Violet Winspear

1928–1989

Violet Winspear was born on 28 April 1928 in England. She worked in a factory since 1942, when in 1961 she sold her first romance novels to Mills & Boon. In 1963, she became a full time writer.[2] She wrote from her home in the south-east England, that she never left, but she meticulously researched her far-flung settings at the local library. She never married, and had no children. She inspired her nephew Jonathan Winspear to write.

Violet said: "The real aim of romance is to provide escape and entertainment", but when in 1970 she commented: "I get my heroes so that they're lean and hard muscled and mocking and sardonic and tough and tigerish and single, of course. Oh and they've got to be rich and then I make it that they're only cynical and smooth on the surface. But underneath they're well, you know, sort of lost and lonely. In need of love but, when roused, capable of breathtaking passion and potency. Most of my heroes, well all of them really, are like that. They frighten but fascinate. They must be the sort of men who are capable of rape: men it's dangerous to be alone in the room with." The comment, that they were 'capable of rape' caused a big controversy, uproar and lead to her receiving hate mail.

In 1973, she became a launch author for the new Presents line of category romance novels. Mills & Boon/Harlequin Presents books were more sensual than the previous line, Romance, under which she had been published. She was chosen to be a launch author because she, along with Anne Mather and Anne Hampson were the most popular and prolific of Mills & Boon's British authors.

Considered a legend in the romance community and influenced many authors, including Muriel Jensen, Jane Porter, Trish Morey and Sandra Marton. She also inspired her nephew Jonathan to write. She pased away at the beginning of 1989 after a long battle with cancer.

Books