Marlene Suson (December 22, 1936 - January 22, 2005)

Joan Sweeney (December 22, 1936 – January 22, 2005) was a former editor at the Los Angeles Times who later wrote Regency romance novels under the pseudonym Marlene Suson. One of only three female reporters in the L.A. Times City Room when hired in 1971, she died at her home in Manhattan Beach. She had long suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a degenerative disease of the nerve cells that control muscular movement.

Sweeney, a successful novelist after she left The Times in 1984, was a popular member of the Old Farts, the organization of retired Times employees. She turned out 17 novels over the years for Avon and Fawcett, selling as many as 100,000 copies each. Set in the stratified society of early 19th century England, her books were especially popular in Britain and known for their meticulously researched descriptions of the era's clothing, customs and mores.

Sweeney often was as amused as her newspaper colleagues by the titles and provocative book covers chosen by her publishers, Avon and later Fawcett. Nevertheless, she dedicated such books as Devil's Bargain, Midnight Bride and its sequel Midnight Lord, The Lily and the Hawk and Scarlet Lady to much-loved relatives and friends. She signed her books with a flourishing "Marlene Suson" signature, and conducted workshops and talked with groups of prospective romance writers.

"I chose Regency romances," she once said, "because I could have fun with it."

( Read more... )

First Book - Desire's Command (1981): Desire's command (A Troubador book)

Last Book - Never a Lady (2000): Never a Lady

Source: http://articles.latimes.com/2005/jan/23/local/me-sweeney23

( Cover Art by Max Ginsburg for Scarlet Lady by Marlene Suson )

Behind the Cover: Robert Maguire

Robert A. Maguire (August 3, 1921 - February 26, 2005), or R. A. Maguire, was a twentieth century American illustrator and fine artist. Known primarily for his crime noir paperback cover art, he has produced artwork for over 600 covers since 1950. Maguire is a Member Emeritus of The Society of Illustrators.

Robert Maguire began his education at Duke University, but like so many others of his generation, left for service in World War II. Upon his return, his interest in art led him to the Art Students League, where his instructor was the famed Frank Reilly. Two of Maguire's more noteworthy fellows included Clark Hulings and James Bama, graduates all of the class of '49.


Cover Art for I Prefer Girls


Cover Art for Nikki

Maguire's career took off immediately with his first work for Trojan Publications: cover art for their line of small pocket pulps, with titles like Hollywood Detective Magazine (Oct. 1950). Maguire did three of the eight covers for this pocket pulp series. From then on, his career blossomed.

His classic period of the 50s and 60s grew out of his skilled female images, some of the best and most memorable of the period. Maguire's mastery of the "femme fatale" created a vintage paperback icon: his women are passionate yet somehow down to earth, approachable, though sometimes at your own risk.

Robert Maguire continued evolving and producing fine art as well as many memorable illustrations.

Maguire's over 600 covers for such publishers as Pocket, Dell, Ace, Harper, Avon, Silhouette, Ballantine, Pyramid, Bantam, Lion, Berkeley, Beacon and Monarch - virtually every mainstream publishing house in New York - makes his original cover art a tour de force in the last half of the twentieth century.

One of his most famous book covers is 'Black Opium', which is considered by many crime noir paperback collectors to be the definitive crime noir paperback cover of the genre. He also designed art covers for video games and for music cds.

http://www.ramaguirecoverart.com/

Dames, Dolls, And Gun Molls, The Art of Robert A. Maguire
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse (November 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595822720
ISBN-13: 978-1595822727
Amazon: Dames, Dolls, And Gun Molls

( more covers - WARNING: a lot of pictures )

Behind the Cover: Robert Maguire

Robert A. Maguire (August 3, 1921 - February 26, 2005), or R. A. Maguire, was a twentieth century American illustrator and fine artist. Known primarily for his crime noir paperback cover art, he has produced artwork for over 600 covers since 1950. Maguire is a Member Emeritus of The Society of Illustrators.

Robert Maguire began his education at Duke University, but like so many others of his generation, left for service in World War II. Upon his return, his interest in art led him to the Art Students League, where his instructor was the famed Frank Reilly. Two of Maguire's more noteworthy fellows included Clark Hulings and James Bama, graduates all of the class of '49.


Cover Art for I Prefer Girls


Cover Art for Nikki

Maguire's career took off immediately with his first work for Trojan Publications: cover art for their line of small pocket pulps, with titles like Hollywood Detective Magazine (Oct. 1950). Maguire did three of the eight covers for this pocket pulp series. From then on, his career blossomed.

His classic period of the 50s and 60s grew out of his skilled female images, some of the best and most memorable of the period. Maguire's mastery of the "femme fatale" created a vintage paperback icon: his women are passionate yet somehow down to earth, approachable, though sometimes at your own risk.

Robert Maguire continued evolving and producing fine art as well as many memorable illustrations.

