"I had the pleasure of knowing Bertrice personally and I'm proud to say she was a true 'broad' in the very best tradition of the term," Medeiros writes. Authors across the globe are tweeting and posting Facebook tributes to Small, but I found this one from Teresa Medeiros especially poignant and illuminating. She was fierce in her love of romance, and completely unapologetic about her bold sexual storytelling. Small was considered an erotic romance writer before the genre existed, and, despite her occasionally controversial plot choices, she remained a beloved and celebrated figure in the romance community, giving generously of her time and experience as a mentor and friend of the industry. Her agent shopped the book to other hardcover publishers to no avail, before finally finding a home with Avon - thus helping establish Avon as the house that pushed the envelope in romance.īertrice Small chats with a fan in 2011 she was famously generous with her time and attention. But then her editor and the publisher quarreled, the editor was fired and Small's contracts were canceled.
In 1973, Small sold her first book, The Kadin, to the first publishing house she submitted it to: G.P Putnam's Sons, a mainstream hardcover house. But despite demoralizing situations, Small's heroines survive stronger than ever, prepared to face the world head-on and go after their happy-ever-after. Her books had elements of the best and worst of Avon Lady-era romance, which can sometimes jar modern readers: harems (lots of harems!), questionable consent, multiple partners, the death of beloved characters. Small herself was known for epic, flowing storylines that combined fascinating historical tidbits and larger-than-life characters her best-known work was the Skye O'Malley series, which starred a swashbuckling pirate queen who commanded her own fleet and once bested Queen Elizabeth I in a battle of wits. Small was part of a group of female writers, known collectively as "The Avon Ladies" (others were greats like Johanna Lindsey and Rosemary Rogers), who transformed the romance novel in the late '70s, taking it from tame and sexless (think Barbara Cartland) to fiery and sensual - and creating some of the first classics of modern romance. Martin, we had Bertrice Small, the romance legend and industry pioneer who died Tuesday at 77. How?ĭecades before Fifty Shades of Grey and George R.R. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title Skye O'Malley Author Bertrice Small
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