Jan Westcott
Jan Westcott (February 23, 1912 – October 29, 2011), born Maryann Josephine Vlachos, was an American author. She attended Swarthmore College.[1] Her first novel, The Border Lord, appeared in 1946. She was the daughter of Greek scholar and historian Nicholas P. Vlachos.[2]
Westcott specialized in writing historical romance novels. While some reviewers praised her attention to detail, with one notice for Captain Barney stating that "[she] gets her inspiration from the Encyclopedia Britannica",[3] others questioned the historical accuracy of her books.[4][5] Nevertheless, The Border Lord became a Literary Guild selection,[6] and The Queen's Grace was serialized in the Ladies' Home Journal.[2]
She has been cited as a source of inspiration by romance novelists Karen Harper, Shirlee Busbee,[7] Susanna Kearsley,[8] and Bertrice Small.[9] Her papers are archived at the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University.[1]
Bibliography
- The Border Lord (1946)
- Captain for Elizabeth (1948)
- The Hepburn (1950)
- Captain Barney (1951)
- The Walsingham Woman (1953)
- The Queen's Grace (1959)
- Condottiere (1962)
- The White Rose (1969)
- Set Her on a Throne (1972)
- The Tower and the Dream (1973)
- A Woman of Quality (1978)
References
- 1 2 "Jan Westcott". Philly.com. November 6, 2011. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- 1 2 Reber, Carole (December 8, 1969). "Housewife Jan Westcott Likes To Stay Home, Write Novels". Reading Eagle. p. 8. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ↑ OCR (November 30, 1951). "Books and Authors: Captain Barney". The Lewiston Daily Sun. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ↑ "The White Rose". Kirkus Reviews. July 14, 1969. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ↑ Norrie, Elizabeth (November 16, 1946). "High Adventure and Romance". Montreal Gazette. p. 12. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ↑ Winchell, Walter (July 6, 1948). "Walter Winchell". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. p. 2. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ↑ Walker, Regan (April 13, 2014). "Jan Westcott's The Border Lord". Historical Romance Review. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ↑ Kearsley, Susanna (April 30, 2013). "Writers as Readers, with Susanna Kearsley". Open Book Ontario. Retrieved 2014-08-28.
- ↑ "RBL Presents! Bertrice Small". RBL Romantica. July 2004. Retrieved 2014-08-28.