Mary Balogh (born Mary Jenkins on 24 March 1944) is a Welsh-Canadian novelist writing
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 ...
, born and raised in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
. In 1967, she moved to Canada to start a teaching career, married a local coroner and settled in
Kipling, Saskatchewan
Kipling is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. In provincial politics, Kipling is in the constituency of Moosomin. The town was named after the English author Rudyard Kipling.
History
Kipling sites which can be classed as ' heritage proper ...
, where she eventually became a
school principal
A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher, staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school ...
. Her debut novel appeared in 1985. Her historical fiction is set in the
Regency era
The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. George III of the United Kingdom, King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 18 ...
(1811–1820) or the wider
Georgian era
The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...
(1714–1830).
Biography
Personal life
Mary Jenkins was born and raised in
Swansea
Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe).
The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...
, Wales, daughter of Mildred Double, a
homemaker
Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...
, and Arthur Jenkins, a
signwriter
Signwriters design, manufacture and install signs, including advertising signs for shops, businesses and public facilities as well as signs for transport systems.
Signwriting today
Traditional signwriters use methods closely related to th ...
and painter. She moved to Canada on a two-year teaching contract in 1967 after leaving university. There, she met and married her Canadian husband Robert Balogh, a coroner and ambulance driver, and settled in the small prairie town of
Kipling, Saskatchewan
Kipling is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. In provincial politics, Kipling is in the constituency of Moosomin. The town was named after the English author Rudyard Kipling.
History
Kipling sites which can be classed as ' heritage proper ...
. She taught high-school English for a number of years, and rose to the level of school principal. She has three children and five grandchildren.
Writing career
As an adult, Balogh discovered the world of the
Regency romance
Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811–1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency rom ...
as written by
Georgette Heyer
Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brothe ...
.
The vast majority of Balogh's novels have been set in
Regency
A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...
or
Georgian
Georgian may refer to:
Common meanings
* Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country)
** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group
** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians
**Georgian scripts, three scrip ...
England or Wales. Although she writes historical romances, Mary Balogh's heroines are often not "ladies". Some are
courtesan
Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...
s, illegitimate, "fallen" or "ruined" women. All enjoy passion, and often a marriage and/or a sensual connection precedes recognition of love.
Balogh began her writing career in 1983, when she wrote her first novel ''A Masked Deception'' in the evenings at the kitchen table while home and family functioned around her. ''A Masked Deception'' was accepted by ''Signet'' and published in 1985. Mary Balogh won the ''Romantic Times'' Award for best new Regency writer in that year. She is the author of more than 60 published novels and over 30 novellas, and has met with critical success.
Reception
Balogh has received numerous awards, including a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Regency Short Stories in 1993 and has appeared on
The New York Times Best Seller list
''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 ...
.
Bibliography
*Reprinted in the 2003 anthology ''Under The Mistletoe'' with one new Mary Balogh novella ''A Family Christmas''
**Reprinted in the 2015 anthology "Christmas Gifts" – e-book only
***Reprinted in the 2015 anthology "Christmas Miracles" – e-book only
References and sources
External links
Official Mary Balogh siteMary Balogh in Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balogh, Mary
1944 births
20th-century Canadian educators
20th-century Welsh educators
20th-century women educators
20th-century Canadian novelists
20th-century Welsh novelists
21st-century Welsh novelists
21st-century Canadian novelists
20th-century Canadian women writers
21st-century Canadian women writers
20th-century Welsh women writers
21st-century Welsh women writers
21st-century Welsh writers
People from Swansea
Welsh women novelists
Canadian women novelists
Welsh historical novelists
Welsh romantic fiction writers
Canadian romantic fiction writers
Writers of historical romances
Welsh emigrants to Canada
Living people
Writers from Saskatchewan
Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period