Charlotte Lamb
Encyclopedia
Sheila Holland, née Sheila Ann Mary Coates (b. 22 December 1937 in Dagenham
, Essex
, England
– d. in Isle of Man
) was best known as the pseudonym Charlotte Lamb, a prolific and bestselling romantic novelist. She also signed her novels as her married and maiden names: Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, and under the pseudonyms Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy.
She was married to Richard Holland and they had five children, including a set of twins: - Michael Holland, Sarah Holland
, Jane Holland
, Charlotte Holland and David Holland.
, Essex
, England. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. She attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls in Ilford, Essex.
She worked as a typist-secretary at the Bank of England
in London, from 1954 to 1956, and then as a junior researcher for the BBC
at Broadcasting House
from the 1956 to 1958.
In 1959, she married Richard Holland, then a Fleet Street journalist, later a sub-editor of The Times
and a classical biographer. They had five children, including a set of twins: - Michael Holland, Sarah Holland
, Jane Holland
, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Her husband prompted her to begin writing in the early seventies.
She died suddenly on in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Isle of Man
. She had been living on the island as a tax exile
since 1977 with her husband and four of her five children.
She began her writing career as her married name Sheila Holland and as her maiden name Sheila Coates. In 1973 she signed Follow a Stranger as her most famous pseudonym: Charlotte Lamb, but later she used several other pseudonyms, among them Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf and Laura Hardy.
Her first historical and romantic novels were published by Robert Hale and serialised in Woman's Weekly Digest. By the late seventies, she was an established and successful author, publishing as many as twelve novels a year with Mills and Boon. That annual number rose over the next few years; by the late nineties, she had published over 160 novels, most of them romances, others historical novels and romantic thrillers, achieving over 200 million sales worldwide. During the course of her career, she wrote for a variety of different international publishers including: Penguin
, Collins
, Fontana
, Hodder & Stoughton
, Hodder Headline
and Simon & Schuster
.
Known for her swiftness, literary style and versatility, Sheila Holland was able to write in several different genres - hence her plethora of pseudonyms as well as publishers. She typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel.
She was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident -even dominant- heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship.
Her last novel, a romantic thriller published posthumously with Hodder & Stoughton, was entitled The Angel of Death.
Dagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
– d. in Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
) was best known as the pseudonym Charlotte Lamb, a prolific and bestselling romantic novelist. She also signed her novels as her married and maiden names: Sheila Holland and Sheila Coates, and under the pseudonyms Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Wolf and Laura Hardy.
She was married to Richard Holland and they had five children, including a set of twins: - Michael Holland, Sarah Holland
Sarah Holland
Sarah Holland is a writer, actress and singer best known for her 22 romantic novels for Harlequin which have been published in over 130 countries, selling millions of copies worldwide...
, Jane Holland
Jane Holland
Jane Holland is an award-winning English poet, performer and novelist whose poems have been widely published in magazines and broadcast on the radio. She won an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors for her poetry in 1996...
, Charlotte Holland and David Holland.
Personal life
Born Sheila Ann Mary Coates on 22 December 1937 at DagenhamDagenham
Dagenham is a large suburb in East London, forming the eastern part of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and located east of Charing Cross. It was historically an agrarian village in the county of Essex and remained mostly undeveloped until 1921 when the London County Council began...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England. As a child, she was moved from relative to relative to escape the bombings of World War II. She attended the Ursuline Convent for Girls in Ilford, Essex.
She worked as a typist-secretary at the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
in London, from 1954 to 1956, and then as a junior researcher for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
at Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
from the 1956 to 1958.
In 1959, she married Richard Holland, then a Fleet Street journalist, later a sub-editor of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
and a classical biographer. They had five children, including a set of twins: - Michael Holland, Sarah Holland
Sarah Holland
Sarah Holland is a writer, actress and singer best known for her 22 romantic novels for Harlequin which have been published in over 130 countries, selling millions of copies worldwide...
, Jane Holland
Jane Holland
Jane Holland is an award-winning English poet, performer and novelist whose poems have been widely published in magazines and broadcast on the radio. She won an Eric Gregory Award from the Society of Authors for her poetry in 1996...
, Charlotte Holland and David Holland. Her husband prompted her to begin writing in the early seventies.
