Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Clare Darcy

Please note that the Clare Darcy mystery has been solved by an anonymous comment on this blog post. Please check the comment by Anonymous for the details. And go to Wikipedia and search under Clare Darcy for more information and here for the definitive answers. Thanks, Anonymous--whew, what a relief to finally know. Lesley-Anne 2011/06/29

I've contracted for three new works of Regency fiction over the next two years, but in between working on and worrying about those, I've been re-reading the books of Clare Darcy. She wrote in the 1970's, just as Georgette Heyer was ending her career. At the time, she was the closest thing to GH that I could find, and I loved her for that.

On re-reading, I find her books stand the test of time. She has a very authentic voice, a wide variety of heroes, heroines, and plots and a wide knowledge of England and the period. In fact, if her book jackets did not specifically say she was from Ohio, I would have thought she was British born and bred.

I would give my eye-teeth to find out more about Clare Darcy. There is nothing on line about her. Every biographical clue leads to a dead end. Who was she really? What was her real name? I have no doubt that Darcy is her penname. Why did she stop writing? Is she still alive? She was an experienced writer, no doubt of that, so the Regencies may have been a side-line to her (or his?) main work.

If you ever hear anything about Clare Darcy, please, let me know! In the meantime, if you love Regency romance--read her books, and enjoy.

Back to work on 'Emilina's Conquest'...it's the first of the three new contracted works. It will be released in early 2009 by Uncial Press.

Until next time,
Lesley-Anne

4 comments:

J-Pets said...

Dear Leslie-Ann McLeod:
Perhaps the following information from these sites may help answer some of your questions? I, too, enjoyed Georgette Heyer and have her entire collection of books (mystery and regency) that I am in the process of replacing with editions that are in readable condition! I have read them so often, they have literally fallen apart and must be replaced as they are missing several pages, spines, etc! :-)
Sincerely,

"J-Pets"


Clare Darcy | LibraryThing 
Clare Darcy is currently considered a "single author." If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. ...
www.librarything.com/author/darcyclare -


I DON’T KNOW FOR SURE IF THIS IS THE AUTHOR BUT I THINK IT MIGHT.(?)
Paid Notice: Deaths DANIELSEN, PEARL - The New York Times
Of Sea Cliff, NY, formerly of Flushing, NY on September 18, 2002. ... Loving mother of Gwynne Lennon (Mike) and Claire Darcy (Charles) ...

Paid Notice: Deaths DANIELSEN, JOHN A. - The New York Times
A veteran of WW II and the Korean War. ... Loving father of Gwynne Lennon and Claire Darcy. Dear grandfather of Michael, Kathleen, James, Craig and John. ...

Possibly her email address.(?)

claire.darcy@codeworks.net

c*****y@*****.com
Sea Cliff, NY, 11579

The email addresses associated with Claire Darcy displayed on 123people are publicly accessible on the web. Please understand that 123people does not verify the validity of those addresses. Email addresses could belong to different people, who have the same name.

TracyH said...

hello, I also like Georgette Heyer, and Clare Darcy, having just completed my collection with Caroline and Julia I would like to point out in the front of my book it states that 'this is the last of the novels discovered after Clare Darcy's death' It was first published in 1982.

Anonymous said...

Hello,
I'm just now reading the Clare Darcy novels and loving their stories and style. It looks like an update to her wiki page has solved the mystery: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_Darcy

She's Mary Deasy!

all the best.

Lesley-Anne McLeod said...

Dear Anonymous--you've solved the mystery!! Thank you so much. I checked the Wikipedia page you quoted and it certainly seems straightforward. I also went to the links they list and there is no longer a question in my mind. Clare Darcy was Mary Deasy, a well known contemporary novelist who died in 1978. Thanks again!!