July 9th: Barbara Cartland

Romantic novelist Barbara Cartland was born on this date in 1901. Here are 10 things you might not know about Barbara Cartland.

1. She was born Mary Barbara Hamilton, in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Her mother moved to London and opened a dress shop after her father died in World War I.
2. Her first job was as a gossip columnist for the Daily Express.
3. Her first novel, Jigsaw, was published in 1922, a risqué society thriller (See below for details of my book called Jigsaw although mine is more spooky than sexy).
4. She is probably the most prolific writer ever. In 2000, her publishers estimated (she'd written so much they weren't even sure) that she had produced 723 books. In 1983 she wrote 23 novels, and holds the Guinness World Record for the most novels written in a single year. Consequently, her entry in the British Who's Who was the longest, mostly taken up with a list of her books. She also holds the Guinness record for being the top selling author in the world. She also wrote some non-fiction, namely a biography of her brother, Ronald Cartland, a Conservative Member of Parliament, after he died in World War II.
5. She also wrote plays, also quite risqué. One, Blood Money, was banned by the Lord Chamberlain's Office.
6. She was married to Alexander George McCorquodale, a British Army officer from Scotland, and heir to a printing fortune, from 1927 until they divorced in 1933, amid claims and counter claims of infidelity. They had a daughter, Raine McCorquodale (who would later become "Deb of the Year" in 1947 and later still would marry Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's father). Cartland claimed that Raine was actually the daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent. After the divorce, she married her ex-husband's cousin.
7. As well as writing books and plays, Cartland released a record in 1978. It was, unsurprisingly, an album of love songs, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
8. As well as all the fluffy romance stuff, she could be technical, too. She was interested in gliding, and in 1984 was awarded the Bishop Wright Air Industry Award for coming up with the idea of long distance tows for gliders in 1931. She did a 200-mile (360 km) tow in a two-seater glider herself.
9. When she wasn't writing, Barbara Cartland served the War Office in various charitable capacities as well as the St. John Ambulance Brigade; in 1953 she was invested at Buckingham Palace as a Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem for her services; she served as a councillor on Hertfordshire County Council for nine years, during this time she campaigned successfully for nursing home reform, improvement in the salaries of midwives, and the legalisation of education for the children of Gypsies. She also founded the National Association of Health, promoting a variety of medications and remedies, including an anti-aging cream and a so-called "brain pill" for increasing mental energy. One wonders how she found the time to write so much!
10. It may not seem surprising that at first, she wanted to be buried in a marble tomb covered in angels. However, before she died, she'd become interested in environmental issues and eventually opted for a cardboard coffin under a tree on her private estate in Hatfield, Hertfordshire, that had been planted by Queen Elizabeth I. Even after her death the books didn't stop coming - she'd left behind some manuscripts, which her son published as an e-book.

Jigsaw

The first ten short stories from my writing blog. Within these covers you will find murder, mayhem, ghosts, romance, dungeons and dragons and alien vampire bunnies.

You can, of course, read all these stories and more on the blog for free by following the link above, and you're welcome to do that, but if you find you'd like to read them over and over without looking at a screen, or you know your friend who hates technology would absolutely love them, the book is available.

Paperback CreateSpace or Amazon 

E-book Amazon Kindle