Lauren Willig

Lauren Willig
Willig at a book signing event
Born	(1977-03-28) March 28, 1977 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Occupation	Writer
Nationality	American
Period	2005–present
Genre	Historical, Romance
Website
www.laurenwillig.com

Lauren Willig is a New York Times bestselling author of historical novels. Her books follow a collection of Napoleonic-Era British spies, similar to the Scarlet Pimpernel as they fight for Britain and fall in love.

Biography

A native of New York City, Willig discovered historical romance fiction when she was only six years old, while she was attempting to find books about her idol, Eleanor of Aquitaine.^[1]

After graduating from the Chapin School, Willig attended Yale University, where she majored in Renaissance Studies and Political Science, and was Chairman of the Tory Party of the Yale Political Union. Ms. Willig then studied graduate level early modern European history at Harvard University before entering and graduating from Harvard Law School. Willig briefly worked for Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a law firm in New York, while authoring her "Pink Carnation" series of books, until she gave up law in order to focus full-time on the series.

What makes the books unique is that the historical romance novel structure of each novel is framed by a modern chick lit-style story—following Eloise Kelly, an American grad student, as she attempts to write her dissertation and uncover the identity of the Pink Carnation (the leader of the ring of spies and Willig's Pimpernel). Along the way, Eloise finds love with an attractive Englishman (descended from a family of spies), Colin.^[2] The books also feature several different romantic adventures detailing the exploits of the fictional Purple Gentian, the Pink Carnation, the Black Tulip, and a host of other characters from early 19th century England and France.

Lauren's books have been named a Romantic Times Top Pick! and Lauren has been nominated for a Quill Award in 2006. She has won the RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance, the RT Reviewers Choice Award for Historical Fiction, the Booksellers Best Award for Long Historical Romance, and the Golden Leaf Award.^[3]

In Spring of 2010, Willig taught Reading the Historical Romance at her alma mater, Yale University, along with fellow alumna and romance novelist Andrea DaRif, penname: Cara Elliott.^[4] The course received a great deal of attention for helping to bring the romance novel academic notice.^[5][6]

The Pink Carnation Series

1. The Secret History of the Pink Carnation (February 2005) ISBN 978-0-525-94860-5
2. The Masque of the Black Tulip (December 29, 2005) ISBN 978-0-525-94920-6
3. The Deception of the Emerald Ring (November 16, 2006) ISBN 978-0-525-94977-0
4. The Seduction of the Crimson Rose (January 31, 2008) ISBN 978-0-525-95033-2
5. The Temptation of the Night Jasmine (January 22, 2009) ISBN 978-0-525-95096-7
6. The Betrayal of the Blood Lily (January 12, 2010) ISBN 978-0-525-95150-6
7. The Mischief of the Mistletoe (October 28, 2010) ISBN 978-0-525-95187-2
8. The Orchid Affair (January 20, 2011) ISBN 978-0-525-95199-5
9. The Garden Intrigue (February 16, 2012) ISBN 978-0-525-95254-1
10. The Passion of the Purple Plumeria (August 6, 2013) ISBN 978-0-451-41472-4
11. The Mark of the Midnight Manzanilla (August 5, 2014) ISBN 978-0-451-41473-1
12. The Lure of the Moonflower (August 4, 2015) ISBN 978-0-451-47302-8

Historical Fiction

The Ashford Affair (April 9, 2013) ISBN 978-1-250-01449-8

That Summer (June 3, 2014) ISBN 978-1-250-01450-4

The Other Daughter (July 21, 2015) ISBN 978-1-250-05628-3

The Forgotten Room (January 19, 2016) ISBN 978-0-451-47462-9

Other Works

Two L (August 28, 2011) ISBN 978-1-4662-1298-5

"A Night at Northanger" in Jane Austen Made Me Do It (October 2011) ISBN 978-0-345-52496-6

"The Record Set Right" in A Fall of Poppies (March 22, 2016)

References

External links

• Willig's website
• History Hoydens Willig is a contributor to this historical romance blog.