Barbara Keiler (born April 7, 1953), known by her

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

Judith Arnold, is an American author of crime fiction and over eighty-five

romance novels A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed to the developme ...

. She has been writing since 1983, and has also been published under the pen names Ariel Berk and Thea Frederick.

Biography

Personal life

Keiler was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In high school, she was published in the school's creative writing magazine and edited the school newspaper. After winning a contest in college for writing a play, Keiler decided to become a playwright. She graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

in 1974 and earned an A.M. in creative writing from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in 1976. She then spent the next ten years writing plays for production in regional theaters around the country. Keiler married after her husband obtained his Ph.D. at Brown University. They have two sons and live in suburban

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Writing career

After taking a year off teaching to try to write a novel, she sold a romance novel, ''Silent Beginnings'', to Silhouette Books, in October 1983. Since then, Keiler has written over 100 novels. These have been published in category romance lines such as Silhouette (writing as Ariel Berk), Second Chance at Love (writing as Thea Frederick), and the

Harlequin Harlequin (, , ; , ) is the best-known of the comic servant characters (Zanni) from the Italian commedia dell'arte, associated with the city of Bergamo. The role is traditionally believed to have been introduced by the Italian actor-manager Zan ...

lines of Temptation, American, and Superromance, as well as single-title books published by Mira (writing as Judith Arnold), mysteries, and general fiction. She is a three-time ''Romantic Times'' award-winner and has been nominated an additional four times, including for Career Achievement. Keiler has been a finalist for the

Romance Writers of America Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by inc ...

RITA Award and the Golden Medallion Award, and was nominated for the RWA's Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also a past president of Novelists, Inc.

Class action suit

In July 2012 Keiler, along with two other named

plaintiffs A plaintiff ( Π in legal shorthand) is the party who initiates a lawsuit (also known as an ''action'') before a court. By doing so, the plaintiff seeks a legal remedy. If this search is successful, the court will issue judgment in favor of the ...

representing approximately 1000 authors, filed a

class action suit A class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage R ...

, Barbara Keiler v. Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 12cv5558, U.S. District Court,

Southern District of New York The Southern District of New York is a federal judicial district that encompasses the counties of New York (Manhattan), Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan. Federal offices or agencies operating in the distri ...

(Manhattan), against HQ Enterprises , alleging improper payment of e-book

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset or ...

. The case was dismissed in April 2013 by

Harold Baer Jr. Harold Baer Jr. (February 16, 1933 – May 27, 2014) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Early life and education Born in New York City, New York, Baer received his Bac ...

but was accepted on appeal in 2014. The parties agreed to settle in March 2016 and a $4.1M settlement was approved by William H. Pauley III in July 2016.

Bibliography

As Ariel Berk

Single novels

*''Silent Beginnings'' (1983) *''Promise of Love'' (1984) *''Remedies of the Heart'' (1984) *''Hungry for Love'' (1985) *''Breaking the Ice'' (1985) *''False Impressions'' (1986) *''Teacher's Pet'' (1986) *''No Plan for Love'' (1986) *''Game, Set, Match'' (1987) *''Playing with Matches'' (1987) *''Together Again'' (1988) *''Peace of Mind'' (1989) *''A Package Deal'' (1989)

As Thea Frederick

Single Novel

*''Beloved Adversary'' (1984)

As Judith Arnold

Stand alone novels

*''Come Home to Love'' (1985) *''A Modern Man'' (1985) *''Flowing to the Sky'' (1985) *''Jackpot'' (1986) *''Special Delivery'' (1986) *''Man and Wife'' (1986) *''On Love's Trail'' (1986) *''Best Friends'' (1987) *''Comfort and Joy'' (1987) *''Twilight'' (1988) *''Going Back'' (1988) *''One Whiff of Scandal'' (1989) *''Turning Tables'' (1989) *''Survivors'' (1990) *''Lucky Penny'' (1990) *''Change of Life'' (1990) *''One Good Turn'' (1991) *''A Loverboy'' (1991) *''Raising the Stakes'' (1991) *''Safe Harbor'' (1991) aka ''Safe Harbour'' *''Trust Me'' (1992) *''The Woman Downstairs'' (1992) *''Opposing Camps'' (1992) *''Sweet Light'' (1992) *''Just Like Romeo and Juliet'' (1993) *''Oh, You Beautiful Doll'' (1993) *''Flashfire'' (1993) *''The Parent Plan'' (1994) *''Private Lies'' (1994) *''Romantic Reunion'' (1994) *''Cry Uncle'' (1995) *''Married to the Man'' (1996) *''Barefoot in the Grass'' (1996) *''Courting Trouble'' (1997) *''Her Secret Lover'' (1999) *''The Wrong Bride'' (1999) *''Looking for Laura'' (2001) *''Hidden Treasures'' (2003) *''Right Place, Wrong Time'' (2003) *''Heart on the Line'' (2003) *''The Fixer Upper'' (2005) *''The Marriage Bed'' (2007) *''Meet Me in Manhattan'' (2010) *''Goodbye to All That'' (2012)

Keeping the Faith Series

#''Promises'' (1987) #''Commitments'' (1987) #''Dreams'' (1987)

Yorktown Towers Series Multi-Author

:3. ''Harvest the Sun'' (1988)

Class of '78 Series Multi-Author

:1. ''Alessandra & the Archangel'' (1994)

STUDS Series Multi-Author

:1. ''The Marrying Type'' (1994)

Bachelor Arms Series Multi-Author

:10. ''The Lady in the Mirror'' (1995) :11. ''Timeless Love'' (1995)

Weddings By Dewilde Series Multi-Author

:7. ''A Stranger's Baby'' (1996)

