Charlotte Lamb facts for kids

Sheila Holland, born Sheila Ann Mary Coates, was a very successful British writer. She was born on December 22, 1937, in Dagenham, England. She passed away on October 8, 2000, on the Isle of Man. Sheila was best known for writing many romance novels. She often used the pen name Charlotte Lamb. She also signed her books with her married name, Sheila Holland, or her maiden name, Sheila Coates. Other pen names she used were Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf, and Laura Hardy. Sheila was married to Richard Holland. They had five children together: Michael, Sarah Holland, Jane Holland, Charlotte, and David.

About Sheila Holland

Early Life and Family

Sheila Ann Mary Coates was born on December 22, 1937. This was in Dagenham, Essex, England. As a child, she moved often to stay safe during World War II bombings. She went to school at the Ursuline Convent for Girls in Ilford, Essex.

Before becoming a writer, Sheila worked as a typist-secretary. She worked at the Bank of England in London from 1954 to 1956. After that, she was a junior researcher for the BBC at Broadcasting House. She worked there from 1956 to 1958.

In 1959, she married Richard Holland. He was a journalist at the time. Later, he became a sub-editor for The Times newspaper. Sheila and Richard had five children. These included a set of twins. Their children were Michael, Sarah, Jane, Charlotte, and David. Her husband was the one who encouraged her to start writing in the early 1970s. Sheila passed away in 2000 at her home on the Isle of Man. She had lived there with her family since 1977.

Her Writing Journey

Sheila Holland loved to read. She wrote her very first book in just three days. At the time, she had three young children to look after! Even while raising her five children, she managed to write many more novels.

She started her writing career using her married name, Sheila Holland. She also used her maiden name, Sheila Coates. In 1973, she published Follow a Stranger under her most famous pen name, Charlotte Lamb. Over time, she used several other names for her books. These included Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf, and Laura Hardy.

Her first historical and romantic novels were published by Robert Hale. They were also printed in Woman's Weekly Digest. By the late 1970s, she was a very successful author. She published as many as twelve novels a year with Mills and Boon. This number grew even more. By the late 1990s, she had published over 160 novels. Most of these were romances. Others were historical novels or romantic thrillers. Her books sold over 200 million copies worldwide! She wrote for many different international publishers. These included Penguin, Collins, Fontana, Hodder & Stoughton, Hodder Headline, and Simon & Schuster.

Sheila Holland was known for writing quickly. She also had a special writing style and could write in many different genres. This is why she used so many different pen names and worked with various publishers. She usually wrote at least two thousand words every day. She would work from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. She once finished a full novel in just four days! On average, she could complete a novel in about two weeks.

She was a true innovator in romance writing. Her last novel was a romantic thriller. It was published after she passed away by Hodder & Stoughton. The book was called The Angel of Death.