and a generic term for women or girls, from the Irish '' cailín'' 'girl/woman', the diminutive of '' caile'' 'woman, countrywoman'. Although it originates in the Irish language, Colleen ...

and

Jodi Thomas Jodi Thomas (born Amarillo, Texas) is the pen name of Jodi Koumalats, an American author of historical romance novels, most of which are set in Texas. In 2006, she was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. Biography Jodi Tho ...

) * "Cradle Song" in ''Three Mothers and a Cradle'' (1995) (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 television series of the ...

and

Gina Ferris Wilkins Gina Ferris Wilkins, née Vaughan (born December 20, 1954, in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States) is a best-selling American author of over 85 romance novels. She writes novels as Gina Ferris, Gina Wilkins and Gina Ferris Wilkins. Biography Bo ...

) * ''Heartbreak Ranch'' (1997) (with

Dorsey Kelley Dorsey may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Dorsey (surname) * Dorsey (given name) Places United States * Dorsey, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Dorsey, Maryland, an unincorporated community ** Dorsey station, a passenger rail station * Dorse ...

, Chelley Kitzmiller 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 ...

) * "Summer Fantasy" in ''Summer Love'' (1997) (with Stella Cameron, Anne Stuart and

Janelle Taylor Janelle Taylor (born June 28, 1944 in Athens, Georgia) is an American author of historical romance novels. Biography Janelle Diane Williams was born June 28, 1944 in Athens, Georgia. She graduated from Athens High School in 1962, and spent t ...

) & in ''Slow Heat'' (2001) (with Stella Cameron and Lisa Jackson) * "On Silken Wings" in ''Strong Currents'' (2003)

Awards

* 1986 -

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 ...

Golden Heart Award for Best Unpublished Novel, ''Sunflower'' * 1989 - Romance Writers of America Golden Medallion (RITA) Award for Best Published Single-Title Historical Romance, ''Sunflower'' * 1987-1988 - Romantic Times Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award for Best New Historical Romance Author * 1989 - Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Frontier Romance, ''Wildflower'' * 1990 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award Finalist for Best Single-Title Historical Romance, ''Rose'' * 1991 - Third Place, National Readers' Choice Award, Best Historical Romance, ''Jade'' * 1991-1992 Romantic Times Magazine Career Achievement Award for Historical Romance "Love and Laughter" * 1992-1993 Romantic Times Magazine Career Achievement Award Nominee for Western Romance * 1992 - Bookrak Catalogue Bestselling Super Release 1992, ''Come Spring'' * 1993 - Romance Writers of America Golden Choice RITA Award for Best Romance of the Year, ''Come Spring'' * 1993 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award finalist for Best Single-Title Historical Romance, ''Come Spring'' * 1993 - 1994, Romantic Times Magazine Career Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee for Americana Historical Romance, ''After All'' * 1994 - Bookrak Catalogue Bestselling Super Release July 1994, ''Until Tomorrow'' * 1994 - Second Place, Virginia Romance Writers HOLT Award, Best Novel Southern Theme, ''Until Tomorrow'' * 1995 -

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

10 Best Romance Novels of 1995, ''Last Chance'' * 1995–1996, Romantic Times Magazine Career Achievement Award Nominee for Americana Historical Romance * 1996 - Romance Readers Anonymous Nominee for Best Historical Single Title Romance, ''Day Dreamer'' * 1996 - Second Place, Under the Covers Favorite Historical Romance, ''Day Dreamer'' * 1997 - Midwest Fiction Writers Nominee for Best Short Story, "Josie's Story" * 1997 - Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Historical Romance "Love and Laughter", ''Just Once'' * 1998 - Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee for Best Historical Romance, ''Glass Beach'' * 1997-1998 Romantic Times Magazine Career Achievement Award for Historical Romance Nominee * 1999 - Amazon.com 10 Best Historical Romance Novels of 1999, ''Blue Moon'' * 1999-2000 - Romantic Times Magazine Career Achievement Award Nominee for Innovative Historical ROmance * 2000 - Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee for Best Innovative Historical Romance, ''The Orchid Hunter'' * 2001 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award Finalist for Best Single-Title Historical Romance, ''Summer Moon'' * 2001 - Library Journal Top Five Romance Fiction Novels of 2001, ''Summer Moon'' * 2001-2002 - Romantic Times Magazine Career Achievement Award Nominee for American Historical Romance * 2002 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award Finalist for Best Single-Title Historical Romance, ''Magnolia Creek'' * 2002 - Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee for Best Western Romance * 2003 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award Finalist for Best Single-Title Contemporary Romance, ''Lover's Lane''

References

External links

RBL Romantica Interview with Jill Marie Landis

A Romance Review Interview with Jill Marie Landis

Jill Marie Landis Official Website

Jill Marie Landis in FantasticFiction

Jill Marie Landis Tiki Mysteries Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Landis, Jill Marie 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American romantic fiction novelists RITA Award winners American women novelists 1948 births Living people Women romantic fiction writers People from Clinton, Indiana 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers