Lauren Willig | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | American |
| Period | 2005–present |
| Genre | Historical, Romance |
| Website | |
| www | |
Lauren Willig is an American writer, specializing in historical novels. She is best known for her "Pink Carnation" series, which follows a collection of Napoleonic-Era British spies, similar to the Scarlet Pimpernel, as they fight for Britain and fall in love.
A native of New York City, Willig discovered historical fiction when she was six years old. She had become fascinated by Eleanor of Aquitaine. [1]
After graduating from the private Chapin School, Willig attended Yale University. There she majored in Renaissance Studies and Political Science, and was Chairman of the Tory Party of the Yale Political Union. She studied graduate-level early modern European history at Harvard University. She studied at and graduated from Harvard Law School.
Willig briefly worked for Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a law firm in New York. During this period, she also was writing her "Pink Carnation" series of books. She gave up law practice in order to focus full-time on the series.
Willig's books have been named a Romantic Times Top Pick. She was nominated in 2006 for a Quill Award. In addition by October 2011, she had won the RITA Award for Best Regency Historical Romance, the RT Reviewers Choice Award for Historical Fiction, the Booksellers Best Award for Long Historical Romance, and the Golden Leaf Award. [2]
In Spring of 2010, Willig taught Reading the Historical Romance at her alma mater, Yale University, along with fellow alumna and romance novelist Andrea DaRif, (penname: Cara Elliott). [3] The course received attention for helping to bring academic notice to the popular genre of romance novels. [4] [5]
Following her series, Willig has written eight stand-alone historical novels. She also co-authored five novels with fellow historical fiction authors Karen White and Beatriz Williams.