She died suddenly on in her baronial-style home 'Crogga' on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. She had been living on the island as a tax exile
Tax exile
A tax exile is one who chooses to leave a country with a high tax burden and instead to reside in a foreign nation or jurisdiction which takes a lower portion of earnings. Going into tax exile is a means of tax mitigation or avoidance.-Legal status:...
since 1977 with her husband and four of her five children.
Writing career
A voracious reader, she wrote her first book in three days with three children underfoot. In between raising her five children, she wrote many more novels.She began her writing career as her married name Sheila Holland and as her maiden name Sheila Coates. In 1973 she signed Follow a Stranger as her most famous pseudonym: Charlotte Lamb, but later she used several other pseudonyms, among them Sheila Lancaster, Victoria Woolf and Laura Hardy.
Her first historical and romantic novels were published by Robert Hale and serialised in Woman's Weekly Digest. By the late seventies, she was an established and successful author, publishing as many as twelve novels a year with Mills and Boon. That annual number rose over the next few years; by the late nineties, she had published over 160 novels, most of them romances, others historical novels and romantic thrillers, achieving over 200 million sales worldwide. During the course of her career, she wrote for a variety of different international publishers including: Penguin
Penguin Books
Penguin Books is a publisher founded in 1935 by Sir Allen Lane and V.K. Krishna Menon. Penguin revolutionised publishing in the 1930s through its high quality, inexpensive paperbacks, sold through Woolworths and other high street stores for sixpence. Penguin's success demonstrated that large...
, Collins
HarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
, Fontana
Fontana
-Places:*Fontana, Chaco, a settlement in San Fernando Department in Chaco Province, Argentina*Fontana, Cape Verde, a settlement in the island of Sal, Cape Verde*Fontana, Gozo, on Gozo Island, Republic of Malta*Fontana , a neighborhood of Belgrade, Serbia...
, Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton
Hodder & Stoughton is a British publishing house, now an imprint of Hachette.-History:The firm has its origins in the 1840s, with Matthew Hodder's employment, aged fourteen, with Messrs Jackson and Walford, the official publisher for the Congregational Union...
, Hodder Headline
Hodder Headline
Headline Publishing Group is a British publishing company. It was founded in 1986 by Tim Hely Hutchinson, and acquired Hodder & Stoughton in 1992 to form Hodder Headline. It was acquired by Hachette Livre, from the WHSmith Group PLC, in 2005....
and Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
.
Known for her swiftness, literary style and versatility, Sheila Holland was able to write in several different genres - hence her plethora of pseudonyms as well as publishers. She typically wrote a minimum of two thousand words per day, working from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. While she once finished a full-length novel in four days, she herself pegged her average speed at two weeks to complete a full novel.
She was a true revolutionary in the field of romance writing. One of the first writers to explore the boundaries of sexual desire, her novels often reflected the forefront of the "sexual revolution" of the 1970s. Her books touched on then-taboo subjects such as child abuse and rape, and she created sexually confident -even dominant- heroines. She was also one of the first to create a modern romantic heroine: independent, imperfect, and perfectly capable of initiating a sexual or romantic relationship.
Her last novel, a romantic thriller published posthumously with Hodder & Stoughton, was entitled The Angel of Death.
