In Memoriam: Author Julie Garwood

Beloved romance novelist Julie Garwood passed away at the age of 78. Our hearts are heavy with sadness as all will deeply miss her.

The Romance Community Says Goodbye to a Great Storyteller

Romance social media has been in mourning over the heartbreaking news that beloved romance author, Julie Garwood, passed away on June 8, 2023, in her home in Leawood, Kansas.

Julia Elizabeth Garwood, née Murphy, known to readers as Julie Garwood, was surrounded by her three children, Gerry, Bryan, and Elizabeth.

Garwood was a New York Times bestselling author known for her historical romances and romantic suspense novels. Her writing style was characterized by her witty dialogue, strong heroines, and alpha male heroes.

Julia Murphy, From Childhood to Marriage

Julie and Her “Big Fat Irish Family”

Julia was born on December 26, 1944, and grew up in Kansas City, Missouri, the sixth of seven children—six girls and one boy. Her parents were Thomas Murphy and Felicita (aka Flip) Murphy (née Kennedy).

Julia Murphy had a large extended family with many cousins, aunts, and other members who were all dear to her. The Irish-American Murphy clan lived in Brookside and sent their children to St. Teresa’s Academy, a Catholic School.

Garwood often referred to her large Irish family as “My Big Fat Irish Family.” She frequently mentioned that her gift for writing stemmed from her Irish heritage, as the Irish are wonderful storytellers who notice every detail and subtlety in all settings.

Being the sixth of seven kids meant that Garwood had to be creative and think fast when it came to expressing herself. If she was going to make herself noticed, her words needed to be powerful and imaginative.

Illness and Catching Up With Studies

Growing up, Julia was a very bright girl. Then she got sick at six years old, resulting in an operation for a tonsillectomy, so she missed many classes. As a result, Julie fell behind in her lessons. Consequently, she was not fully competent in reading and writing until age eleven.

It wasn’t until a nun who tutored her in math realized she also needed help with English. In time Julia Murphy, who had been all but illiterate, became a prolific reader.

After high school, Julia went on to study nursing and history. She married young, and she and her husband had three children. Having roots in Leawood, Kansas, they ended up living in the area all their lives.

As a busy wife and mother, Garwood turned to writing to channel her energy into something positive. Julie had always been passionate about creating stories, but it wasn’t until her youngest child entered school it became her focus as a career.

An Author Is Born

The first novel Garwood published wasn’t a romance but a young-adult book written under the pseudonym Emily Chase. In 1985, she released What’s a Girl to Do? It was part of the Scholastic book series “The Girls of Canby Hall.”

Another book written by Garwood as a Teen Wildfire Romance followed in 1986, A Girl Named Summer.

Afterward, Julie Garwood shifted her interests to a more lucrative genre: historical fiction.

From Young Adult to Romance

From an old interview, I found in the Internet Archive from the site Laurie Likes Books (now called All About Romance). Garwood describes her entry into the romance genre:

“I didn’t know about things like titles. I didn’t even know what kind of book it was. It was an exercise for me. I wanted to describe a knight without describing him. I did things like I had the servants stand on a stool to put a conical on his head–meaning, this guy is really tall. It took two servants to carry the kite-shaped shield he uses with one arm so you know he’s really strong.

“So now I had this guy all dressed up and no place to go, and, since writers get to be the boss, I let him win a battle and gave him a lady, Lady Elizabeth. And I had so much fun!

“I went to a conference and talked to an agent, Andrea Cirillo, who took pity on me standing by the corner like a wallflower. She came over and asked, ‘What do you write?’

“And I answered that I wrote children’s books. She scrunched up her nose and said, ‘Well, I don’t like to market children’s books, but send it to me anyway.’

“I did and she called me; she was real excited and thought she could sell it. Then she asked me what else I had. The floor was shaking underneath me.

“I didn’t know how she would react when I told her I had a love story that takes place in medieval times. She told me it was called an historical romance. I told her the name was The Warrior.

“Pocket, as it turned out, needed filler. They changed the name to Gentle Warrior. They were going to close down a line called Tapestry…and they asked me to do another one. I wrote what I called Bradley’s Place. Pocket called it Rebellious Desire.”

JULIE GARWOOD

A Romance Writer Who Never Read Romance

Gentle Warrior was published by Pocket Books in 1985. If my memory serves, I believe that’s the one where the heroine is so attuned to nature that she’s like Snow White. She has a plethora of wild animal friends, including a hawk that curls its talons around her bare arm. LOL!)

When Garwood began writing romantic stories, it was a way for her to gain knowledge and experience in writing. She was not a romance reader at all.

“It wasn’t until I started getting a lot of letters comparing me to two people… Woodiwiss and Steel, that I even became aware of how big romance is. I get loads of letters from people saying, ‘I don’t read romance; I read you and Danielle Steel.’ 

“And I want to write back and say, ‘If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, you’ve got a duck!’ 

“I’m rarely, rarely compared to other romance authors. And I don’t know why; I don’t know if that’s good or bad. I was so curious that I went out and bought a Woodiwiss book, The Flame & the Flower. I read that and it was real interesting. I liked it; it was fun, knowing that it was one of the original romance novels.”

