Susan Wiggs

{{short description|American author and novelist}} {{Infobox writer  | name = Susan Wiggs | image = | caption = | pseudonym = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|5|17}} | birth_place = United States | death_date = | death_place = | occupation = Novelist | nationality = American | alma_mater = Harvard University | period = 1987–present | genre = Romance | subject = | movement = | website = {{URL|http://www.susanwiggs.com}} | influences = | influenced = }} '''Susan Wiggs''' (born May 17, 1958)<ref>[https://www.fantasticfiction.com/w/susan-wiggs/ Fantastic fiction]</ref><ref>[https://annecarolinedrake.com/2010/05/17/happy-birthday-susan-wiggs/ Happy birthday Susan Wiggs by Anne Caroline Drake]</ref> is an American author of historical and contemporary romance novels.

==Early years== Wiggs began writing as a child, finishing her first novel, ''A Book About Some Bad Kids'', when she was eight. She temporarily abandoned her dream of being a novelist after graduating from Harvard University, instead becoming a math teacher. She continued to read, especially reveling in romance novels. After running out of reading material one evening in 1983, she began writing again, using the working title ''A Book About Some Bad Adults.''<ref name="rock">{{cite web|last=Rock|first=Bonnie|title=Writerspace talks with Romance Author Susan Wiggs|publisher=Writerspace|url=http://www.writerspace.com/interviews/wiggs0202.html|date=February 2002|access-date=2007-07-25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006180638/http://www.writerspace.com/interviews/wiggs0202.html|archive-date=2007-10-06}}</ref><ref name="housley">{{cite web|last=Housely|first=Suzie|title=Her Pen is Mightier Than A Sword|publisher=Beneath the Covers Past|url=http://www.myshelf.com/beneaththecovers/02/wiggs.htm|date=June 2002|access-date=2007-07-25}}</ref>

==Career== For three years Wiggs continued to write, and in 1987 Zebra Books published her first novel, a Western historical romance named ''Texas Wildflower''.<ref name="rock"/> Her subsequent historical and contemporary romances have been set in a wide range of settings and time periods. Many of her novels are set in areas where she's lived or visited.<ref name="arr"/> She gave up teaching in 1992 to write full-time, and has since completed an average of two books per year.<ref name="ward">{{cite web|last=Ward|first=Jean Marie|author2=Teri Smith |title=Susan Wiggs: Historical Polish, Organizational Savvy|publisher=Crescent Blues|year=2000|url=http://www.crescentblues.com/3_4issue/wiggs.shtml|access-date=2007-07-25}}</ref>

In 2000, Wiggs began writing single-title women's fiction stories in addition to historical romance novels. The first, ''The You I Never Knew'', was published in 2001.<ref name="ward"/> After writing mass-market original novels for several years, Wiggs made her hardcover debut in 2003 with ''Home Before Dark''.<ref name="arr">{{cite web|title=Susan Wiggs – And Now (as usual), Something New|publisher=All About Romance Novels|url=http://www.likesbooks.com/susanwiggs.html|date=May 25, 2003|access-date=2007-07-25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928010904/http://www.likesbooks.com/susanwiggs.html|archive-date=September 28, 2007}}</ref>

Many of her novels are connected, allowing Wiggs to revisit established characters.<ref name="rock"/>

Her books have been published in many languages, including French, German, Dutch, Latvian, Japanese, Hungarian and Russian.<ref name="housley"/>

==Awards== Wiggs's books are frequently named finalists for the RITA Award, the highest honor given in the genre. She received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Romance of the year in 1993 for ''Lord of the Night''. She won a second RITA in 2000 when ''The Charm School'' was named "Favorite Book of the Year." She has also won the RITA in 2001 for Best Short Historical for ''The Mistress.''<ref name="arr"/> and in 2006 for ''Lakeside Cottage''. She has also been the recipient of the Holt Medallion, the Colorado Award of Excellence, and the Peninsula Romance Writers of America Blue Boa Award.<ref name="rock"/> ''Romantic Times'' has twice named her a Career Achievement Award winner.<ref name="ward"/>

==Personal== Wiggs lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington.<ref name="ward"/><ref name="bexte">{{cite web|last=Bexte|first=Martina|title=Interview: Susan Wiggs|publisher=BookLoons|date=September 2003|url=http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Columns.asp?type=Interview&name=Susan%20Wiggs|access-date=2007-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.bainbridgepubliclibrary.org/local-authors.aspx|title=Local authors|publisher=Bainbridge Public Library|date=March 26, 2011|access-date=2012-01-25|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119213338/http://www.bainbridgepubliclibrary.org/local-authors.aspx|archive-date=January 19, 2012}}</ref> Her mother maintains her web page.<ref name="housley"/>