Maguire's over 600 covers for such publishers as Pocket, Dell, Ace, Harper, Avon, Silhouette, Ballantine, Pyramid, Bantam, Lion, Berkeley, Beacon and Monarch - virtually every mainstream publishing house in New York - makes his original cover art a tour de force in the last half of the twentieth century.

One of his most famous book covers is 'Black Opium', which is considered by many crime noir paperback collectors to be the definitive crime noir paperback cover of the genre. He also designed art covers for video games and for music cds.

http://www.ramaguirecoverart.com/

Dames, Dolls, And Gun Molls, The Art of Robert A. Maguire
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse (November 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595822720
ISBN-13: 978-1595822727
Amazon: Dames, Dolls, And Gun Molls

( more covers - WARNING: a lot of pictures )

Lift Your Voice by T.A. Chase

Lift Your Voice is maybe a too optimistic novella, very much about good feelings and pink glasses perspective, but it’s also a nice and comfortable story that warms your heart.

It’s about two men, with different, tragic experiences in their past, but both of them managed to make a new life, and now they are ready to love. Brandon is a former soldier who had his leg amputated after he was involved in a bomb explosion in Iraq, and with the loss of his leg he lost also his plans for his future. Brandon has never thought twice on what he was doing after he retired from the Army, he was vaguely planning of finding Mr. Right and setting down somewhere with a little house and a small garden. But now he is well far away from retiring age and he has to decide what to do. Mr. Right is not yet in his future, or so he thinks.

Donald is the nephew of Pastor Fred, the man who is courting Brandon’s single mother; Donald was kicked out of home when he was only 16 years old because is uber-conservative family couldn’t accept him being gay. Despite his uncle being a Pastor, he was the one who welcomed Donald, and now he has a nice life, a teaching position in the local high-school, and a career as songwriter who is giving him a lot of satisfaction. On a personal level I think that Donald was scared by his feelings when he was really young, and the dramatic consequences didn’t help, and so he is like “interrupted”, he has never had a love relationship and he is a totally virgin, barely kissed one time.

When Brandon and Donald met, the consequent love story is almost a must, and not only because they are apparently the only gay guys around of the same age and free. Brandon has not mood, or strength, for rushed actions, and Donald needs the slow pace Brandon is setting. Donald’s good willing, his very Christian attitude (real Christian attitude, love thy neighbour and all) will help him to accept Brandon for who he is, and sincerely it helps that, despite the disability, Brandon is still a very handsome man, well-mannered and good at heart.

As I said, Lift Your Voice is not an overly dramatic story, despite the issues it deal with, and the chance to slip on the angst was always there and maybe tempting, but the author decided to maintain it more on a romantic than dramatic level.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LiftYourVoice.html

Amazon Kindle: Lift Your Voice
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (August 19, 2010)

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

Lift Your Voice by T.A. Chase

Lift Your Voice is maybe a too optimistic novella, very much about good feelings and pink glasses perspective, but it’s also a nice and comfortable story that warms your heart.

It’s about two men, with different, tragic experiences in their past, but both of them managed to make a new life, and now they are ready to love. Brandon is a former soldier who had his leg amputated after he was involved in a bomb explosion in Iraq, and with the loss of his leg he lost also his plans for his future. Brandon has never thought twice on what he was doing after he retired from the Army, he was vaguely planning of finding Mr. Right and setting down somewhere with a little house and a small garden. But now he is well far away from retiring age and he has to decide what to do. Mr. Right is not yet in his future, or so he thinks.

Donald is the nephew of Pastor Fred, the man who is courting Brandon’s single mother; Donald was kicked out of home when he was only 16 years old because is uber-conservative family couldn’t accept him being gay. Despite his uncle being a Pastor, he was the one who welcomed Donald, and now he has a nice life, a teaching position in the local high-school, and a career as songwriter who is giving him a lot of satisfaction. On a personal level I think that Donald was scared by his feelings when he was really young, and the dramatic consequences didn’t help, and so he is like “interrupted”, he has never had a love relationship and he is a totally virgin, barely kissed one time.

When Brandon and Donald met, the consequent love story is almost a must, and not only because they are apparently the only gay guys around of the same age and free. Brandon has not mood, or strength, for rushed actions, and Donald needs the slow pace Brandon is setting. Donald’s good willing, his very Christian attitude (real Christian attitude, love thy neighbour and all) will help him to accept Brandon for who he is, and sincerely it helps that, despite the disability, Brandon is still a very handsome man, well-mannered and good at heart.

As I said, Lift Your Voice is not an overly dramatic story, despite the issues it deal with, and the chance to slip on the angst was always there and maybe tempting, but the author decided to maintain it more on a romantic than dramatic level.

http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/LiftYourVoice.html

Amazon Kindle: Lift Your Voice
Publisher: Amber Quill Press, LLC (August 19, 2010)

Reading List:



http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle