'My Idea Of Heaven'

 “When I settled to writing seriously, which would be in my 30s, I did expect to be published eventually, but my aspirations weren't very high. A published book and a few appreciative readers was my idea of heaven.” – Jo Beverley

Born in England on this date in 1947, Beverley may have started late with her writing career, but once she got going she became one of the most prolific writers of her time (she died in 2016).  Writing in historical, science fiction and romance genres, she produced 43 novels and 18 novellas that have been lauded as well researched, filled with historical details, and peopled by communities of interesting interlinked characters.

After moving to Canada in 1976 – where she and her husband lived for 30 years before returning to England – she took dual citizenship.  A founding member of the Ottawa Romance Writers' Association (ORWA) in 1985, she was also actively writing science fiction at the time.  In 1988 she became the first “romance” writer to be a finalist in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest.    

Beverley won dozens of writing prizes including two Career Achievement Awards from Romantic Times, The Golden Leaf Award, and the Readers' Choice Award.   She is the sole Canadian romance author to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame.

  “ . . . I'd love to . . . bring a person from the past to me,” she said.  “I'd pick Jane Austen, because I'd like to know what really made her tick. It's my opinion that she was inhibited by her family and a desire to do the right thing. Away from all that, I believe she'd show new facets and enjoy the adventure.”

 

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