In the 1970s and 1980s, many men wrote romance novels—using pseudonyms, of course. Here we list some male romance writers from the old-school era.

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Romance Is For Everyone

In the past, Sweet Savage Flame has focused on authors who used pseudonyms. We’ve posited reasons why romance writers would use pen names. One possibility given was that men were romance writers. As romance is often considered a woman’s topic, it’s understandable that male romance writers would favor an opposite-gendered moniker when publishing.

In fiction, the realm of violence has historically been masculine. Romance, on the other hand, has been consigned to the feminine sphere.

Upon closer inspection, the matter is not so black-and-white. While females account for 82 to 85% of the romance genre readership, that still means many men enjoy love stories with happy endings.

Consider the fact that romance is a billion-dollar industry, with a 30% market share of paperbacks alone. Romance lags (barely) behind only the suspense/thriller genre in total sales for fiction.

In the United States, about 25 million romance books are sold annually. Yet, despite being primarily a woman’s domain, that still means there are more than a few male romance readers.

What about the writers?

Tom Huff: aka Jennifer Wilde, Edwina Marlowe, and Beatrice Parker

Men were part of the 1970s romance revolution, and to this day, they remain part of the industry as writers and readers. In the early years of the sensual historical romance, most male writers published books under pseudonyms, and many of them were incredibly successful.

Even before the “bodice-ripper” revolutionized the romance genre with its introduction of on-the-page love scenes, there were men who wrote romantic fiction, particularly Gothics. A few years after the release of The Flame and the Flower, in 1976, Avon’s competitor Warner Books published Love’s Tender Fury by Jennifer Wilde. Wilde had released Gothics under the names Edwina Marlow and Beatrice Parker.

In reality, he was Thomas E. Huff of Texas, and his 550-page saga became a huge hit, receiving dozens of printings and selling multi-million copies. Written in the “savage” style of romance, it told the tale of indentured servant Marietta Danvers and her rocky relationship with the purported hero, Derek. However, Marietta had other lovers along the way.

Huff was among many men who were romance writers working under female pseudonyms. Subsequently, we decided to investigate and reveal the real identities of these talented authors.

Robert Vaughan’s Take on Writing Romances

Over his long and successful career, journeyman author Robert Vaughan employed a variety of pen names. He frequently worked as a ghostwriter. Vaughan sold millions of books under those aliases, but not under his real name.

“I wrote [them] as Patricia Matthews, made number one on the list. In 1981, I sold 6 million books. In my lifetime, I have probably sold 40 million books, but nobody knows who I am. Now, my wife Ruth and I are co-writing romance novels as Sara Luck.  She’s actually quite good at it, and I’m proud of her.  And though the Sara Luck books don’t have my name, Ruth and I at least own the name.”

ROBERT VAUGHAN

The Men Who Write Romance Novels

The following is a list of male authors who wrote romantic novels throughout the twentieth century (or earlier).

In the 21st century, men are still writing write romances. But, because we are restricting the scope to “retro” writers, they are not included on this list. For example, men (or couples) like Ilona Andrews or Sylvain Renard.

Nicholas Sparks, Robert James Waller, and similar writers of romantic fiction are also not included, as they were/are not writers of the Romance genre in general.

Nicholas Sparks, Robert James Waller, and similar writers of romantic fiction are also not included, as they were/are not writers of the Romance genre in general.

List of Retro Male Romance Writers (or Male & Female Duos)

A

• Felicia Andrews – Charles Grant

B

• Megan Barker – Roger Erskine Longrigg
• Monica Barrie – David Wind
• Grania Beckford – Roger Erskine Longrigg
• Laura Black – Roger Erskine Longrigg
• Emma Blair – Iain Blair
• Jessica Blair – Bill Spence
• Stephanie Blake – Jack Pearl
  • (Cousin to author Donald Bain, aka Lee Jackson)
• Madeleine Brent – Peter O’Donnell
  • (Brent had successfully published Gothics for years before the new bodice ripper era.)
• Elizabeth Bright – Tim Myers

C

• Tori Carrington – Lori Karayianni & Tony Karayianni
• Shana Carrol – Kerry Newcomb & Frank Schaeffer (both men)
• Lucy Clark – Lucy Clark & Peter Clark
• Jan Coffey – Nikoo McGoldrick & Jim McGoldrick

D

• Emma Darcy – Wendy Brennan and Frank Brennan (Until Frank’s death; then Wendy wrote by herself until she passed away.)
• Fancy Dewitt – Paul Fairman
• Jennifer Dalton – David Wind
• Marilyn Davids – David Wind
• Marilyn Davidson – David Wind
• Diana Douglas – Richard Wilkes-Hunter

E

• Rosalind Erskine – Roger Erskine Longrigg

F

• Paula Fairman – Paul Fairman & Robert Vaughan
  • (Paul Fairman passed away in 1977. He was a prolific science fiction editor and writer who lived from 1916-1977. Fairman published two romances as Paula Fairman before he passed on. Later, his publishers Pinnacle Books continued to release Paula Fairman novels through a ghostwriter, a la V. C. Andrews. That “ghostwriter” was the even more prolific Robert Vaughan, author of the bestseller Andersonville.)
• Caroline Farr – Richard Wilkes-Hunter

G

• Emma Goldrick – Emma Sutcliffe-Goldrick & Robert Goldrick
• Victoria Gordon – Gordon Aalborg
• Leigh Greenwood – Harold Lowry
  • (Greenwood openly wrote as a man but used a gender-neutral pseudonym.)

