Mary Balogh (born Mary Jenkins on 24 March 1944) is a Welsh-Canadian novelist writing

historical romance Historical romance is a broad category of mass-market fiction focusing on romantic relationships in historical periods, which Walter Scott helped popularize in the early 19th century. Varieties Viking These books feature Vikings during the Da ...

, born and raised in

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

. In 1967, she moved to Canada to start a teaching career, married a local coroner and settled in

Kipling, Saskatchewan Kipling is a town in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. In provincial politics, Kipling is in the constituency of Moosomin. The town was named after the English author Rudyard Kipling. History Kipling sites which can be classed as ' heritage proper ...

, where she eventually became a

school principal A head master, head instructor, bureaucrat, headmistress, head, chancellor, principal or school director (sometimes another title is used) is the teacher, staff member of a school with the greatest responsibility for the management of the school ...

. Her debut novel appeared in 1985. Her historical fiction is set in the

Regency era The Regency era of British history officially spanned the years 1811 to 1820, though the term is commonly applied to the longer period between and 1837. George III of the United Kingdom, King George III succumbed to mental illness in late 18 ...

(1811–1820) or the wider

Georgian era The Georgian era was a period in British history from 1714 to , named after the Hanoverian Kings George I, George II, George III and George IV. The definition of the Georgian era is often extended to include the relatively short reign of Willi ...

(1714–1830).

Biography

Personal life

Mary Jenkins was born and raised in

, Wales, daughter of Mildred Double, a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American and Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational, day-to-day operations of a hous ...

, and Arthur Jenkins, a

signwriter Signwriters design, manufacture and install signs, including advertising signs for shops, businesses and public facilities as well as signs for transport systems. Signwriting today Traditional signwriters use methods closely related to th ...

and painter. She moved to Canada on a two-year teaching contract in 1967 after leaving university. There, she met and married her Canadian husband Robert Balogh, a coroner and ambulance driver, and settled in the small prairie town of

. She taught high-school English for a number of years, and rose to the level of school principal. She has three children and five grandchildren.

Writing career

As an adult, Balogh discovered the world of the

Regency romance Regency romances are a subgenre of romance novels set during the period of the British Regency (1811–1820) or early 19th century. Rather than simply being versions of contemporary romance stories transported to a historical setting, Regency rom ...

as written by

Georgette Heyer Georgette Heyer (; 16 August 1902 – 4 July 1974) was an English novelist and short-story writer, in both the Regency romance and detective fiction genres. Her writing career began in 1921, when she turned a story for her younger brothe ...

. The vast majority of Balogh's novels have been set in

Regency A regent (from Latin : ruling, governing) is a person appointed to govern a state '' pro tempore'' (Latin: 'for the time being') because the monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge the powers and duties of the monarchy ...

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

England or Wales. Although she writes historical romances, Mary Balogh's heroines are often not "ladies". Some are

courtesan Courtesan, in modern usage, is a euphemism for a "kept" mistress (lover), mistress or prostitute, particularly one with wealthy, powerful, or influential clients. The term historically referred to a courtier, a person who attended the Royal cour ...

s, illegitimate, "fallen" or "ruined" women. All enjoy passion, and often a marriage and/or a sensual connection precedes recognition of love. Balogh began her writing career in 1983, when she wrote her first novel ''A Masked Deception'' in the evenings at the kitchen table while home and family functioned around her. ''A Masked Deception'' was accepted by ''Signet'' and published in 1985. Mary Balogh won the ''Romantic Times'' Award for best new Regency writer in that year. She is the author of more than 60 published novels and over 30 novellas, and has met with critical success.

Reception

Balogh has received numerous awards, including a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Regency Short Stories in 1993 and has appeared on

The New York Times Best Seller list ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...

Bibliography

*Reprinted in the 2003 anthology ''Under The Mistletoe'' with one new Mary Balogh novella ''A Family Christmas'' **Reprinted in the 2015 anthology "Christmas Gifts" – e-book only ***Reprinted in the 2015 anthology "Christmas Miracles" – e-book only

References and sources

External links

Official Mary Balogh siteMary Balogh in Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balogh, Mary 1944 births 20th-century Canadian educators 20th-century Welsh educators 20th-century women educators 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Welsh novelists 21st-century Welsh novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Welsh women writers 21st-century Welsh women writers 21st-century Welsh writers People from Swansea Welsh women novelists Canadian women novelists Welsh historical novelists Welsh romantic fiction writers Canadian romantic fiction writers Writers of historical romances Welsh emigrants to Canada Living people Writers from Saskatchewan Writers of historical fiction set in the early modern period