Single novels
- Prisoner of the Heart (1972)
- Love in a Mist (1972)
- Lantern in the Night (1973)
- Falcon on the Hill (1974)
- Growing Season (1975)
- Shadows at Dawn (1975)
- Caring Kind (1976)
- Gold of Apollo (1976)
- Devil and Miss Hay (1977)
- Eleanor of Aquitaine (1978)
- Love's Bright Flame (1978)
- Maiden Castle (1978)
- Dancing Hill (1978)
- Folly by Candlelight (1978)
- The Masque (1979)
- Secrets to Keep (1980)
- Burning Memories (1981)
- Playing With Fire (1981)
- The Notorious Gentleman (1980)
- Miss Charlotte's Fancy (1980)
- Dream Master (1982)
- Tears and Red Roses (1982)
- Dark Fantasy (1982)
- Secrets (1983)
- Men Are Dangerous (1984)
- Secrets (1984)
- A Woman of Iron (1985)
Single novels
- A crown usurped (1972)
- Queen's Letter (1973)
- Flight of the Swan (1973)
- Bells of the City (1975)
Single novels
- Follow a Stranger (1973)
- Carnival Coast (1973)
- A Family Affair (1974)
- Sweet Sanctuary (1976)
- Star-crossed (1976)
- Festival Summer (1977)
- Florentine Spring (1977)
- Heron Quest (1977)
- Kingfisher Morning (1977)
- Hawk in a Blue Sky (1977)
- Cruel Flame (1978)
- Desert Barbarian (1978)
- Devil's Arms (1978)
- Master of Comus (1978)
- Call Back Yesterday (1978)
- Beware of the Stranger (1978)
- Disturbing Stranger (1978)
- Autumn Conquest (1978)
- Long Surrender (1978)
- Duel of Desire (1978)
- Pagan Encounter (1978)
- Dark Master (1979)
- Fever (1979)
- Forbidden Fire (1979)
- Sensation (1979)
- Twist of Fate (1979)
- Silken Trap (1979)
- Temptation (1979)
- Dark Dominion (1979)
- Love is a Frenzy (1979)
- Frustration (1979)
- Compulsion (1980)
- Frozen Fire (1980)
- Man's World (1980)
- Night Music (1980)
- Obsession (1980)
- Savage Surrender (1980)
- Storm Centre (1980)
- Crescendo (1980)
- Stranger in the Night (1980)
- Seduction (1980)
- Abduction (1981)
- Dangerous (1981)
- Desire (1981)
- Girl from Nowhere (1981)
- Heartbreaker (1981)
- Illusion (1981)
- Retribution (1981)
- Wild Affair (1982)
- Midnight Lover (1982)
- Darkness of the Heart (1983)
- The Sex War (1983)
- Betrayal (1983)
- A Violation (1983)
- Haunted (1983)
- Infatuation (1984)
- Naked Flame (1984)
- Scandalous (1984)
- For Adults Only (1984)
- Love Games (1985)
- Man Hunt (1985)
- Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? (1985)
- Sleeping Desire (1985)
- Bride Said No (1985)
- Explosive Meeting (1985)
- Heat of the Night (1986)
- Love in the Dark (1986)
- Circle of Fate (1987)
- Whirlwind (1987)
- Hide and Seek (1987)
- Kiss of Fire (1987)
- Echo of Passion (1987)
- Out of Control (1987)
- No More Lonely Nights (1988)
- You Can Love a Stranger (1988)
- Desperation (1988)
- Seductive Stranger (1989)
- Runaway Wife (1989)
- Rites of Possession (1990)
- Dark Pursuit (1990)
- Spellbinding (1990)
- Dark Music (1990)
- The Threat of Love (1990)
- Heart on Fire (1991)
- Shotgun Wedding (1991)
- Sleeping Partners (1991)
- Forbidden Fruit (1991)
- Dreaming (1993)
- Fire in the Blood (1993)
- Falling in Love (1993)
- Wounds of Passion (1993)
- Guilty Love (1994)
- Body and Soul (1994)
- Vampire Lover (1994)
- Dying for You (1994)
- In the Still of the Night (1995)
- Walking in Darkness (1996)
- Lovestruck (1997)
- The Marriage War (1997)
- Deep and Silent Waters (1998)
- The Yuletide Child (1998)
- Treasons of the Heart (1999)
- Hot Surrender (1999)
- The Seduction Business (1999)
- Dormant: Shadow of Angels (2000)
- Angel of Death (2000)
- The Boss's Virgin (2001)
Barbary Wharf series
- Besieged (1992)
- Battle for Possession (1992)
- Too Close for Comfort (1992)
- Playing Hard to Get (1992)
- A Sweet Addiction (1992)
- Surrender (1992)
Sins series
- Secret Obsession (1995)
- Deadly Rivals (1995)
- Haunted Dreams (1995)
- Wild Hunger (1995)
- Dark Fever (1995)
- Angry Desire (1995)
- Hot Blood (1996)
Collections
- Duet: Spellbinding / Dark Music (1993)
- Best of Charlotte Lamb: Call Back Yesterday / Autumn Conquest (1984)
- Best of Charlotte Lamb: Devil's Arms / Love is a Frenzy (1984)
- Best of Charlotte Lamb: Compulsion / Seduction (1985)
- The Charlotte Lamb Collection: Love in the Dark / Circle of Fate (1991)
- Charlotte Lamb a Collection-Sept 93: Sex War / Desperation / Out of Control (1993)
- Charlotte Lamb: a Collection (1995)
- Duet: Call Back Yesterday / Circle of Fate (2003)
- Duet: Wild Affair / Scandalous (2004)
- Duet: Stranger in the Night / Runaway Wife (2005)
Omnibus in collaboration
- Dolphin Bay by Gloria Bevan / Festival Summer by Charlotte Lamb / Safari South by Kay ThorpeKay ThorpeKay Thorpe is a British author of over seventy-five romance novels. She published her novels in Mills & Boon since 1968. All her novels have also been published under Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Over a period of four decades, she has produced a body of sensuous work that investigates heritage,...