==Bibliography==

=== Stand-alone novels === *''Texas Wildflower'' (1987) *''Briar Rose'' (1987) *''Winds of Glory'' (1988) *''Embrace the Day'' (1988) *''Moonshadow'' (1989) *''The Raven and the Rose'' (1991) *''Lord of the Night'' (1993) *''Miranda'' (1996) *''Merry Christmas, Baby!'' (1996) *''The Lightkeeper'' (1998) *''The Drifter'' (1999) *''Husband for Hire'' (1999) *''The You I Never Knew'' (2001) *''Passing Through Paradise'' (2002) *''Home Before Dark'' (2003) *''Summer by the Sea'' (2004) *''Lakeside Cottage'' (2005) *''Table for Five'' (2005) *''Just Breathe'' (2008) *''The Borrowed Bride'' (2008) *''How I Planned Your Wedding'' (2011) *''The Goodbye Quilt'' (2011) also in '''The Summer It Begins''' *''The St. James Affair'' (2014) also in '''Snowfall in the City''' *''A Fairytale Christmas'' (2014) *''Island Time'' (2016) *''Map of the Heart'' (2017) *''Between You and Me'' (June 26, 2018) *''The Oysterville Sewing Circle'' (2019) *Welcome to Beachtown (2023) *The Twelve Dogs of Christmas (2023) *Wayward Girls (2025) <ref>{{Cite web|title=Books by Susan Wiggs|url=https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/21155.Susan_Wiggs?page=2&per_page=30|access-date=July 5, 2021|website=Good Reads}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=July 5, 2021|title=Ottawa Public Library|url=https://ottawa.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=susan%20wiggs&searchType=author|access-date=July 5, 2021|website=Ottawa Public Library}}</ref>

=== Lakeshore Chronicles === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |1 |''Summer At Willow Lake'' | |2006 |- |1.5 |''Homecoming Season'' |'''More Than Words: Stories of Courage''' | |- |2 |''The Winter Lodge'' | |2007 |- |3 |''Dockside'' | |2007 |- |4 |''Snow Fall at Willow Lake'' |'''Snowstorm Heat Bundle''' |2008 |- |5 |''Fireside'' | |2009 |- |6 |''Lakeshore Christmas'' | |2009 |- |7 |''The Summer Hideaway'' | |2010 |- |8 |''Marrying Daisy Bellamy'' | |2011 |- |9 |''Return to Willow Lake'' | |2012 |- |10 |''Candlelight Christmas'' |'''Snowfall in the City''' |2013 |- |11 |''Starlight of Willow Lake'' | |2015 |}

=== Bella Vista Chronicles === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |1 |''The Apple Orchard'' | |2013 |- |2 |''The Beekeeper's Ball'' | |2014 |- |3 |''The Lost and Found Bookshop'' | |2020 |- |4 |Sugar and Salt | |2022 |}

=== Switchback, Vermont === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |0.5 |''The Key Ingredient'' | |2016 |- |1 |''Family Tree'' | |2016 |}

=== Calhoun Chronicles === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |1 |''The Charm School'' |'''The Calhoun Chronicles Bundle''' |1999 |- |2 |''The Horsemaster's Daughter'' |'''The Calhoun Chronicles Bundle''' |1999 |- |3 |''Halfway to Heaven'' |'''The Calhoun Chronicles Bundle''' |2001 |- |4 |''Enchanted Afternoon'' | |2003 |- |5 |''A Summer Affair'' | |2003 |}

=== Us series === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |1 |''The Ocean Between Us'' | |2004 |- |2 |''The Story of Us'' | |2010 |}

=== Great Chicago Fire Trilogy === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |1 |''The Hostage'' | |2000 |- |2 |''The Mistress'' | |2000 |- |3 |''The Firebrand'' | |2001 |}

=== Tudor Rose series === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date !Notes |- |1 |''At The King's Command'' | |1994 |''Circle in the Water''

revised, reissued and renamed in 2009 |- |2 |''The Maidens Hand'' | |1995 |''Vows Made in Wine''

revised, reissued and renamed in 2009 |- |3 |''At The Queens Summons'' | |1996 |''Dancing on Air'' revised, reissued and renamed in 2009 |}

=== Women of War series === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |1 |''The Lily and the Leopard'' | |1991 |- |2 |The Mistress of Normandy | |1991 |- |3 |''The Mist and the Magic'' | |1993 |- |4 |''The Maiden of Ireland'' | |1993 |}

=== Discovery series === {| class="wikitable" !# !Title !Also In !Publication Date |- |1 |''October Wind'' | |1994 |- |2 |''Jewel of the Sea'' | |1994 |- |3 |''Kingdom of Gold'' | |1994 |}

===Picture books=== *''The Canary Who Sailed with Columbus'' (1989)

=== Anthologies and collections === {| class="wikitable" !Anthology or Collection !Contents !Publication Date !In Collaboration With |- |'''Purrfect Romance''' | |1995 |Jennifer Blake

''Bachelor Auction #1'' |1999 | |- |'''Cinderfella / Lady of the Night''' |''Cinderfella'' |2002 |Kate Hoffmann |- |'''It Happened One Christmas''' | |2003 |Julie McBride Nancy Warren |- |'''More Than Words: Volume 3''' | |2003 |Tori Carrington Karen Harper

Catherine Mann

Kasey Michaels |- |'''The Calhoun Chronicles Bundle''' |''The Charm School''

''The Horsemaster's Daughter''

''Halfway to Heaven'' |2007 | |- |'''Snowstorm Heat Bundle''' |''Snowfall at Willow Lake'' |2008 |Catherine Mann

Lindsay McKenna

Carole Mortimer |- |'''Snowfall in the City''' |''The St. James Affair''

''Candlelight Christmas'' |2019 | |- |'''The Summer It Begins''' |''The Goodbye Quilt'' |2019 |Sheila Roberts |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.susanwiggs.com/ Official website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wiggs, Susan}} Category:20th-century American novelists Category:21st-century American novelists Category:American romantic fiction novelists Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Living people Category:RITA Award winners Category:Writers from Bainbridge Island, Washington Category:American women romantic fiction writers Category:20th-century American women novelists Category:21st-century American women novelists Category:Novelists from Washington (state) Category:1958 births Category:Writers of historical romances