Penny Jordan’s Followers (661)

Penny Jordan

Born

in Lancashire, The United Kingdom

November 24, 1946

Died

December 31, 2011

Website

http://www.penny-jordan.co.uk/

Genre

Romance, Contemporary, Fiction

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Penelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright

Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".

She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her young Penelope Jones Halsall
aka Caroline Courtney, Annie Groves, Lydia Hitchcock, Melinda Wright

Penelope "Penny" Jones was born on November 24, 1946 at about seven pounds in a nursing home in Preston, Lancashire, England. She was the first child of Anthony Winn Jones, an engineer, who died at 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She has a brother, Anthony, and a sister, Prudence "Pru".

She had been a keen reader from the childhood - her mother used to leave her in the children's section of their local library whilst she changed her father's library books. She was a storyteller long before she began to write romantic fiction. At the age of eight, she was creating serialized bedtime stories, featuring make-believe adventures, for her younger sister Prue, who was always the heroine. At eleven, she fell in love with Mills & Boon, and with their heroes. In those days the books could only be obtained via private lending libraries, and she quickly became a devoted fan; she was thrilled to bits when the books went on full sale in shops and she could have them for keeps.

Penny left grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature and Geography. She first discovered Mills & Boon books, via a girl she worked with. She married Steve Halsall, an accountant and a "lovely man", who smoked and drank too heavily, and suffered oral cancer with bravery and dignity. Her husband bought her the small electric typewriter on which she typed her first novels, at a time when he could ill afford it. He died at the beginning of 21st century.

She earned a living as a writer since the 1970s when, as a shorthand typist, she entered a competition run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she didn't win, Penny found an agent who was looking for a new Georgette Heyer. She published four regency novels as Caroline Courtney, before changing her nom de plume to Melinda Wright for three air-hostess romps and then she wrote two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. Soon after that, Mills and Boon accepted her first novel for them, Falcon's Prey as Penny Jordan. However, for her more historical romance novels, she adopted her mother's maiden-name to become Annie Groves. Almost 70 of her 167 Mills and Boon novels have been sold worldwide.

Penny Halsall lived in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, with her Alsatian Sheba and cat Posh. She worked from home, in her kitchen, surrounded by her pets, and welcomed interruptions from her friends and family.

...more

Combine Editions
Penny Jordan’s books

Average rating: 3.36 · 48,808 ratings · 5,241 reviews · 1,123 distinct works • Similar authors

	Marriage: To Claim his Twins (Needed: The World's Most Eligible Billionaires, #3) 3.51 avg rating — 953 ratings — 33 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sheikh's Virgin Bride 3.59 avg rating — 906 ratings — published 2003 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Demetrios Virgin 3.53 avg rating — 851 ratings — published 2000 — 28 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Blackmail Baby 3.39 avg rating — 763 ratings — published 2002 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Best Man to Wed? 3.47 avg rating — 649 ratings — published 1996 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Wealthy Greek's Contract Wife (Needed: The World's Most Eligible Billionaires, #1) 3.34 avg rating — 663 ratings — published 2010 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Italian Duke's Wife (By Royal Command, #5) 3.62 avg rating — 604 ratings — published 2006 — 36 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Response 3.21 avg rating — 627 ratings — published 1984 — 25 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Lelaki Dalam Ingatan 3.32 avg rating — 603 ratings — published 1995	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Mistress to Her Husband 3.36 avg rating — 584 ratings — published 2004 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Penny Jordan…

Series by Penny Jordan

Needed: The World's Most Eligible Billionaires (3 books)
by

Penny Jordan

3.43 avg rating — 2,139 ratings

The Perfect Crightons (10 books)
by

Penny Jordan

3.19 avg rating — 1,434 ratings

Silk Trilogy (3 books)
by

Penny Jordan

3.92 avg rating — 1,112 ratings

Leopardi Brothers (3 books)
by

Penny Jordan

3.44 avg rating — 1,111 ratings

Marriage of Convenience (3 books)
by

Penny Jordan

3.38 avg rating — 1,043 ratings

More series by Penny Jordan…

Quotes by Penny Jordan (?)

“Only the weak blame their past for the faults they find in their present; the strong acknowledge the effects of their past and then move on from it. We are all free to choose whether we will be weak or strong.”
― Penny Jordan, The Italian Duke's Virgin Mistress

tags: inspirational

25 likes

“All you have to do is circulate and listen. If you know what they’re talking about, join in. If you don’t know what they’re talking about, then ask questions,’ he relayed as if it was really that simple. ‘People don’t mind being asked questions. In fact, they like to show off their knowledge. What they don’t like is someone pretending to know what they’re talking about when they don’t.”
― Penny Jordan, One-Click Buy: August 2010 Harlequin Presents

7 likes

“It was her nature...her weakness, that for her loving another human being must always have this intensity...this absoluteness.”
― Penny Jordan, Silver

tags: love

2 likes

See all Penny Jordan's quotes »

Polls

What is your favorite pseudonym by Penelope Jones Halsall?

Penny Jordan

58 votes 52.3%

Caroline Courtney

19 votes 17.1%

Annie Groves

12 votes 10.8%

Melinda Wright

9 votes 8.1%

All

7 votes 6.3%

Lydia Hitchcock

6 votes 5.4%

111 total votes

4 comments

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Penny Jordan’s Followers (661)

Penny Jordan

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Combine Editions
Penny Jordan’s books