Happy 90th, Sally Watson! (Historical novelist: "The Wayward Princess," 2006)

[leno...@yahoo.com]

Born in Seattle, she now lives in Santa Rosa, California.

http://www.imagecascade.com/sally-watson.html
(her story as she tells it)

First paragraphs:

Picked up phonics from Mother's kindergarten before I was two; the next thing anyone knew I was reading independently, which I went on doing for 12 years of public school, under my desk instead of arithmetic or geography. Rotten grades, didn't know how to study, I just read and wrote. Mum said I wrote my first book when I was four. Four pages, lavishly illustrated, begun with total phonic accuracy: "The sun roze up." From that, she decided that I should grow up to write books for children. Well, it was true I loved words and had a collection, just for fun, of synonyms for "said" and adverbs to accompany it. But when Mum suggested that I might write books for children, I sneered. For one thing, I'd read a book that convinced me one had to be a total genius and collect rejections for ten years. For another, I was going to travel all over Europe and study Highland Dancing and Judo and be a Prima Ballerina, I was.

At 16 or so, I discovered that I wasn't. Not a Prima Ballerina anyhow, and darned if I was going to settle for the corps de ballet. Disgruntled, I further realized that alone among my peers I hadn't the least interest in marriage and families. Nor in office work, the only thing going for women in the '30's.

Joined the Navy in 1944 and after that mess was over, I decided to go to college, and applied to Reed without knowing enough not to. They took me, it turned out, on "possible potential," and I waltzed innocently in...and by the time I realized that I would have to commit several major and sustained miracles to stay there, it was too late to do anything else. I was hooked by the intellectual excitement. (An astrologer once told me I had "a jack-ass determination that never knew when it was beaten, and consequently seldom was." True, I guess. A useful, albeit sometimes uncomfortable, quality.) At any rate, it was there I learned the discipline to write, but still had no idea of doing it. That childhood conviction was still with me......

(snip)

http://booksbysallywatson.com/bio/
(her website, with photo, brief bio)

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20091108/articles/911089975#page=0
(2009 article about Watson)

Excerpt:

.....She has spent most of her long life researching periods and incidents that enthrall her ancient Egypt, the reigns of the English kings George), pre-revolutionary America. Im a fanatic about having historical accuracy, she said.

She learns what she can about actual denizens of a time, then she composes historically true novels that weave the lives of actual people with people she makes up. There have been gaps in her production, but since 1954 she has written more than 20 books and has supported herself as an author.

Her early titles, most aimed at young readers, were released by major publishing houses.......

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Watson

http://booksbysallywatson.com/books/chronological-booklist/
(book covers - click on covers for descriptions)


WRITINGS BY THE AUTHOR:

* Highland Rebel, 1954.
* Mistress Malapert, 1955.
* To Build a Land, 1957.

* Poor Felicity, Doubleday, 1961.
* Witch of the Glens, Viking, 1962.
* Lark, 1964.
* Other Sandals, 1966.
* Hornet's Nest, 1967.
* The Mukhtar's Children, 1968.
* Jade, 1969.

* Magic at Wychwood, Knopf, 1970.
* Linnet, Dutton, 1971.

* The Outrageous Oriel, 2006
* The Wayward Princess, 2006
* The Haunted Schoolhouse, 2007
* The Delicate Pioneer (rewrite of Poor Felicity), 2006
The Ivory Cat (adult), 2007
Loyal and The Dragon (YA), 2008
The Missing Queen (adult) 2008
Castle Adamant (YA), 2009
The Angry Earth, (adult) 2009

Tailwavers, 2010
The Next Pharaoh (adult), 2012


Lenona.