Penny Jordan

Penelope Jones Halsall
Born Penelope Jones
24 November 1946(1946-11-24)
Preston, Lancashire, England
Died 31 December 2011(2011-12-31) (aged 65)
Pen name Caroline Courtney
Melinda Wright
Lydia Hitchcock
Penny Jordan
Annie Groves[1]
Occupation Novelist
Nationality British
Period 1979-present
Genres Contemporary romance, historical romance
Spouse(s) Steve Halsall (died)
www.penny-jordan.co.uk

Penny Halsall, née Penelope Jones (24 November 1946 – 31 December 2011) better known by her pen name of Penny Jordan, 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 Jordan and historical romances as Annie Groves (her mother's maiden name). She had also signed novels as Melinda Wright and Lydia Hitchcock. Her books have sold over 70 million copies worldwide[2] and have been translated into many languages.

Widowed, she lived in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, surrounded by her pets.[3]

Contents

Biography

Personal life

Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on 24 November 1946 in Preston, Lancashire, England, and weighed about eight pounds. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, who died aged 85, and his wife, Margaret Louise Groves Jones, 86,[1] who passed to Jones her Scots Celtic heritage.[3] She has a brother, Anthony Jones, and a sister, Prudence "Pru" Jones.

She has been a keen reader from childhood. Her mother would leave her in the children's section of the local library while she changed her father's library books.[3] Her story-telling career began at the age of eight when she began telling original bedtime stories to her younger sister.[4]

Her all-time favourite books are those of Jane Austen, Dorothy Dunnett, Catherine Cookson, Georgette Heyer, Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare's plays and poetry and the Bible.[5] After reading a serialised Mills & Boon book in a woman's magazine, she fell in love with the hero. Jones was eleven and she quickly became an avid fan.[4]

Jones left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography.[1] In her early days, she spent fourteen years working as a shorthand typist in Manchester.

Jones married Steve Halsall, an accountant and "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity.[1] They did not have children, but she has a bakers dozen of assorted godchildren nieces and nephews.[3]

Widowed, Jordan writes from an office in her beautiful mock Tudor house in Nantwich, Cheshire, a home that she shares with her dog, Sheba, and cat, Posh.

Jordan runs a writing group where she helps other aspiring writers to develop their craft, pointing them to agents and publishers who might be interested in their work. She is also active in women's charities in her native England.

Penny died on 31st December 2011.

Writing career

By her early twenties, Jordan was writing for herself, but her writing career began in earnest when she was 30, encouraged and supported by her husband. He bought her, at a time when he could ill afford it, the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first books.[3]

She entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she did not win, an agent, who was looking for a new-style Georgette Heyer, contacted the R.N.A.[1]

In March 1979, she published her first novel under the pseudonym Caroline Courtney, Duchess in Disguise, the same year she published other 4 books. Under this penname she published 25 regency romances until 1986. Her novels was published by different editorials: Arlington Books, Warner Books, G.K. Hall, Corgi Books, Prior...

From 1981 to 1983, she signed 3 air-hostess romps as Melinda Wright and 2 thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock, published by Columbine House.[1]

In 1981, Mills & Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey signed as Penny Jordan. Since then, almost 70 million copies of her 167 Mills & Boon (or Harlequin) novels have been sold worldwide.[1]

Some of Penny Jordan's novels are part of series, created by her or in collaboration with other authors. Her favourite Penny Jordan's Series is The Perfect Crightons.[5] The surname for Crighton family came from her late mother in law as it was her family name prior to her marriage. The Crighton live in the fictional town Haslewich, inspired in Nantwich, the Hasle is a play on her own married surname.[6]

Since 2003, she returned to writing historical novels as Annie Groves (she has adopted her mother's maiden-name[1]). Jordan gains much of her inspiration from human interest stories in the news as well as her own family history. She adapted a story told by her grandmother Elsie Jones in Ellie Pride.[2] This novel also begins a family saga.

Bibliography

As Caroline Courtney

[7]

Single novels

As Melinda Wright

[8]

Single novels

As Lydia Hitchcock

[8]

Single novels

As Penny Jordan

[8]

Single Novels

The Bride's Bouquet Series

  1. Woman to Wed? (1996)
  2. Best Man to Wed? (1996)
  3. Too Wise to Wed? (1996)
  • The Bride's Bouquet (Omnibus) (2000)
  • Duet: Woman to Wed? / Best Man to Wed? (2005)

The Perfect Crightons Series

  1. A Perfect Family (1997)
  2. The Perfect Seduction (1997)
  3. Perfect Marriage Material (1997)
  4. The Perfect Match? (1997)
  5. The Perfect Lover (1998)
  6. The Perfect Sinner (1999)
  7. The Ultimate Surrender (2000)
  8. The Perfect Father (2000)
  9. A Perfect Night (2000)
  10. Coming Home (2000)
  11. Starting Over (2001)
  • The Crightons: The Perfect Seduction / Perfect Marriage Material / The Perfect Match? (by Request 3's) (2001)
  • Women and Love: The perfect lover / The perfect father / The perfect night (2002)

