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NTRWA September
2004 Spotlight On...
VICTORIA
CHANCELLOR
by Juliet Burns
When asked
whom Victoria Chancellor admires most, her immediate answer is Mr. Spock
from the television show, Star Trek. For years, Victoria was a financial systems
analyst at EDS, and she prides herself on being a clear-headed, logical
thinker.
Yet,
many of the decisions Victoria made through life seem to
reveal the passionate, impulsive side of her psyche. This alter ego is
clearly revealed through the feisty heroines in her romance novels.
Born
and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Victoria was working in a jewelry
department by age 14. By the time she was 20, she was madly in love with
Chuck, who proposed on a Friday and announced he was transferring to Colorado the following Tuesday. Victoria planned a wedding, packed
her belongings, got married and moved across the country in 5 days! And
it was the right decision, since this past Tuesday was their 33rd wedding
anniversary.
Victoria was always a voracious
reader, but had never read a romance novel until she was given a
historical romance while convalescing in the hospital. After that, Victoria couldn’t get her hands on
enough romances. A couple of years later, in 1986, she woke up with a
story in her head and realized it was a story she’d never read, but
rather one she had to write. So she started out in longhand, on a tablet.
By 1990, both her synopsis and her historical romance had finaled in a
contest. When she attended the Golden Triangle Writer's Guild conference
in Beaumont, Susan Wiggs introduced her to Carolyn Marino
of Harper-Collins. Victoria won the historical contest
and sold two and a half weeks later to Carolyn on proposal!! Then in
1992, she sold a short contemporary on proposal to Kate Duffy for a new
line at the new Meteor Publishing. (Yes, you heard right. She sold her
first 2 books on proposal!)
Victoria began to believe she could
actually make a living writing and wanted to write full time. But her
husband had just started his own business. So, she got him slightly tipsy
one night and convinced him she should quit EDS, handle the computer side
of his business, and write the rest of the time. And that’s just what she
did.
In
1994, she sold a paranormal romance to Dorchester for their Love Spell line
and eventually sold five time travel romances to Dorchester released as Time Swepts. In
1999 she sold to Harlequin American romance. Her most recent release this
month for Harlequin American is COMING HOME TO TEXAS, part of her Baby To
Be series set in Ranger Springs, TX. The final book in that
series, EDUCATING KATE, will be out in Feb. ’06.
When
she’s not writing, Victoria likes to redecorate her home in Richardson
and, what else, read.
She’s
currently working on a humorous paranormal romance set in New Orleans
with a hero who thinks he’s a ghost.
Visit
Victoria’s
Website.
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