The Daddy School Series

#''Father Found'' (1997) #''Father Christmas'' (1997) #''Father of Two'' (1998) #''Dr. Dad'' (2000) #Tis the Season'' (2000) #''Hush, Little Baby'' (2001) #''Daddy’s Girl'' (2001) #''Somebody's Dad'' (2002) #''Almost an Angel (Novella)'' (2013) *''Duet: Father Found / Father Christmas'' (2000)

The Magic Jukebox

#''Changes'' (2014) #''True Colors'' (2014) #''Wild Thing'' (2014) #''Heat Wave'' (2015) #''Moondance'' (2015) #''Take the Long Way Home'' (2016) #''Angel of the Morning'' (2016) #''Rescue Me'' (2018)

The Lainie Lovett Mysteries

#''Still Kicking'' (2016) #''Kickback'' (2016) #''Dropkick'' (2016) #''Kick the Bucket'' (2017)

Delta Justice Series Multi-Author

*''Legacy of Secrets'' (1998)

Welcome to Riverbend Series Multi-Author

*''Birthright'' (2002)

Bloom Family Series

#''Love in Bloom's'' (2002) #''Blooming All Over'' (2004)

Finders, Keeper Agency Series

#''Found: One Wife'' (2002) #''Found: One Son'' (2003)

Hotel Marchand Series Multi-Author

:1. ''In the Dark'' (2006)

Collections

*''Father Knows Best'' (2001) *''Hope Street + The Marriage Bed'' (2009)

Anthologies in Collaboration

*''My Valentine 1993 (Saints Alive / Chocolate Kisses / Simple Charms / Ms. Scrooge Meets Cupid)'' (1993) (with

Anne McAllister Barbara Schenck under the pseudonym Anne McAllister is an American best-seller, best-selling writer of over 55 romance novels since 1985. Biography Barbara Schenck was born in California, but spent time on her grandparents' ranch in Colorado a ...

, Anne Stuart and

Linda Randall Wisdom Linda Randall Wisdom is an American author of contemporary romance novels. Biography Wisdom began writing in 1978, and sold her first two novels, ''Dancer in the Shadows'' and ''Fourteen Karat Beauty'' to Silhouette Romance in 1979. After her su ...

) *''Millennium Baby (Baby, It's Cold Outside / One-Night-Stand Baby / Baby Jane Doe)'' (1999) (with

Bobby Hutchinson Bobby Hutchinson (born 19 June 1953 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former professional footballer. An inspirational captain, a career highlight came on 24 May 1986, when he lifted the Associate Members' Cup at Wembley Stadium as Bristol City beat ...

and

Kristine Rolofson Kristine Rolofson (born December 9, 1951, in Rhode Island, U.S.) is an American writer of over 35 romance novels since 1987. Biography Rolofson grew up reading books by Zane Grey. At age 18 she married her high school history teacher and had six ...

) *''All Summer Long (Daddy's Girl / Home, Hearth and Haley / Temperature Rising)'' (2001) (with

and

Muriel Jensen Muriel may refer to: Places *Muriel de Zapardiel, a municipality in the province of Valladolid, Spain *Muriel, Zimbabwe, a settlement *Muriel Lake, British Columbia, Canada *Muriel Lake (Alberta), Canada *Muriel Peak, a summit in California Peopl ...

) *''All They Want for Christmas (Comfort and Joy / Merry Christmas, Baby)'' (2001) (with Pamela Browning) *''Written in the Stars (In the Stars / Shooting Stars / Star Crossed)'' (2001) (with

Kate Hoffmann Peggy Hoffmann is an American writer of over 70 romance novels since 1993 as Kate Hoffmann. She has written for both the Temptation and Blaze lines for Harlequin Books. In 1992 she won the Harlequin Temptation contest. She lives in southeastern ...

and

Gina Wilkins Gina Ferris Wilkins, née Vaughan (born December 20, 1954, in Little Rock, Arkansas, United States) is an American author of over 85 romance novels. She writes novels as Gina Ferris, Gina Wilkins and Gina Ferris Wilkins. Biography Born Gina Ferri ...

) *''Fool for Love (Fooling Around / Nobody's Fool / Fools Rush In)'' (2004) (with Stephanie Bond and

Vicki Lewis Thompson Vicki Lewis Thompson (born 11 October 1950 in United States) is an American writer of over seventy romance novels. She has also been published under the pseudonyms Cory Kenyon and Corey Keaton with Mary Tate Engels. Biography Vicki Lewis wa ...

) *''Burning Bright (Return of the Light / Star Light, Star Bright / One for Each Night)'' (2004) (with

Maggie Shayne Maggie Shayne (born 1965) is an American author who wrote more than 70 novels. Shayne has won multiple awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, multiple Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice and Career Achievement Awards, The Reade ...

and Anne Stuart) *''Baby Jane / We Saw Mummy Kissing Santa Claus / Wide Open Spaces'' (2004) (with Roz Denny Fox and Brenda Novak) *''How to Marry a Millionaire (Family Wealth / Rich Man, Poor Man / Once Upon a Husband) '' (2004) (with Suzanne Forster and Muriel Jensen)

Non-fiction

*"''Women Do''" essay in ''Dangerous Men and Adventurous Women'':'' Romance Writers on the Appeal of the Romance'' (1992) *"''This I do for me''" essay in ''North American Romance Writers'' (1999)

References and sources

External links

Judith Arnold's Official WebsiteJudith Arnold at Mills & BoonAriel Berk at Fantastic Fiction
an
Judith Arnold at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Judith Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American romantic fiction writers 1953 births American women novelists American women romantic fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers