My favorite book genre is romance, and I am a sucker for it. However, out of all of the authors I read, Julie Garwood is one of the first names that comes to my mind as a favorite author. Not only are her books enjoyable to read, but Garwood has a way with words. Her stories are touching and heartfelt. They are the kind of stories that will make you laugh and cry at the same time. Yet, it was not always Julie Garwood’s dream to be an author.
Julie Garwood was born into a large Irish family, so storytelling came naturally to her. She was quoted as saying “The Irish relish getting all the details of every situation,” she explains. “Add in the fact that I was the sixth of seven children. Early in life I learned that self-expression had to be forceful, imaginative, and quick.” However, it was not until Garwood had children of her own that she began to write her first novel.
‘Gentle Warrior’ was published in 1985, and became the first of many best sellers Garwood would write. Yet, it would not be the most popular novel. Garwood most popular novel, ‘For The Roses’, was later turned into Hallmark movie that would air on CBS.
It is not her book turned movie or the 35 million copies that makes her one of the best authors. It is her consistency to themes. Garwood is known for writing stories set in different time frames, but in every book you can always find love, loyalty, honor, and friendship.
The test to this fact is within her book ‘The Secret’. Based in medieval Scotland, it is a story of two girls who were two young to known they were suppose to hate each other. One from Scotland, the other from England, yet a bond formed and grew. When Mary Francis needed Judith, she traveled to Scotland to help her friend and while there meant the man she would fall in love with.
Within all of Julie Garwood’s book you can find a story that sets them all apart. Garwood says it the best when she says “I want my readers to laugh and cry and fall in love. Basically, I want them to escape into another world for a little while and afterwards to feel as though they’ve been on a great adventure.”
Note: All quotes came from the Julie Garwood website.