Essie Summers facts for kids

Essie Summers (born Ethel Snelson Summers, 24 July 1912 – 27 August 1998) was a famous New Zealand writer. She wrote many romance novels. Her books sold over 19 million copies in 105 countries! People called her New Zealand's "Queen of Romance."

Essie Summers' Writing Journey

Essie Summers was a busy minister's wife and a mother of two. Even with all these duties, she found time to write. She started by writing short stories, poems, and newspaper articles.

Her first novel was called New Zealand Inheritance. It was published in 1957 by Mills & Boon, a famous publishing company.

Strong Heroines in Her Books

Essie Summers' romance novels often featured strong female characters. These heroines usually worked for a living. Many of them married farmers. Even after marriage and having children, these women continued to work. Her books showed many positive examples of women working on farms.

Her stories fit well with the ideas of Mills & Boon at the time. The books often showed husbands and wives working together as a team. This was a common theme in her writing.

Essie Summers was not usually called a feminist writer. However, she always showed her heroines as brave and smart. They were also caring and loved for being unique. None of the male characters in her books were violent.

Her Influence on Other Writers

Essie Summers was one of the first very successful New Zealand women writers of romance novels. Other writers, like Daphne de Jong and Robyn Donald, followed her. She was a role model for many.

Some of her writing ideas may have been used by later New Zealand authors. For example, she often brought back characters from earlier books. These characters would appear in new stories, watching another couple fall in love.

About Essie Summers' Life

Essie Summers was born on 24 July 1912. Her parents, Ethel Snelson and Edwin Summers, had just moved to Christchurch, New Zealand. Essie was always proud of her British background and being a New Zealander.

Her parents were great storytellers. She also loved the Anne of Green Gables stories from a young age. These things made her fascinated with writing. She also loved learning about the exciting lives of pioneers.

Early Life and First Writings

Essie left school at 14. Her father's butcher shop was having money problems. So, instead of becoming a teacher, which was her dream, she worked in clothing shops for several years.

Her very first published work was a poem. It was called Gypsy Heart. This poem appeared in the Australian Woman’s Mirror in 1931. She was only eighteen years old. She earned a small amount of money for it. By then, she had already been writing poems and short stories for ten years.

She kept sending poems, articles, and short stories to magazines and newspapers. This helped her improve her writing skills. She even wrote a weekly column for the Timaru Herald for six years. She used the pen-name "Tamsin." Her husband encouraged her to use her experiences to write the romantic novels she became famous for.

Family Life

Essie met her future husband, William Flett, when she was 13. It took another 13 years before she agreed to marry him. William was a Baptist minister. Later, he retrained to become a Presbyterian minister. He worked in churches all over New Zealand. They had two children, William and Elizabeth.

Essie Summers passed away in Taradale, Hawkes Bay, on 27 August 1998.

Remembering Essie Summers

In 2013, some of Essie Summers' book covers were shown at the Auckland Central Library. They were part of a display about classic romance covers.

A retirement village in Christchurch was also named after her. It was originally called Beckenham Courts. It is now known as the Essie Summers Retirement Village.