Mary Howard (novelist)
Mary Mussi, née "Edgar" (27 December 19072 March 1991), was a British writer of over 50 romance novels as Mary Howard, who also wrote over 10 gothic romance as Josephine Edgar. She is one of the two novelists to win three times the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association. Biography. Personal life. Born Mary Edgar on 27 December 1907 in London, England, United Kingdom, daughter of Jenny (Howard) and George Edgar, an author. She was educated privately. On 6 March 1934, she married Rudolph F. Mussi, they had one son, Max, and  one daughter, Susan Jane. Mary Mussi died on 2 March 1991. Writing career. Mussi started writing contemporary romance novels as Mary Howard in 1930, later she used the penname of Josephine Edgar to sign her gothic historical romances. She received three times the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association for her novels "More Than Friendship" (1960), "Countess" (1979), and "Mr Rodriguez" (1980). She also won the Elinor Glyn award in 1961. She was a past chairwoman of Society of Women Writers and Journalists.