Rachel Cosgrove Payes facts for kids
Rachel Ruth Cosgrove Payes was an American writer. She wrote many different kinds of books. You might know her as E.L. Arch or Joanne Kaye. She was famous for her adventure stories, especially her books about the magical Land of Oz.
About Rachel Cosgrove Payes
Rachel Cosgrove was born in Maryland in 1922. Her dad worked in a mine, and her mom was a teacher. Rachel loved learning! She went to West Virginia Wesleyan College. There, she studied to become a research biologist. After college, she worked in hospitals. She was a medical technologist. This means she helped with medical tests.
In 1954, Rachel married Norman Morris Payes. They had two children, a son and a daughter.
Her Amazing Oz Books
Rachel's first book was called The Hidden Valley of Oz. It came out in 1951. This book was published by Reilly & Lee. They were the main publishers for Oz books.
Her second Oz book was The Wicked Witch of Oz. It was written in 1954. But this book was not published right away. The publishers thought Oz books were not selling well. So, it waited a long time! Finally, in 1993, the book was published. The International Wizard of Oz Club helped get it printed.
Rachel believed that Oz books were mostly "for kids!" She even said this in a documentary. She felt that adult fans sometimes missed the fun, simple joy of the stories.
Other Stories She Wrote
Besides Oz books, Rachel Cosgrove Payes wrote many other stories. Most of her work was historical romance novels. These are love stories set in the past. She used the name Joanne Kaye for one of these books.
She also wrote science fiction novels. These are stories about the future or outer space. She used the name "E.L. Arch" for these books. This name was a special code! It was an anagram of her first name, Rachel. An anagram is when you rearrange the letters of a word to make a new word. She also wrote shorter science fiction and fantasy stories using her own name.
Rachel Payes also wrote gothic novels. These are mysterious stories, often with a spooky or romantic feel. One of her gothic books was The Black Swan.
