Few people would believe that this creative writer who was born at about seven pounds would go ahead and become the best selling artist with over 200 romance books under her name. Her books are said to have sold 70million copies. Her mother instilled in her a reading culture right from when she was a little girl. She would tag her along when she visited the library to change her father's books.
Background
Penelope Halsall also known as Penny was born on 24, November 1946, in Preston, Lancashire, England as the first born child of Antony Winn who was an engineer, and who died at the age of 85, and his wife Margaret Louise Groves Jones. It has not been documented what her mother did for a living. She had two siblings.
A brother, and a sister. She took her passion for books seriously after coming across and reading a chronology of the Mills & boons books in a certain woman's magazine. She could not hide her excitement at the author and made it her obligation to keep reading his publications. After she left grammar school, she spent 14 years of her life working in Manchester as a shorthand typist.
Despite her unstoppable reading culture, her writing career did not start until she was thirty years old when her husband encouraged her and even went ahead to buy her an electric typewriter which she used to type her books. She married her husband Steve Halsall at a time when he was battling cancer. As a result, they never got to have children. However, Penny had countless nieces, nephews, and godchildren.
Penny's husband would later die in 2002. It is said that she worked from home in a neo-Georgian house in Nantwich, Cheshire, inside her kitchen where she was all the time surrounded by her cat which she had named Posh, her dog who went by the name Sheba, and was ready to entertain her friends and family.
Education
It is unfortunate that even after her immense success in the writing field there is scanty information about her entire education. It is known that she loved to read from an early age. That she developed the special interest in reading courtesy of her mother and that she would read to her sister some bedtime stories. However, the only information about her formal education is that she graduated from grammar school in Rochdale with O-Levels in English Language, English Literature, and Geography. Little is known about her furthering her studies beyond grammar school.
Career
Penny's writing career did not kick start until her husband purchased an electric for her. This encouraged and inspired her to start typing her first books for herself. At the time of the purchase, Steve her husband was hardly in the position to afford the typewriter, seeing that he was ailing from cancer which had drained most of his finances. But he stretched himself beyond limits to get it for her. He had seen the determination his wife had and decided to give her some morale. Her passion was so much so that she participated in a competition that was run by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Although she never won, she caught the recognition of an agent who was looking for a new-style Georgette Heyer, contacted the Association wanting to find out more about her.
She used the pen name Caroline Courtney to publish her very first novel, in March 1979, Duchess in Disguise. She went ahead and published four more books in the same year. 25 regency romances were published under this same pen name until 1986. Between 1981 and 1983, she had signed 3 air-hostess romances as Melinda Wright and two thrillers as Lydia Hitchcock. These were published by the Columbine House. She was fortunate enough to have her first novel that she had written for Mills & Boon accepted. She had written it using the name Penny Jordan. The book was Falcon's Prey. Ever since she has sold millions of copies from the 167 Mills & Boon novels she wrote.
Penny was so creative that she once modified a story she had been told by her grandmother. She titled the novel Ellie Pride. Penny would in 2003 go back to writing historical novels using her mother's maiden name Annie Groves. Penny derived her creativity from human interest stories from the news bulletins and her family history.
Penny was a hardworking woman with a passion to match her addiction in writing. The first book she ever wrote was titled power pIay and was released in 1987. It is said that she would type over five thousand words a day as she wrote four Mills & Boon novels every year. She also wrote two historical stories per year for HarperCollins using the pen name Annie Groves. This would not have been possible had she not have devised a routine that she followed to the letter. Her electric typewriter came in handy at this time. She hardly had any time to rest. It is believed though that she squeezed her tight schedule and made sure to stick to it. She would type books three days a week and do her house chores as well as run errands on the remaining days. It is not to be forgotten though that she started working in her early years as a shorthand typist in Manchester, here she perfected her typing skills and when it was time for her to start typing her own books, it was a walk in the park. She had already become a professional typist.