H

• Caroline Hart– Charles Garvice
  • (Although mostly unknown today, Garvice was the best-selling British romance author of his era, from the late Victorian to the Pre-World War I era, releasing over 150 romance novels.)
• Shirl Henke – Shirl & Chuck Henke
  • (Actually, Henke wrote all her books, but her husband would often guest-write a love or action scene, and Henke would leave you guessing which one it was.
• Melissa Hepburne – Craig Broude
  • (Broude is the only romance novelist to appear in his own book and have relations with the heroine, that scamp! I recommend reading his books with your butt unclenched, as his books are silly romps.)

J

• Lee Jackson – Donald Bain

K

• Madeleine Ker – Marius Gabriel Cipolla

L

• Fabio – Fabio Lanzoni may have come up with ideas for his books, but he has at least two ghostwriters, one being Eugenia Riley.
• Laura London – Sharon Curtis & Tom Curtis
• Janet Lovesmith – Paul Fairman
• Sara Luck – Robert Vaughan & Ruth Vaughan

M

• Edwina Marlow – Tom E. Huff
• Shauna Marlowe – Richard Wilkes-Hunter
• Patricia Matthews– Patricia Brisco Matthews & Clayton Matthews, and Robert Vaughan
  • (The Matthews and their publishers claim she wrote her novels by herself, sometimes with the help of her husband. Matthews was labeled as “America’s First Lady of Historical Romance” after producing million-selling blockbuster after blockbuster. Interestingly enough, author Robert Vaughan claims responsibility for several of her bestsellers. We followed up on this interesting discrepancy in another article.)
• A.E. Maxwell – Evan & Ann Maxwell
  • (Author Elizabeth Lowell wrote some romances with her husband by combining the initials of her real name Ann Maxwell and her husband’s first name Evan.)
• May McGoldrick – Nikoo McGoldrick & Jim McGoldrick
• Paula Moore – Paul Fairman; Robert Vaughan

N

• Christina Nicholson – Christopher Nicole

P

• Beatrice Parker – Tom E. Huff

R

• Barbara Riefe – Alan Riefe(Riefe published many books with Playboy Press and other publishers, selling millions of copies.)
• Clarissa Ross – W.E.D. Ross
• Marilyn Ross – W.E.D. Ross
• Vanessa Royall – Mike Hinkemeyer

S

• Christina Savage – Kerry Newcomb & Frank Schaeffer (both males)
• Gill Sanderson – Roger Sanderson
• Con Sellers – Connie Sellers (Sellers was a rarity in that he used his real name to write Pulps, Western and Historical romances, such as Marilee and Sweet Caroline.)
• Janette Seymour – Michael Butterworth (We’ve reviewed his bodice rippers, and they’re quite entertaining.)
• Katherine St. Clair – Tom E. Huff
• Jessica Stirling – Hugh Crawford Rae and Peggy Coghlan
• Pamela South – Donald Bain
• Diana Summers – Robert Kimmel Smith

W

• Paulette Warren – Paul Fairman
• Jennifer Wilde – Tom E. Huff

Y

• Alison York – Christopher Nicole

**Saliee O’Brien & Francesca Greer** – Not a male, but often attributed as one. O’Brien/Geer was a woman named Frankie-Lee Griggs Weed Zelley Janas who used several pseudonyms, male and female, especially Francis Leroy Janas.

Some Books by Male Authors Reviewed on Sweet Savage Flame

Final Thoughts About Male Romance Writers

Male authors played a significant role in the romance novel genre, often adopting female pseudonyms to connect with the predominantly female audience.

Their contributions helped shape the genre’s success from the 1970s to today.

Links

• BBC News
• Duke University: Male Authors
• Donadees: Robert Vaughan
• Esquire: Men Reading Romance
• James Reasoner: Pulp
• James Reasoner: More Pulp
• LA Times
• Library of Congress
• Library Thing
• Lee Goldberg: Robert Vaughan
• PaperbackSwap: Robert Vaughan
• Romance History: Men Who Wrote Romance
• Romance History: Tom E. Huff
• Statista: Adult Fiction Sales
• Tom Rizzo: Robert Vaughan Novel Approach History
• Western Fictioneers
• Wikipedia: Robert Vaughan