{{Short description|American writer}} {{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see :Template:Infobox writer/doc --> | name = Loretta Lynda Chekani Chase | image = | imagesize = | caption = | pseudonym = Loretta Chase | birth_date = 1949 | birth_place = U.S.A. | nationality = American, Albanian | occupation = Novelist | period = 1987-present | genre = Romance | movement = | notableworks = ''The Sandalwood Princess'', ''Lord of Scoundrels'' | influences = | influenced = | awards = {{Awards|award=RITA award |year=1991 |title=The Sandalwood Princess |role= |name=Regency Romance}} {{Awards|award=RITA award |year=1996 |title=Lord of Scoundrels |role= |name=Short Historical Romance}} | website = {{URL|http://www.LorettaChase.com}} }}
'''Loretta Chase''', née '''Loretta Lynda Chekani''' (born 1949) is an American writer of romance novels since 1987.
==Early life and education== Loretta Lynda Chekani was born in 1949 in a family of Albanian origin. She studied at New England public schools before receiving a bachelor's degree from Clark University, where she majored in English.
==Career== Her past jobs include clerical, administrative, and part-time teaching at Clark and a "Dickensian six-month experience" as a meter maid. After college, her first professional writing job was for an exhibition catalog.<ref name="chase">{{cite web | last = Chase | first = Loretta | authorlink = Loretta Chase | title = About Loretta | publisher = www.lorettachase.com | url = http://www.lorettachase.com/about.php | accessdate = 2012-08-05 | format = PDF | url-status = dead | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120807024705/http://www.lorettachase.com/about.php | archivedate = 2012-08-07 }}</ref> This led to a job moonlighting as a corporate video scriptwriter. During this time she met a video producer who enticed her to write novels...and eventually to marry him. Her first Regency manuscript, Isabella, was bought by the first New York editor who read it and led to a successful career as a romance author. Chase said of her marriage: "The books resulting from this union have won a surprising number of awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA® Award."<ref name="litte">{{cite web | last = Litte | first =Jane | authorlink=Jane Litte | title = My First Sale by Loretta Chase | work= | pages = | language = | publisher = www.lorettachase.com | date = May 23, 2008 | url =http://dearauthor.com/features/interviews/my-first-sale-by-loretta-chase-dont-you-want-to-write-a-book/ | accessdate = 2012-08-05|format=PDF}}</ref> Her books have also won several Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice awards, various RRA-L (Romance Readers Anonymous) awards, and the All About Romance Top 100 Romances award multiple times.<ref name="awards">{{cite web | last = | first = | authorlink=Loretta Chase | title =Awards for Loretta Chase | work= | pages = | language = | publisher = www.fictiondb.com | date = | url =http://www.fictiondb.com/author/loretta-chase~book-awards~1321.htm | accessdate = 2012-08-05|format=PDF}}</ref>
==Bibliography== ===Trevelyan Family Saga Series=== #''Isabella'' 1987/Nov #''The English Witch'' 1988/Jul
===Regency Series=== #''Viscount Vagabond'' 1989/Jan #''The Devil's Delilah'' 1989/Jun
===Scoundrels Series=== #''The Lion's Daughter'' 1992/Oct #''Captives of the Night'' 1994/Mar #''Lord of Scoundrels'' 1995/Jan #"The Mad Earl's Bride" in ''Three Weddings and a Kiss'' 1995/Sep (with Catherine Anderson, Lisa Kleypas and Kathleen E. Woodiwiss) #''The Last Hellion'' 1998/Apr
===Carsington Brothers Series=== #''Miss Wonderful'' 2004/Mar #''Mr. Impossible'' 2005/Mar #''Lord Perfect'' 2006/Mar #''Not Quite a Lady'' 2007/May #''Last Night's Scandal'' 2010/Aug
===Fallen Women Series=== #''Not Quite a Lady'' 2007/May #''Your Scandalous Ways'' 2008/Jun #''Don't Tempt Me'' 2009/Jul
===Single Novels=== *''Knave's Wager'' 1990/Jun *''The Sandalwood Princess'' 1990/Dec
===Omnibus=== *''Isabella and the English Witch'', 2003 *''Viscount Vagabond and Devil's Delilah'', 2004 *''The Sandalwood Princess'' / ''Knave's Wager'', 2004
===Dressmakers Series === *''Silk is for Seduction '', 2011/July *''Scandal Wears Satin '', 2012/June *''Vixen in Velvet '', 2014/June *''Dukes Prefer Blonds '', 2015/December
===Difficult Dukes Series=== *''A Duke in Shining Armour '' 2017 *''Ten Things I Hate About The Duke '' 2020 *''My Inconvenient Duke '' 2025
===Anthologies (Other)=== *"Falling Stars" in ''A Christmas Collection'' 1992 (with Stella Cameron, Joan Hohl and Linda Lael Miller) *"Falling Stars" in ''A Christmas Present'' 1994 (with Judith E. French and Lisa Kleypas) *"The Mad Earl's Bride" in ''Three Times a Bride'' 2010/May (with Catherine Anderson and Samantha James) *"Lord Lovedon's Duel" in ''Royal Bridesmaids'' 2012/July (with Stephanie Laurens and Gaelen Foley)