Fantasy in the Night Series

  1. Fantasy for Two (1998)
  2. One Night in His Arms (1998)

Sweet Revenge Or Seduction Series

  1. Mistress Assignment (1999)
  2. Lover by Deception (1999)
  3. A Treacherous Seduction (1999)
  4. The Marriage Resolution (1999)

Sheikh's Arabian Nights Series

  1. The Sheikh's Virgin Bride (2003)
  2. One Night with the Sheikh (2003)
  3. Possessed by the Sheikh (2005)
  4. Taken By The Sheikh (2007)

Jet Set Wives Series

  1. Bedding His Virgin Mistress (2005)
  2. Expecting The Playboy's Heir (2005)
  3. Blackmailing the Society Bride (2005)

Silk Series

  1. Silk (2008)
  2. Sins (2009)
  3. Scandals (2010)

The Leopardi Brothers Saga

  1. Captive At the Sicilian Billionaire's Command (2009)
  2. The Sicilian Boss's Mistress (2009)
  3. The Sicilian's Baby Bargain (2009)

For Her Eyes Only Series Multi-Author

  • An Unforgettable Man (1995)

Dangerous Liaisons Series Multi-Author

  • An Unforgettable Man (1995)

The Big Event Series Multi-Author

  • Marriage Make Up (1998)

Amnesia Series Multi-Author

  • Back in the Marriage Bed (2000)

Greek Tycoons Series Multi-Author

  • The Demetrios Virgin (2001)
  • The Mistress Purchase (2004)

Red-Hot Revenge Series Multi-Author

  • The Marriage Demand (2001)

Wedlocked! Series Multi-Author

  • The Blackmail Baby (2002)
  • Marco's Convenient Wife (2002)
  • Mistress to Her Husband (2004)

Do Not Disturb Series Multi-Author

  • The Tycoon's Virgin (2002)

By Royal Command Series Multi-Author

  • The Blackmail Marriage (2003)
  • The Italian Duke's Mistress (2006)

Mistress to a Millionaire Series Multi-Author

  • Mistress of Convenience (2004)
  • The Mistress Purchase (2004)

Foreign Affairs Series Multi-Author

  • Mistress of Convenience (2004)

Greek Tycoons Series Multi-Author

  • The Mistress Purchase (2004)

Desert Brides Series Multi-Author

  1. Prince of the Desert (2006)

Dinner At 8 Series Multi-Author

  • The Christmas Bride (2006)

Uncut Series Multi-Author

  • Master of Pleasure (2006)

The Royal House Of Niroli Series Multi-Author

1. The Future King's Pregnant Mistress (2007)
8. A Royal Bride At the Sheikh's Command (2008)

Mistress to a Millionaire Series Multi-Author

  • Virgin For The Billionaire's Taking (2008)

Collections

Omnibus in collaboration

Graphic Novels

As Annie Groves

[9]

Pride Family Series

  1. Ellie Pride, 2003
  2. Connie's Courage, 2004
  3. Hettie of Hope Street, 2005

World War II Series

  1. Goodnight Sweetheart, 2006
  2. Some Sunny Day;, 2006
  3. The Grafton Girls, 2007
  4. As Time Goes By, 2007

Campion Family Series

References and sources

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Penelope Jones Halsall by David Charters in Liverpool Daily Post, http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/entertainment/previewsandreviews/tm_headline=italian-flavour-in-our-city%26method=full%26objectid=18851816%26page=1%26siteid=50061-name_page.html, retrieved 2007-08-20 
  2. ^ a b Harper Collins's Biography, http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/authors/default.aspx?id=2327, retrieved 2007-08-03 
  3. ^ a b c d e Harlequin Present's Biography, http://www.harlequinpresents.com/authors/jordan_bio.html, retrieved 2007-08-03 
  4. ^ a b Mills & Boon's Biography, http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cgi-bin/millsandboon.storefront/46b3a1af00487708273f58d0dc9e06ba/Export/products/AUTH-2D000269?Display=Biography, retrieved 2007-08-03 
  5. ^ a b Mills & Boon's Interview, http://www.millsandboon.co.uk/cgi-bin/millsandboon.storefront/46b22b990045d040274158d0dc9e06bd/Export/products/AUTH-2D000269?Display=Interview, retrieved 2007-08-02 
  6. ^ Crighton books in Penny-Jordan.co.uk, http://www.penny-jordan.co.uk/crighton.htm, retrieved 2007-08-20 
  7. ^ Fantastic Fiction's Book List by Caroline Courtney, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/c/caroline-courtney/, retrieved 2007-08-21 
  8. ^ a b c Fantastic Fiction's Book List by Penny Jordan, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/j/penny-jordan/, retrieved 2007-08-02 
  9. ^ Fantastic Fiction's Book List by Annie Groves, http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/g/annie-groves/, retrieved 2007-08-02 

External links