(1981) - Romance Treasury: Web of Silver by Elizabeth Hunter / The voice in the Thunder by Charlotte Lamb / Carnival Coast by Lucy Gillen) (1982)
- Romance Treasury: This Wish I Have by Amanda Doyle / Sister to Meryl by Nerina Hilliard / Desert Barbarian by Charlotte Lamb (1986)
- Nine Months: Forbidden Fruit / Simply Irresistible (1996) (Charlotte Lamb with Miranda LeeMiranda LeeMiranda Lee is a popular Australian writer of over 75 romance novels. She published her novels in Mills & Boon's since 1990.-Biography:...
) - Snowbound (1997) (Shotgun Wedding by Charlotte Lamb / Murder by the Book by Margaret St. George / On a Wing and a Prayer by Jackie Weger)
- Captive Hearts (1998) (with Lynne GrahamLynne GrahamLynne Graham is a popular Northern Irish author of over 60 romance novels. She published her novels in Mills & Boon since 1987.-Biography:...
with Charlotte Lamb and Robyn DonaldRobyn DonaldRobyn Donald is a prolific writer of romance novels from New Zealand.She writes for the English Mills and Boon romance series, and all her books have also been reedited under Harlequin Enterprises Limited series....
) - Boardroom to Bedroom (2001) (with Emma DarcyEmma DarcyEmma Darcy is the pseudonym used by the Australian husband-wife writing team of Wendy Brennan and Frank Brennan , they wrote in collaboration over 45 romance novels. In 1993, in the Emma Darcy Pseudonym's 10th anniversary, They created the "Emma Darcy Award Contest" to encourage authors to finish...
and Catherine George) - Bewitched by the Boss (2006) (Charlotte Lamb with Alison FraserAlison FraserAlison Fraser is an American actress and singer who has appeared in concert at such venues as Carnegie Hall, The White House, Town Hall, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, The Tisch Center for the Arts, The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Wilma, The Emelin, Joe's Pub and Symphony space.Fraser is a two...
and Leigh MichaelsLeigh MichaelsLeigh Michaels is the pseudonym used by LeAnn Lemberger , a popular United States writer of over 80 romance novels. She published her novels in Harlequin Enterprises Ltd since 1984 to 2006. She also teaches romance writing for Gothan Writers' Workshop among other places.-Biography:LeAnn was born on...
)
Graphic novels
- Idol Dreams (2006) art by Yoko Hanabusa, the original story A Wild Affair
- Heart on Fire (2007) art by Yohna
Single novels
- Dark Sweet Wanton (1979)
- The Tilthammer (1980)
- Mistress of Fortune (1982)
Omnibus in collaboration
- Romance Treasury: Heart of the Scorpion by Janice Gray / The Winds of Heaven by Margaret WayMargaret WayMargaret Way is an Australian writer, and she is one of Mills & Boon's most prolific authors with more than 110 novels.-Biography:Margaret Way was born on 7 August in Brisbane, Australia...
/ Sweet Compulsion by Victoria Wolf (1987)
Single novels
- Burning Memories (1981)
- Playing With Fire (1981)
- Dream Master (1982)
- Tears and Red Roses (1982)
- Dark Fantasy (1983)
- MenAre Dangerous (1984)