Nora Roberts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nora Roberts
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Nora Roberts, 2007
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| Born | Eleanor Marie Robertson October 10, 1950 Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S. |
| Pen name | Nora Roberts J.D. Robb Jill March Sarah Hardesty |
| Occupation | Novelist |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 1981–present |
| Genre | Romance, fantasy, suspense |
| Spouse |
Ronald Aufdem-Brinke
(m. 1968; div. 1983)Bruce Wilder
(m. 1985) |
| Children | 2 |
Nora Roberts (born Eleanor Marie Robertson on October 10, 1950) is a famous American author. She has written over 225 novels. She is best known for her romance books.
Roberts also writes science fiction detective stories under the name J. D. Robb. She has used other pen names too, like Jill March and Sarah Hardesty.
Contents
Life and Career
Early Life
Nora Roberts was born in Silver Spring, Maryland. She was the youngest of five children in a family of Irish heritage. Her family loved to read, so books were always a big part of her life.
As a child, Roberts loved making up stories in her head but didn't write them down. She attended a Catholic school where she learned discipline. Later, she went to a public high school where she met her first husband, Ronald Aufdem-Brinke. They married in 1968 after she graduated and had two sons, Dan and Jason. The couple later went their separate ways.
In 1985, Roberts met her second husband, Bruce Wilder. He is a carpenter who she hired to build bookshelves. Together, they own a bookstore called Turn the Page Books. They also rebuilt a historic hotel that had been damaged in a fire. The hotel, now called Inn BoonsBoro, has rooms named after famous couples from literature.
How Her Writing Career Began
Roberts started writing in February 1979 during a huge snowstorm. She was stuck at home with her two young sons and not much to do. She began writing a story and discovered she loved it.
She wrote six books and sent them to Harlequin, a major publisher of romance novels. But they kept rejecting her work. One rejection letter said that her story was good, but they already had an American writer.
A new publisher called Silhouette Books started in 1980. They were looking for American writers like Roberts. Her first novel, Irish Thoroughbred, was published by them in 1981. She used the pen name Nora Roberts, which was a shorter version of her real name.
A Day in the Life of a Writer
Roberts believes that writers can't just wait for ideas to appear. She works on one book at a time, writing for eight hours every day, even when she's on vacation.
Instead of starting with a detailed plan, she thinks of an important event, a character, or a place. Then, she writes a first version of the story. After that, she goes back and adds more details, color, and depth to the characters and the story. Finally, she polishes the novel before sending it to her agent.
She often writes trilogies, which are series of three books. She writes all three books one after another so she can stay focused on the same characters.
Writing Under Different Names
As Nora Roberts
Between 1982 and 1984, Roberts wrote 23 novels for Silhouette. In 1985, she published Playing the Odds, the first book in her popular MacGregor family series. It was a huge success.
In 1987, she started writing for Bantam publishers. Later, she moved to Putnam, where her book Montana Sky became a bestseller in 1996. She continues to write both long novels and shorter romance stories.
As J. D. Robb
For a long time, Roberts wanted to write romantic suspense stories. In 1992, her publisher suggested she use a second name so they could publish more of her work each year.
She chose the pen name J. D. Robb. The "J" and "D" are the first letters of her sons' names, Jason and Dan. "Robb" is a short form of Roberts.
As J. D. Robb, she writes a popular series of futuristic detective books called the in Death series. The stories are set in New York City in the middle of the 21st century. They follow a detective named Eve Dallas and her husband, Roarke. As of March 2022, she has published 54 novels in this series.
Amazing Success
Nora Roberts is one of the most successful writers in the world. In 1996, she published her 100th novel, Montana Sky. By 2012, she had written over 200.
Her books started appearing on The New York Times Best Seller list in 1991. Since 1999, every single one of her books has become a bestseller. More than 400 million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her novels are published in 35 different countries.
Roberts was one of the first members of the Romance Writers of America (RWA). She was the first person added to the organization's Hall of Fame. The RWA even renamed its Lifetime Achievement Award after her.
Protecting Her Work
In 1997, Roberts discovered that another popular writer, Janet Dailey, had copied parts of her books. A reader noticed the similarities between Roberts's Sweet Revenge and Dailey's Notorious and posted about it online.
Roberts took legal action to protect her work. Dailey admitted to copying from Roberts's books. The case was settled, and Roberts donated the money she received to groups that help people learn to read.
Charity Work
Nora Roberts is known for being very generous. She donates a lot of money through the Nora Roberts Foundation. The foundation supports groups that focus on reading, the arts, and helping children. It also helps fund the Nora Roberts Center for American Romance at McDaniel College, which studies the importance of romance novels.
Movies and TV Shows
Many of Roberts's books have been turned into TV movies. In 2007, the Lifetime channel made movies based on four of her novels:
- Angels Fall
- Montana Sky
- Blue Smoke
- Carolina Moon
In 2009, four more of her books were adapted into movies:
- Northern Lights
- Midnight Bayou
- High Noon
- Tribute
Major Awards
Nora Roberts has won many awards for her writing.
As Nora Roberts
- RWA Lifetime Achievement Award (1997)
- RWA Hall of Fame (First inductee)
- Over 20 RITA Awards from the Romance Writers of America, including for Night Shift, Private Scandals, Born in Ice, and Tribute.
- Quill Award for Book of the Year (2006) for Angels Fall.
As J. D. Robb
- RITA Awards for Survivor in Death and New York to Dallas.
- AAR (All About Romance) Annual Reader Poll awards for books like Loyalty in Death.
See also
In Spanish: Eleanor Marie Robertson para niños
