Kathleen Woodiwiss passed away on July 6th in her hometown of Princeton, Minnesota. She’d been battling cancer for some time and that struggle intensified with the death of her son, Dorren, on June 17th. Unlike a lot of romance writers, I didn’t discover Kathleen’s work until adulthood, but I remember finishing THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER like it was yesterday. Her books touched so many of us in such varied ways, as readers, writers, women, lovers, and people.
My thoughts and prayers go out to the Woodiwiss family. May they have an inkling of the impact Kathleen’s life has had on this world.
Do you remember your first Woodiwiss novel?
6 comments:
I found Woodiwiss with SHANNA. They were giving out bound excerpts in the local department store book department. That's how long ago it was. There were still *books* in department stores.
I still have my original paperback copies of THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER and THE WOLF AND THE DOVE. Both of them a tattered and dog-earred from many, many re-readings.
Helen, thanks for letting us know. Kathleen was kind of a hero for me. I began reading her books when I was about ummm 15. Loved the Wolf and the Dove. Shanna. Sigh. She had a morgan horse farm up by Princeton, but I never got a chance to meet her.
Oh, I remember clearly. THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER. My friend gave it to me in junior high.
My favorite's Shanna, though.
Susie
That is so sad.
I've never been able to get into her books, but I still knew who she was.
Kathleen was my first historical romance of the modern era. "Shanna" was the book that inspired me to write. My second favorite was "The Wolf and the Dove." Pure enchantment.
I was fortunate enough to meet her once at an Avon cocktail party in Minneapolis. She was gracious and I felt uncharacteristically tongue-tied. I thanked her for the books that had had such a motivating impact on me and on so many of our contemporaries. To my surprise, she sort of blushed.
Dear woman. Now at peace.
Post a Comment