Biography
Born Rita Clay on July 31, 1941, in Michigan, United States. Her mother, Rita Gallagher, was a romance novelist and writing instructor, while her father was a pilot with the U.S. Air Force. She spent much of her early years living in Europe. She married her high school sweetheart James Estrada on August 22, 1959 [1] and stayed at home to raise their four children. In 1977, when she had been married about 20 years, her husband brought her a typewriter and said, "'You said you always wanted to write. Now write.'" [2]
She and her husband are divorced. [2]
Career
Estrada's first attempt was a long historical romance which was promptly rejected. Her next manuscript, a contemporary romance, was likewise rejected. Her third manuscript, Wanderer's Dream, sold to Silhouette Books. She used her maiden name, Rita Clay for that and an additional seven titles for Silhouette. In 1982, she moved to Dell to write for their Candlelight Ecstasy line. Harlequin owned her pen name, so she wrote as Tira Lacy, an anagram of Rita Clay. In 1985 she re-signed with Harlequin and asked to use her full name, Rita Clay Estrada, on all future books. [2]
She generally takes 4.5 months to write a novel. Except for punctuation and fact-checking, she does very little rewriting, as "that's why there are editors." [2] Generally, she writes five pages each night and more on the weekends. Her novels have been translated in 23 languages. [2]
Estrada was a founding member and the first president of the Romance Writers of America (RWA). Beginning in 1990, the organization's signature, the RITA, was named for Estrada. [3] In 2020, after controversy stemming from the RWA's response to issues regarding diversity and inclustion, the RITA was retired and replaced by the Vivian Award, named for RWA founder Vivian Stephens. [4] [5]
The RWA also awarded Estrada their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2000. [6]
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