Fern Michaels
Encyclopedia
Fern Michaels is an American
author
of romance
and thriller novels, including nearly 50 best selling books with more than 70 million copies in print. Her USA Today and New York Times best selling books include Family Blessings, Pretty Woman, and Crown Jewel, as well as the Texas quartet and the Captive series.
Michaels married, moved to New Jersey
, and had five children. When the youngest entered school in 1973, her husband told her to get a job. Because she had no idea how to get a job, Michaels decided to try to write a book. Her husband was not very supportive of her efforts, and is consequently now an ex-husband.
Although her first manuscript did not sell, the second did. Since then, Michaels has sold over sixty books, many of them New York Times bestsellers. She has been quoted as saying that she loves breathing life into her characters. She also loves writing books about women who prevail under difficult circumstances, which she feels reflect her struggle for success early in her career. For her efforts, she has been inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame.
When she was a girl, Michaels' grandmother told her "when God is good to you, you have to give back". With this in mind, she founded the Fern Michaels Foundation, which grants four year scholarships for deserving students. In addition to that, she has also helped establish pre-school and day care programs with affordable rates for single mothers.
Michaels currently lives in Summerville, South Carolina
, in a 300 year-old plantation house listed in the Historic Registry. She claims to share the house with a ghost named Mary Margaret (which had also been documented by the previous owners). Mary Margaret is said to leave messages on her computer.
Note: Captive Innocence (1981) is not part of this series. It is a separate novel.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of romance
Romance novel
The romance novel is a literary genre developed in Western culture, mainly in English-speaking countries. Novels in this genre place their primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and must have an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Through the late...
and thriller novels, including nearly 50 best selling books with more than 70 million copies in print. Her USA Today and New York Times best selling books include Family Blessings, Pretty Woman, and Crown Jewel, as well as the Texas quartet and the Captive series.
Biography
Fern Michaels is the pen name of Mary Ruth Kuczkir, who was born in Hastings, Pennsylvania on April 9, 1933, weighing only four and one-half pounds. Because of her small birth weight, Michaels' father nicknamed her "Dink," for "dinky little thing. Her family and friends still use the nickname. As a child, though, others referred to her as Ruth. Once she entered the business world, she became "Mary."Michaels married, moved to New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and had five children. When the youngest entered school in 1973, her husband told her to get a job. Because she had no idea how to get a job, Michaels decided to try to write a book. Her husband was not very supportive of her efforts, and is consequently now an ex-husband.
Although her first manuscript did not sell, the second did. Since then, Michaels has sold over sixty books, many of them New York Times bestsellers. She has been quoted as saying that she loves breathing life into her characters. She also loves writing books about women who prevail under difficult circumstances, which she feels reflect her struggle for success early in her career. For her efforts, she has been inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame.
When she was a girl, Michaels' grandmother told her "when God is good to you, you have to give back". With this in mind, she founded the Fern Michaels Foundation, which grants four year scholarships for deserving students. In addition to that, she has also helped establish pre-school and day care programs with affordable rates for single mothers.
Michaels currently lives in Summerville, South Carolina
Summerville, South Carolina
Summerville is a town in the U.S. state of South Carolina situated mostly in Dorchester County with small portions in Berkeley, and Charleston counties. It is part of the Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville Metropolitan Statistical Area as designated for statistical purposes by the U.S. Office...
, in a 300 year-old plantation house listed in the Historic Registry. She claims to share the house with a ghost named Mary Margaret (which had also been documented by the previous owners). Mary Margaret is said to leave messages on her computer.
Captives
- Captive Passions (1977)
- Captive Embraces (1979)
- Captive Splendors (1980)
- Captive Secrets (1991)
Note: Captive Innocence (1981) is not part of this series. It is a separate novel.
Texas
- Texas Rich (1985)
- Texas Heat (1986)
- Texas Fury (1989)
- Texas Trilogy (omnibus) (1991)
- Texas Sunrise (1993)
Vegas
- Vegas Rich (1996)
- Vegas Heat (1997)
- Vegas Sunrise (1995)
- Vegas Trilogy (omnibus) (2001)
Sisterhood
- Weekend Warriors (2003)
- Payback (2004)
- Vendetta (2005)
- The Jury (2005)
- Sweet Revenge (2006)
- Lethal Justice (2006)
- Free Fall (2007)
Sisterhood: Rules of the Game
- Hide and Seek (2007)
- Hokus Pokus (2007)
- Fast Track (2008)
- Collateral Damage (2008)
- Final Justice (2008)
- Under the Radar (2009)
- Razor Sharp (2009)
- Vanishing Act (2009)
- Deadly Deals (2009)
- Game Over (2010)
Novels
- Pride and Passion (1975)
- Vixen in Velvet (1976)
- Valentina (1978)
- Golden Lasso (1980)
- Sea Gypsy (1980)
- Beyond Tomorrow (1981)
- Paint Me Rainbows (1981)
- Whisper My Name (1981)
- The Delta Ladies (1981)
- Captive Innocence (1981)
- Night Star (1982)
- Tender Warrior (1982)
- Wild Honey (1982)
- Panda Bear Is Critical (1982)
- All She Can be (1983)
- Free Spirit (1983)
- Cinders to Satin (1984)
- To Taste the Wine (1987)
- For All Their Lives (1991)
- Seasons of Her Life (1994)
- To Have and to Hold (1994)
- Desperate Measures (1994)
- Serendipity (1994)
- Yesterday (1995)
- Wish List (1995)
- Dear Emily (1995)
- Whitefire (1997)
- Finders Keepers (1998)
- Sara's Song (1998)
- Annie's Rainbow (1999)
- Celebration (1999)
- Split Second (1999)
- The Guest List (2000)
- Picture Perfect (2000)
- Listen to Your Heart (2000)
- What You Wish for (2000)
- Charming Lily (2001)
- Plain Jane (2001)
- The Future Scrolls (2001)
- Late Bloomer (2002)
- About Face (2003)
- Trading Places (2003)
- Crown Jewel (2003)
- The Real Deal (2004)
- The Nosy Neighbor (2005)
- Pretty Woman (2005)
- Fool Me Once (2006)
- Hey, Good Looking (2006)
- The Marriage Game (2007)
- Up Close and Personal (2007)
- Betrayal (2011)
Omnibus
- Desperate Needs (1995) (with Emilie RichardsEmilie RichardsEmilie Richards is an American author of over 50 contemporary romance and mystery novels.- Early years :Emilie Richards was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. After receiving an undergraduate degree in American studies from Florida State University, Richards earned a...
