My Wife's Favorite Romance Writers Quiz

Answer: Linda Lael Miller

Wikipedia's bibliography for Ms Miller listed over 100 titles and over 25 awards. Born Linda Lael, she has also been published under the pen name of Lael St. James.

Answer: Diana Palmer

Another of my wife's three most favorite authors, Ms Kyle has written over 150 books, including a series called "Long Tall Texans", which includes 45 titles. While looking at other books on my wife's shelves, I also discovered another eighteen titles of "Diana Palmer" paperbacks. She also has written under the pen names Diana Blayne and Katy Currie, as well as Susan Kyle.

Answer: Harlequin

Formerly owned by the Torstar Corporation from 1981 until 2014, Harlequin Enterprises was sold in 2014 and will henceforth be run as a division of Harper Collins. The company was founded in 1949 in Winnipeg. In the 1980s an intense competition began for control of the romance genre market. By 1992 Harlequin had gained 75% of that market in North America.

More often thought of as "The World's Largest Bookstore," Barnes and Noble has a long history of publishing and is working hard today in the self-publishing business.

As a teacher for over 40 years, I am familiar with Harcourt Brace and Houghton Mifflin through their textbook publishing.

Answer: Debbie Macomber

Ms. Macomber has written over 150 novels and had four made into made-for-tv movies. She has written Christmas-themed books almost every year since 1986. She has also been active in fundraising for such causes as battered women's shelters, literacy, and medical research.

Answer: Robyn Carr

I was not sure whether to capitalize "four friends," because the title is in lower case on the cover and inside the book, but decided to eschew the caps. Writing since 1980, Ms. Carr has over 50 published novels. Her "Virgin River" series lists over 20 titles, and another series, "Thunder Point," has eight.

Answer: Janet Dailey

Ms. Dailey began offering a $5,000 annual award to a romance author whose novel best dealt with a social issue. Dame Barbara Cartland, one of the most prolific romance writers ever, also is no longer with us, having passed away at age 98 in 2000. Maeve Binchy Snell, another prolific writer who is no longer with us, was an award-winning Irish authoress and playwright who passed away in 2012.

Although not as much a romance writer as most others on this quiz, Binchy received both British and Irish Lifetime Achievement Awards for her writing, as well as being the winner of a People of the Year Award in 2000.

Answer: Amish

A resident of Texas, Ms. Wiseman has traveled to Amish communities to research her novels and has had current and former members of the Amish church read and critique her work before publishing. Copts are members of the Coptic Christian Church, which is based in the original Christian church of Egypt.

Answer: LaVyrle Spencer

Ms. Spencer's "Morning Glory" was also released as a motion picture in which she and her husband appeared as extras. Her first novel, "The Fulfillment", was released as a CBS made-for-tv movie. Born in Browerville, Minnesota, Ms. Spencer is actually a high school classmate of our daughter-in-law's mom. It's a small world, isn't it?

Answer: Janet Tronstad

Although she grew up on a farm near Fort Shaw, Montana, Ms. Tronstad has a master's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin.

Answer: Patricia Davids

Born and raised in the farming and ranching area of central Kansas, Ms. Davids gained a nursing degree in Wichita. She and her husband are both archers and each has won Kansas State titles in that discipline.