JULIE GARWOOD

A Beloved Historical Romance Author

After Gentle Warrior’s release, Garwood would have had a steady parade of bestsellers. Many of her early books featured the most dazzling covers by artist Morgan Kane.

Garwood was the author of such books as Honor’s Splendour (sidenote: the fusion of British & American English spelling ins that title has always confused me.) Other popular historicals were The Gift, The Secret, and The Lion’s Lady—a book we enjoyed very much!

One of Garwood’s most popular books is The Bride. The book tells the story of Jamie, a headstrong Scottish lass, and Alec, a powerful English knight. The two are forced into marriage by King Henry but soon find themselves falling in love. The novel is filled with action, romance, and humor and is a must-read for fans of historical romance.

A Legendary Success

Garwood was one of the most critically acclaimed romance novelists of her generation. In the 1980s and 1990s, along with authors such as Johnna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, and Judith McNaught, Garwood was one of the genre’s superstars.

More than 40 million copies of Julie Garwood’s books are in print, translated into over 32 languages worldwide. She was a #1 New York Times bestselling author, with 26 of her novels reaching the top ten list.

Garwood’s historical romance novel,  For the Roses, was one of five books in a series featuring a group of siblings, including one African-American male who was the hero of his own book.

In 1997, For the Roses was adapted into a television movie for the Hallmark channel as Rose Hill, starring a young Jennifer Garner.

From Historical Romance to Contemporary Fiction

Fans of Garwood were fiercely devoted to her historical romance novels. However, in the 1990s, many famous authors had turned to writing more mainstream books, such as suspense or women’s fiction.

Readers worried that, like Jude Deveraux and Judith McNaught, Garwood would also change genres. Garwood once assured her fans that wouldn’t be the case, saying:

“I’ve been hearing a lot on this tour from readers who are afraid I’m going the way of romance authors who have gone into mystery or the mainstream. No, I’m not going mainstream.”

However, Garwood did branch into other genres, including more action-centered stories. Despite her success in the historical romance genre, Garwood ventured into a new field and began writing contemporary romantic suspense novels. Like her historicals, her contemporary stories still focused on relationships, whether between families or close friends.

Her first contemporary, Heartbreaker, was optioned for film and serialized in Cosmopolitan magazine. The book follows FBI agent Nick Buchanan as he investigates a series of murders. He enlists the help of Laurant Madden, a beautiful and talented art expert, to catch the killer.

The chemistry between Nick and Laurant sizzles off the page, and the mystery keeps readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

In total, Julie Garwood wrote 15 historical romances and 14 contemporary novels, many of the latter in romantic suspense. Her final book, Grace Under Fire, was released in hardcover in 2022 and in paperback in January 2023.

The Allure of a Julie Garwood Romance

Escsapism and Fun

It’s no surprise that readers treasure Julie Garwood’s novels to this day. Garwood’s writing transported readers to another time and place, immersing them in different places and periods. Her descriptions were vibrant and comprehensive, engaging readers in the heroines’ and heroes’ worlds.

Garwood’s heroines are eccentric and relatable. For example, some have a knack for quickly getting lost, and some can be awkward. But they all share a charming ability to confound and intrigue the hero.

Detractors claimed that sometimes her heroines could be a bit silly or flighty, and her heroes, typically chauvinistic “Alphas.”

So why were readers drawn to Garwood’s works?

Because they were fun! Her books are humorous and passionate. Readers loved her humor and the poignancy of her novels, which kept them coming back for more.

Of her her goals in making her readers enjoy her stories, Garwood said:

“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 afterward to feel as though they’ve been on a great adventure.”

The Strong Bonds of Relationships

Julie described an essential aspect of her novels: relationships.

“I like to explore friendships. That’s why The Secret was such an important book for me. I believe women bond totally differently than men do. It doesn’t mean that men are less, it’s just a different way. In The Prize, these guys – they slap each other or they hug with a hard slap on the back. It’s all very physical... It’s all about relationships. That’s what I like to explore.

Whether the setting was medieval Scotland, Regency England, frontier Montana, or modern-day Louisiana, The themes in her books were consistent: family, loyalty, and honor.

A Final Farewell

For the last few years, Garwood remained true to her joyful nature, delighting in her grandchildren. Her love for her family, faith, warmth, and kindness toward everyone will keep her spirit alive for all who seek beauty in this world.

Garwood’s passing was a significant loss to the romance world. Her fans were left heartbroken by the news of her death, and many took to social media to express their condolences and share their favorite memories of her books. Her legacy lives on through her impressive body of work.

Like her friends and family, millions of readers will cherish her memory, and will be sorely missed by millions. Her legacy lives on in our hearts.

Your Opinion

Were you a fan of Julie Garwood’s romances? If so, how did you feel upon hearing of her passing?

What were your favorite Garwood books? What made her stories compelling to you?

As always, please drop a comment, and let’s talk romance.

Links

• ARCHIVED SITE: Laurie Likes Books
• Dignity Memorial
• Facebook: Julie Garwood
• FictionDB: Julie Garwood
• IMDB: Rose Hill
• McGilley State Line Chapel
• Publisher’s Weekly Reviews
• Washington Post: Rose Hill Review
• Wikipedia