and Sherryl WoodsSherryl WoodsSherryl Woods is an American writer of over 110 romance and mystery novels since 1982. She also signed her novels as Alexandra Kirk and Suzanne Sherrill.-Biography:...
) - A Joyous Season (1996) (with Olga Bicos, Jennifer Blake, Hannah HowellHannah HowellHannah Dustin Howell is a best-selling American author of over 40 historical romance novels. Many of her novels are set in medieval Scotland...
) - Heartbreak Ranch (1997) (with Dorsey Kelley, Chelley Kitzmiller, Jill Marie LandisJill Marie LandisNot to be confused with Marie Landis, an American writer who has written two novels in collaboration with Brian HerbertJill Marie Landis Not to be confused with Marie Landis, an American writer who has written two novels in collaboration with Brian HerbertJill Marie Landis Not to be confused with...
) - Homecoming (1997) (with Deborah Bedford, Janet DaileyJanet DaileyJanet Anne Haradon Dailey is an American author of numerous romance novels as Janet Dailey . Her novels have been translated into nineteen languages and have sold over 300 million copies worldwide....
, Dinah McCall) - Heart of the Home (1997) (with Denise Domning, Brenda Joyce and Bronwyn Williams)
- Through the Years (1999) (with Linda HowardLinda HowardLinda S. Howington is an American best-selling romance/suspense author under her pseudonym Linda Howard. Before she became a writer, she was an avid reader and fond of Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. After 21 years of penning stories for her own enjoyment, she submitted a novel for...
, Debbie MacomberDebbie MacomberDebbie Macomber is a best-selling American author of over 150 romance novels and contemporary women's fiction. Over 140 million copies of her books are in print throughout the world, and four have become made-for-TV-movies...
) - Five Golden Rings (2000) (with Jo BeverleyJo BeverleyJo Beverley, née Mary Josephine Dunn is a prolific British-Canadian writer of popular historical romance novels....
, Brenda Joyce and Katherine SutcliffeKatherine SutcliffeKatherine Sutcliffe is a best-selling American author of romance novels. Many of her books are considered to be "dark" romances, examining issues traditionally not mentioned in the romance genre.-Biography:...
) - Shattered Night: Split Second and Picture Perfect (2001)
- The Delta Ladies / Wild Honey (2002)
- Finders Keepers / Yesterday / Celebration (2002)
- Maybe This Time (2003) (with Emilie RichardsEmilie RichardsEmilie Richards is an American author of over 50 contemporary romance and mystery novels.- Early years :Emilie Richards was born in Bethesda, Maryland and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida. After receiving an undergraduate degree in American studies from Florida State University, Richards earned a...
and Sherryl WoodsSherryl WoodsSherryl Woods is an American writer of over 110 romance and mystery novels since 1982. She also signed her novels as Alexandra Kirk and Suzanne Sherrill.-Biography:...
) - Let It Snow (2003) (with Holly Chamberlin, Marcia Evanick, Virginia HenleyVirginia HenleyVirginia Henley, née Virginia Syddall , is a British successful writer of historical-romance novels. She is well-known for her Medieval, Renaissance and other period piece romance novels.- Biography :...
) - Kentucky Rich / Kentucky Heat / Kentucky Sunrise (2003)
- Jingle All the Way (2004) (with Theresa Alan, Jane Blackwood and Linda Lael MillerLinda Lael MillerLinda Lael Miller , is a best-selling American author of more than seventy contemporary and historical romance novels. She has also written under the pen name Lael St. James.-Personal life:...
) - Deck the Halls (2004) (with Marcia Evanick, Virginia HenleyVirginia HenleyVirginia Henley, née Virginia Syddall , is a British successful writer of historical-romance novels. She is well-known for her Medieval, Renaissance and other period piece romance novels.- Biography :...
, Lisa Jackson and Linda Lael Miller) - Dream of Me: Whisper My Name / Paint Me Rainbows (2004)
- Weekend Warriors / Payback (2005)
- Listen to Your Heart / What You Wish For / Plain Jane (2005)
- Sugar and Spice (2006) (with Beverly BartonBeverly BartonBeverly Marie Beaver , better known as Beverly Barton, was an American author, known for her romantic suspense novels. She has written over thirty contemporary romance novels and created the popular The Protectors series for Harlequin Enterprises owned Silhouette’s Intimate Moments lines...
, Joanne FlukeJoanne FlukeJoanne Fluke is a female author who writes the Hannah Swensen Mysteries for Kensington Mysteries. Her mystery series is widely popular, and she is a national bestselling author; so far there are thirteen books published in the series. Her series has been known for its recipes, its comedy, and...
, Shirley Jump) - Captive Passions / Captive Embraces (2006)
- Captive Splendors / Captive Secrets (2006)
- Texas Fury / Texas Sunrise (2006)
- Texas Rich / Texas Heat (2006)