Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (born 13 August 1948) is a British writer of romance and mystery novels. She normally writes under her own name but also uses the pseudonyms Emma Woodhouse and Elizabeth Bennett. Cynthia was born on 13 August 1948 at Shepherd's Bush, London, England and wrote her first novel in 1972 while still at university.

Biography

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, England on 13 August 1948. She was educated at Burlington School, a girls' charity school founded in 1699. She then studied history, philosophy and English at the University of Edinburgh and University College London. After leaving university, Cynthia had a variety of jobs in the commercial world, beginning as sales manager for the Coca-Cola Company in Edinburgh, and ending as pensions officer for the BBC in London. She started writing at university and, while employed, wrote in the evenings and during the weekends. The birth of The Morland Dynasty series enabled her to become a full-time writer in 1979. The series was originally intended to comprise 12 volumes, written alternately by two different writers. (This idea almost immediately proved impractical.) As of 2015, when the publisher dropped the series, the number of volumes had reached 35; in November 2022 they commissioned her to write a further volume, to be published in 2024. She also writes the internationally acclaimed Bill Slider mysteries. Cynthia and her husband still live in London. They have three children. In addition to writing, her interests are, horses, wine, architecture, the English countryside, and music: she plays in several amateur orchestras.

Awards

Cynthia wrote her first novel while at university and in 1972 won the Young Writers' Award for The Waiting Game. In 1993 she won the Romantic Novelists' Association Romantic Novel of the Year Award for Emily, the third volume of her Kirov Saga, a trilogy set in nineteenth century Russia.

As Cynthia Harrod-Eagles

Single novels

The Morland Dynasty

The original idea for The Morland Dynasty series was a 'history without tears', fictional characters in a real historical background. The plan was for the whole run of British history from the Middle Ages to the Second World War to be covered in twelve volumes (Harrod-Eagles' initial contract was for just four books). The series now comprises 35 titles (June 2016). A 36th title is planned for 2024.

The Kirov Trilogy

Bill Slider Mysteries

Cynthia Harrod-Eagles admits the first novel in the Bill Slider series was written for relaxation and was never intended for publication. However it received good reviews, being praised for its "nicely detailed prose" and "approachable characters" (Klett 1992:181) and as a "masterful debut" (Brainard 1992b:51). The reviews for the second novel stated "the author is well on her way to an outstanding series" (New York Times Marilyn Stasio 21 February 1993), and this proved to be true as, to date, the series consists of 24 novels.

War At Home

The Ashmore Castle series

As Emma Woodhouse

Single novels

As Elizabeth Bennett

Single novels

References and sources