===Non-fiction=== *''"Historical Romance—The Path I’ve Taken"'' essay in ''North American Romance Writers'' (1999, {{ISBN|0810836041}})<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chase |first1=Loretta |editor1-last=Mussell |editor1-first=Kay |editor2-last=Tuñón |editor2-first=Johanna |title=North America Romance Writers |date=1999 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press, Inc. |location=Lanham (Md.) |isbn=0810836041 |pages=39-43 |chapter=Historical Romance—The Path I’ve Taken}}</ref>
==Awards==
{{Awards table|4|sortable=yes|caption={{Screen reader-only|Awards for ''Loretta Chase''}}}} |- ! scope="row" | 1991 | ''The Sandalwood Princess'' | Regency Romance | Romance Writers of America RITA Award | {{won}} | | <ref name="pastritawinners">{{cite web |title=Past RITA Winners |url=https://www.rwa.org/past-rita-winners |url-status=live |website=Romance Writers of America |access-date=30 April 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260420103655/https://www.rwa.org/past-rita-winners |archive-date=20 April 2026}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | 1995 | ''Lord of Scoundrels'' | Regency Historical Romance | ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award | {{won}} | | <ref>{{cite web |title=Romantic Times 1995 Reviewers' Choice Award Winners |url=http://www.romantictimes.com/books_awards.php?type=book&level=2&year=1995 |website=Romantic Times Book Reviews |access-date=10 May 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214042352/http://www.romantictimes.com/books_awards.php?type=book&level=2&year=1995 |archive-date=14 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | 1996 | ''Lord of Scoundrels'' | Short Historical Romance | Romance Writers of America RITA Award | {{won}} | | <ref name="pastritawinners" /> |- ! scope="row" | 1998 | ''The Last Hellion'' | British Isles Historical Romance | ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award | {{won}} | | <ref>{{cite web |title=Romantic Times 2004 Reviewers' Choice Award Winners |url=http://www.romantictimes.com/books_awards.php?year=2004&type=book&level=2 |website=Romantic Times Book Reviews |access-date=10 May 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214042511/http://www.romantictimes.com/books_awards.php?year=2004&type=book&level=2 |archive-date=14 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | 2004 | ''Miss Wonderful'' | First Historical Romance | ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award | {{won}} | | <ref>{{cite web |title=Romantic Times 1998 Reviewers' Choice Award Winners |url=http://www.romantictimes.com/books_awards.php?type=book&level=2&year=1998 |website=Romantic Times Book Reviews |access-date=10 May 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214042407/http://www.romantictimes.com/books_awards.php?type=book&level=2&year=1998 |archive-date=14 December 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | 2009 | ''Don't Tempt Me'' | Historical Love & Laughter | ''Romantic Times'' Reviewers' Choice Award | {{won}} | | <ref>{{cite web |title=Historical Love & Laughter |url=https://www.rtbookreviews.com/award/2009/historical-love-laughter |website=RT Book Reviews |access-date=10 May 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125004955/https://www.rtbookreviews.com/award/2009/historical-love-laughter |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |- ! scope="row" | 2011 | | Historical Romance | ''Romantic Times'' Career Achievement Award | {{won}} | | <ref>{{cite web |title=RT Award Nominees & Winners |url=http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-awards/nominees-and-winners?award_type=author&year=2011 |website=RT Book Reviews |access-date=10 May 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023074807/http://www.rtbookreviews.com/rt-awards/nominees-and-winners?award_type=author&year=2011 |archive-date=23 October 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref> {{end}}
== References == {{reflist|30em}}
==Sources== * [https://www.digitalpublishers.de/autoren/loretta-chase Loretta Chase], [https://www.digitalpublishers.de/romane/die-wilde-braut-des-duke-historisch-ebook "Die wilde Braut des Duke"], Regency Romance, Verlag dp DIGITAL PUBLISHERS
==External links== *[http://www.LorettaChase.com Official website]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chase, Loretta}} Category:1949 births Category:RITA Award winners Category:Living people Category:American romantic fiction writers Category:American women romantic fiction writers Category:Writers of historical romances