Robyn Donald (born 14 August 1940) is a prolific New Zealand writer of romance novels since 1977. Her books have print runs of up to 500,000 copies at a time.[1][2]
Robyn Donald | |
---|---|
Born | Robyn Elaine Donald 14 August 1940 Warkworth, New Zealand |
Pen name | Robyn Donald |
Occupation | Novelist |
Nationality | New Zealand |
Period | 1977–present |
Genre | Romantic novel |
Spouse | Donald James Kingston |
Children | 2 |
Biography
editDonald was born in Warkworth where her father owned a dairy farm. She trained and worked as a teacher.[3] In 1960, she married Donald James Kingston. She now lives at Kerikeri in Northland.[4]
At a time when her husband was suffering from a heart attack, he encouraged her to finish the manuscript she was writing at the time, and send it off. She was not convinced, but since his doctor had asked her to humor her husband, she finished the manuscript, and sent it to the editors. Three months later, she was surprised to receive a letter from the editor saying that if she made a few revisions they would buy her novel Bride at Whangatapu.[5] Donald has written over 85 published novels for Mills & Boon that have been translated into 25 languages.[6]
Her first romance titled Bride at Whangatapu was published under the exegesis of Mills & Boon in 1977, and her fiftieth novel The Mirror Bride was published in 1996.[3] She writes for the English Mills and Boon romance series, and all her books have also been re-edited under Harlequin Enterprises Limited series. They are largely urban Auckland-based romances set in the elite of corporate executives, property investors and lawyers with feisty independent career-oriented heroines and apparently callous and dominating heroes; compared to the earlier South Island-oriented Anglophile romances of Essie Summers.[3]
Bibliography
editSingle novels
edit- Bride at Whangatapu (1977)
- Dilemma in Paradise (1978)
- Summer at Awakopu (1978)
- Shadow of the Past (1979)
- Wife in Exchange (1979)
- Iceberg (1980)
- Bay of Stars (1980)
- Interloper (1981)
- Dark Abyss (1981)
- Old Passion (1982)
- Mansion for My Love (1982)
- Gates of Rangitatau (1983)
- Return to Yesterday (1983)
- Guarded Heart (1983)
- Durable Line (1984) aka Durable Fire
- An Unbreakable Bond (1986)
- Willing Surrender (1986)
- Country of the Heart (1987)
- Late Loving (1987)
- Smoke in the Wind (1987)
- The Sweetest Trap (1988)
- A Matter of Will (1989)
- A Summer Storm (1990)
- No Guarantees (1990)
- The Darker Side of Paradise (1990)
- No Place Too Far (1990)
- Some Kind of Madness (1991)
- Storm Over Paradise (1991)
- Once Bitten, Twice Shy (1992)
- Island Enchantment (1993)
- Element of Risk (1994)
- Tiger, Tiger (1997)
- A Forbidden Desire (1997)
- Forbidden Pleasure (1998)
- The Paternity Affair (1999)
- A Reluctant Mistress (1999)
- Sanchia's Secret (2000)
- The Devil's Bargain (2001)
- Wolfe's Temptress (2002)
- One Night at Parenga (2002)
- A Spanish Vengeance (2003)
- By Royal Command (2004)
- Virgin Bought and Paid for (2007)
- The Rich Man's Blackmailed Mistress (2009)
- Rich, Ruthless and Secretly Royal (2009)
- The Virgin and His Majesty (2009)
Hollingworth Series
edit- Long Journey Back (1986)
- Captives of the Past (1986)
Love's Reward Series
edit- Love's Reward (1989)
- A Bitter Homecoming (1989)
- Some Kind of Madness (1991)
Pagan Surrender
edit- Pagan Surrender (1993)
- Paradise Lost (1993)
Dacre Series
edit- Tiger Eyes (1994)
- Surrender to Seduction (1998)
The Marriage Maker Series
edit- The Mirror Bride (1996)
- Meant to Marry (1996)
- The Final Proposal (1996)
Royal Weddings Series
edit- The Prince's Pleasure (2002)
- His Pregnant Princess (2004)
- By Royal Demand (2006)
The Royal House of Illyria
edit- By Royal Demand (2006)
- The Rich Man's Royal Mistress (2006)
- The Prince's Convenient Bride (2007)
The Mediterranean Princes
edit- His Majesty's Mistress (2008)
- The Mediterranean Prince's captive virgin (2008)
A Year Down Under Series Multi-Author
edit- The Stone Princess (1991)
- The Golden Mask (1992)
- Such Dark Magic (1993)
Too Hot to Handle Series Multi-Author
edit- Dark Fire (1994)
Secrets Series Multi-Author
edit- The Colour of Midnight (1994)
Dangerous Liaisons Series Multi-Author
edit- Prince of Lies (1995)
Bride's Bay Resort Series Multi-Author
edit- 2. Indiscretions (1995)
Nanny Wanted! Series Multi-Author
edit- The Nanny Affair (1998)
Passion Series Multi-Author
edit- Forgotten Sins (2001)
- A Ruthless Passion (2001)
Foreign Affairs Multi-Author
edit- Pacific Passions (omnibus) (2002) (with Anne Mather)
- The Temptress of Tarika Bay (2003)
By Royal Command Multi-Author
edit- The Prince's Pleasure (2002)
- The Royal Baby Bargain (2005)
Mistresses Who Marry Series Multi-Author
edit- The Millionaire's Virgin Mistress (2003)
His Virgin Mistress Series Multi-Author
edit- The Billionaire's Passion (2004) aka Ruthless Billionaire, Inexperienced Mistress
Bedded By Blackmail Series Multi-Author
edit- The Blackmail Bargain (2005)
The Royal House of Niroli Series Multi-Author
edit- The Prince's Forbidden Virgin (2007)
Royal and Ruthless Series Multi-Author
edit- Innocent Mistress, Royal Wife (2008)
Collections
edit- Best of Robyn Donald: Summer at Awakopu, Wife in Exchange (1984)
- Daddy's Home (1997)
- Mirror Bride / Meant to Marry (2005)
Omnibus in collaboration
edit- Captive Hearts (1998) (with Lynne Graham and Charlotte Lamb)
- His Secret Baby (2004) (with Miranda Lee and Kate Walker)
- The Tycoon's Love Child (2005) (with Jacqueline Baird and Anne Mather)
- Dark Seductions (2005) (with Sara Craven and Anne Mather)
- Royal Proposals (2006) (with Marion Lennox and Barbara McMahon)
Non fiction
edit- Writing Romantic Fiction (1999)
References
edit- ^ "The reality of romance". The Southland Times. 20 June 1998.
- ^ Erakovich, Lena (3 May 1998). "Romance queens revealed". Sunday News (New Zealand). p. 25.
- ^ a b c Sturm, Terry (2006). "Donald, Robyn". In Robinson, Roger; Wattie, Nelson (eds.). The Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780195583489.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-1917-3519-6. OCLC 865265749. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ "A helping hand for fledgling writers". The Northland Age (Kaitaia, New Zealand). 20 September 2018. p. A11.
- ^ OpenLibrary.org. "Robyn Donald". Open Library. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
- ^ Anderson, Natalie (10 December 2011). "The write stuff (according to romance royalty)". Waikato Times. p. B6.
External links
edit- Robyn Donald's Webpage on Fantastic Fiction
- Robyn Donald's Webpage on Fictiondb Website