Penelope Vincenzi (née Hannaford; 10 April 1939 – 25 February 2018) was a British novelist, who wrote 17 novels and 2 collections of stories.
Her sales by 2014 amounted to over 7 million copies.
Early life
She was born Penelope Hannaford, on 10 April 1939 in
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
, the daughter of Stanley George Hannaford (died 1985) and Mary Blanche Hannaford nee Hawkey (died 1987) of
New Milton
New Milton is a market town in southwest Hampshire, England. To the north is in the New Forest and to the south the coast at Barton-on-Sea. The town is equidistant between Lymington and Christchurch, 6 miles (10 km) away.
History
Ne ...
, Hampshire.
[Lucy Hume, '']Debrett's People of Today
''Debrett's People of Today'' was a reference work published by Debrett's containing biographical details of approximately 25,000 notable people from across the spectrum of British society, a rival to the longer-established ''Who's Who''. Those inc ...
'' 2017
p. 1893
Debrett's, , accessed 27 February 2018 She was an only child, with "the most ordinary background you could possibly imagine".
As a child, the family moved to Devon.
She was educated at
Notting Hill and Ealing High School
Notting Hill and Ealing High School is an independent school for girls aged 4 – 18 in Ealing, London. Founded in 1873, it is one of the 26 schools that make up the Girls' Day School Trust. It has a Junior Department of 310 girls (ages 4–11) ...
.
Career
In 1962, she started to work for the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' as a secretary, and after a year was working for the women's editor
Marjorie Proops, who knowing of her journalistic ambitions, let her help with research and small tasks.
Vincenzi was also a fashion journalist who worked for various publications, including the ''
Daily Mirror
The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
'' and ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine
** ''Vogue China'', ...
''.
Personal life
She met her future husband Paul Robert Vincenzi, an advertising executive, the son of Dr Julius Vincenzi of
Earls Colne
Earls Colne is a village in Essex, England named after the River Colne, on which it stands, and the Earls of Oxford who held the manor of Earls Colne from before 1086 to 1703.
History Manor of Earls Colne
In the time of Edward the Confesso ...
, Essex, when she was 19.
They married on 27 May 1960, and had four daughters.
He died from a brain tumour in 2009.
Vincenzi died on 25 February 2018, aged 78.
Publications (novels)
*''The Compleat Liar'' (non-fiction, 1977)
*''Old Sins'' (1989)
*''Wicked Pleasures'' (1992)
*''An Outrageous Affair'' (1993)
*''Another Woman'' (1994)
*''Forbidden Places'' (1995)
*''The Dilemma'' (1996)
*''Windfall'' (1997)
*''Almost a Crime'' (1999)
*''No Angel'' (2000)
*''Something Dangerous'' (2001)
*''Into Temptation'' (2002)
*''Sheer Abandon'' (2005)
*''An Absolute Scandal'' (2007)
*''The Best of Times'' (2009)
*''The Decision'' (2011)
*''A Perfect Heritage'' (2014)
*''A Question of Trust'' (2017)
References
1939 births
2018 deaths
British women novelists
20th-century British novelists
20th-century British women writers
21st-century British novelists
21st-century British women writers
British fashion journalists
British women journalists
Daily Mirror people
British Vogue
British romantic fiction writers
Women romantic fiction writers
Writers from Bournemouth
People educated at Notting Hill & Ealing High School
British people of Italian descent
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