Carla Kelly
Carla Sue Kelly (born 1947) is an American writer in the Regency romance genre. She is the author of over forty books and short stories. Her books are what romance readers call "keepers," i.e. books they keep in their private collections, and accordingly they can be hard to find. Renowned for what she calls "dukeless" regencies, her stories often revolve around ordinary people solving their own problems. While many Regency romances feature soldiers returned from the Napoleonic Wars, several of Kelly's books include soldiers and sailors actively involved in the Peninsular campaign and in the naval blockade  that prevented France from invading England, bringing this war to life in an unforgettable way. However, her regencies only reflect a part of her writing interests. She also has a strong interest in the American West, which is reflected in her earliest published works and in her non-fiction. Since 2011, Kelly, who has a Mormon background, has written four historical romance novels that focus on the lives of young Mormon women: "Borrowed Light", "Enduring Light", "My Loving Vigil Keeping", and "Safe Passage". Biography. Born in 1947, Carla Sue Kelly calls herself a navy brat. The daughter of a Navy  Officer, she grew up overseas or on one coast of the United States or the other. She graduated from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah where she studied Latin American history. She completed a master's degree at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, in American history, with a focus on the Civil War and Indian Wars. In her varied professional career Kelly has worked as a ranger/historian with the National Park Service at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, and a ranger at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site; a contract research historian for the State Historical Society of  North Dakota and history instructor at university level. Kelly is a former staff features writer for the Valley City Times Record newspaper based in Valley City, North Dakota. Kelly lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. She is married to Martin Kelly, former Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota, who is now retired. The couple has five grown children now located in various parts of America. Literary influences. When interviewed by Lola Sparks in Purple Pens, Kelly identified the following writers as having influenced her: In her author profile on the e-Harlequin site, Kelly  says her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy, "The Lawrenceville Stories" by Owen Johnson, and "A Town Like Alice" by Nevil Shute. Her favorite historical works are "One Vast Winter Count", "On the Border with Mackenzie", and "Crossing the Line". Her favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey, and Peter Robinson. Writing career. Kelly began writing Regency Romances because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). A major theme in her books is how war touches the lives of ordinary  people. In surviving the effects of war and in helping other survivors her characters find in themselves qualities of strength and purpose not previously evident. They are quiet achievers influencing the world on small, personal stages, making a difference in their own lives and others ultimately by acts of kindness rather than daring. Kelly goes against the norms of the genre by focusing her attention not on the glittering world of London society and the social elite, but on the other 99.9% of the population occupying England. Her stories are distinguished by authentic, well-researched detail and lightened by a  ready sense of humour. Kelly has also written an acclaimed series of short stories about the men, women and children of Fort Laramie during the Indian Wars era of American history. In 2003 her entire collection of Indian War stories was re-published in "Here's to the Ladies: Stories from the Frontier Army." Two of these stories "A Season for Heroes" and "Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter" were awarded Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. Bibliography. Short Stories. This list excludes articles written in her capacity of journalist or feature writer for various newspapers and magazines, primarily  in North Dakota.