Please note that the Clare Darcy mystery has been solved by an anonymous comment on this blog post. Please check the comment by Anonymous for the details. And go to Wikipedia and search under Clare Darcy for more information and here for the definitive answers. Thanks, Anonymous--whew, what a relief to finally know. Lesley-Anne 2011/06/29
I've contracted for three new works of Regency fiction over the next two years, but in between working on and worrying about those, I've been re-reading the books of Clare Darcy. She wrote in the 1970's, just as Georgette Heyer was ending her career. At the time, she was the closest thing to GH that I could find, and I loved her for that.
On re-reading, I find her books stand the test of time. She has a very authentic voice, a wide variety of heroes, heroines, and plots and a wide knowledge of England and the period. In fact, if her book jackets did not specifically say she was from Ohio, I would have thought she was British born and bred.
I would give my eye-teeth to find out more about Clare Darcy. There is nothing on line about her. Every biographical clue leads to a dead end. Who was she really? What was her real name? I have no doubt that Darcy is her penname. Why did she stop writing? Is she still alive? She was an experienced writer, no doubt of that, so the Regencies may have been a side-line to her (or his?) main work.
If you ever hear anything about Clare Darcy, please, let me know! In the meantime, if you love Regency romance--read her books, and enjoy.
Back to work on 'Emilina's Conquest'...it's the first of the three new contracted works. It will be released in early 2009 by Uncial Press.
Until next time,
Lesley-Anne