Mary Stewart

I wonder if it’s a coincidence that my favorite author of all time was born on my mother’s birthday?

Mary Stewart
Mary Florence Elinor Stewart (née Rainbow; born 17 September 1916) is a popular English novelist, best known for her series about Merlin, which straddles the boundary between the historical novel and the fantasy genre.

Mary Stewart was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England and graduated from Durham University. She was a lecturer in English Language and Literature there until her marriage in 1945 to Sir Frederick Stewart, former chairman of the Geology Department of Edinburgh University. Sir Frederick passed away in 2001.

She also taught at the John Norquay elementary school for 30 to 35 years, but has now retired. If she’s still alive, she is 92 this year.

Lady Stewart's career as a novelist began in 1956 with Madam, Will You Talk? Since then she has published twenty novels, all bestsellers, including her Merlin trilogy about the legendary enchanter Merlin and the young Arthur and, most recently, The Stormy Petrel and Thornyhold. Her books for children include The Little Broomstick, Ludo and the Star Horse, and A Walk in Wolf Wood. She has also published a book of poetry entitled Frost on the Window.

She has 14 New York Times Bestsellers to her credit, including her famous Merlin trilogy: the Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment… and The Wicked Day… oops that’s four. A Quadrology?

She is also the author of many crime fiction, gothic fiction and romance novels, several of which have been adapted for television and/or film. Several of her books are set in Scotland; others are set in more exotic locations such as Damascus, the Greek islands, Spain, France, Austria, etc.

She was at the height of her popularity in the 1960s and 1970s when many of her suspense and romantic novels were translated into many languages.

Her interests included natural history, gardening, Greek and Roman history, music and art, the details of which often found their way into her novels.

Stewart is considered one of the founders of the romantic suspense subgenre, blending romance novels and mystery. Her novels seamlessly combined the two genres, maintaining a full mystery while focusing on the courtship between two people. In her novels, the process of solving the mystery "helps to illuminate" the hero's personality, helping the heroine to fall in love with him.