Family Matters

by Marie Ferrarella

The aunt said: " The Iceman cometh," Daisy Channing muttered as she awaited the arrival of her buttoned down Wall Street brother in law. The uncle said: "My sister in law is as nutty as a California almod grove," Andrew Addison grumbled as he neared the West Coast. The family matter: Clearly, neither dreamed the other an apt guardian for their precious orphaned nephew. It would take two of them to do beloved little Jeremy justice. But that meant Daisy had to find a heart in Drew's muscled chest- without losing her own- and Drew had to locate logic in Daisy's adorable addlepated headed- without losing his mind. And that was as likely as . . . as turning this delicate family matter into a family affair!

Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1993

About the author

Marie Rydzynski-Ferrarella
aka Marie Charles, Marie Michael, Marie Nicole, Marie Ferrarella

Marie Rydzynski was born on March 28 in West Germany to Polish parents. She moved to America at the age of four. For an entire year, Marie and her family explored the eastern half of the country before finally settling in New York.

Marie swears she was born writing, "which must have made the delivery especially hard for my mother." From an early age, Marie's parents would find her watching television or tucked away in some private place, writing at a furious pace. "Initially, I began writing myself into my favourite shows. I was a detective on '77 Sunset Strip,' the missing Cartwright sibling they never talked about on 'Bonanza' and the 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.' before there was a 'Girl from U.N.C.L.E.,' not to mention an active participant in the serialized stories of 'The Mickey Mouse Club.'" Marie began to write her first romance novel when she was 11 years old, although she claims that, at the time, she didn't even realize it was a romance! She scribbled off and on, while dreaming of a career as an actress.

Marie was only 14 when she first laid eyes on the man she would marry, truly her first love, Charles Ferrarella. During her days at Queens College, New York, acting started to lose its glamour as Marie spent more and more time writing. After receiving her English degree, specialising in Shakespearean comedy, Marie and her family moved to Southern California, where she still resides today.

After an interminable seven weeks apart, Charles decided he couldn't live without her and came out to California to marry his childhood sweetheart. Ever practical, Marie was married in a wash-and-wear wedding dress that she sewed herself, appliqués and all. "'Be prepared' has always been my motto,"the author jokes. This motto has been stretched considerably by her two children, Nikky and Jessi, "but basically, it still applies," she says.

In November of 1981, she sold her first novel for Harlequin. Marie, who now has written over 150 novels, has one goal: to entertain, to make people laugh and feel good. "That's what makes me happy," she confesses. "That, and a really good romantic evening with my husband." She's keeping her fingers crossed that her reader's enjoy reading her books as much as she enjoyed writing them.

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Marie Ferrarella, no matter what she does, but it kind of threw me for a loop when I read two of her books published within 2 years of each other with pretty much the same storyline. Blessing In Disguise is the other book. It was pure coincidence that I read these books almost back-to-back. Both stories have orphaned boys, perky women and men who had no real childhood and therefore don't know how to raise the aforementioned little boy. Fortunately, there are enough differences in the characters and stories to keep it from just being a repeat of the same book.