Her diverse interactions with different people saw her write short stories and single titles for Harlequin Presents novels which are believed to have been 187 in a span of 30 years. The success of her harlequin novels spread all around North America and pushed her into hitting the USA today bestseller lists with an all inclusive sell of 100 million books world over that had been written in more than 25 languages.
Her drafts are said to have been unique in their own capacity. Due to a faulty daisywheel in her worked up the typewriter, they would have missing letters which often made them very difficult to read.
Other than writing, she also had to take care of her ailing husband and pets both of which she held close to her heart. She also would entertain relatives and friends who visited her often.
Achievements
Works
book
Lingering Shadows
1998
Other Work
The Sheikh's Virgin Bride (Sheikh's Arabian Nights, #1)
2003
The Demetrios Virgin
2001
The Blackmail Baby
2002
Marriage: To Claim his Twins
1989
Religion
Any information about her relying on any religious outfit is also not in the public domain. However, she was loved and respected the world over for her absolutely fascinating writing skills.
Politics
Penelope was a writer who never engaged in the shenanigans of politics. Her politics if any centered on writing and typing her work, the thing she had a passion for ever since she was a young girl. That of book writing and selling. She used her creativity skills to capture hundreds of thousands of readers, she had a way with which she had an advice for upcoming romance readers where she notioned that they should grab the reader’s attention by the start of the first page. A notion she held and practiced only too well.
Views
From the way Penny interacted with people, we can only conclude that she was a people's person, seen when she says that she was always ready to welcome and take time off her busy schedule to entertain people in her home. This is also very well exemplified by the fact that she had too many godchildren despite not having children of her own, she loved kids as those godchildren as though they were her own. This was a way of appreciating the diversities that the world has to offer, and that she had accepted her situation of not being able to sire children and did not at any one time allow it to define who she was.
Personality
Not anywhere have we read that she ever argued with anyone. She always remained cool calm and collected. She handled situations with absolute wisdom and intuition. She was also patient and had a big heart. She was able to accommodate and even take care of her husband right to the day he passed away. Penny was caring and a hard working woman. She set goals and made all efforts to accomplish them. Consistency defined who she really was in the world of books. She released book after book, she believed in herself and she believed she could make it to the top. No wonder she sold millions of copies of her books. No wonder she is today termed as a best-selling romance book artist of our time.
Regardless of her success, she never at any one point showed signs of pride. She remained down to earth and respected everybody. To fellow and upcoming authors, she remained cordial, pleasant, prudent and shy as a person. She was always focused; accommodative, dedicating lots of her time, and ready to assist them where she could.
Physical Characteristics:
From looking at her pictures, she was a tall slim confident looking lady. Mostly seen wearing a blonde wig. Exuding energy, self belief and determination.
Quotes from others about the person
The editor who discovered Penny once said; 'Such a raw talent – a born storyteller with a unique, intense and passionate voice'
Publishers Weekly said about Jordan: "Women everywhere will find pieces of themselves in Jordan's characters"
Interests
reading, pets
Connections
She was born of her father Antony Winn an engineer, and Margaret Louise Groves Jones. She also grew up with her grandmother Anie groves whose name she would later use as a pen name to publish books. She had two siblings a brother and a sister. Her husband Steve Halsall was an accountant by profession.
As we go through her working career, we find that she collaborated with many people to make it the success it became. More notably though is the people of the Romantic Novels Association not forgetting Mills & Boon.
Father:
Anthony Winn Jones
Mother:
Margaret Louise (née Groves)
Spouse:
Steve Halsall
Brother:
Anthony
Sister:
Prudence
References
Penny Jordan, an author of 200 romance novels, dies at 65 By T. Rees Shapiro January 21, 2012, posted in the Washington post website
For such an accomplished writer, it would have been prudent for her to be given official titles but this is not the case since there have not been documented titles or even awards under her name.
Awards
,
United Kingdom
She would later be awarded a lifetime achievement award in recognition of her contribution to women's fiction both as Penny Jordan and Annie Groves.
She would later be awarded a lifetime achievement award in recognition of her contribution to women's fiction both as Penny Jordan and Annie Groves.