About the Author
Going to a Regency evening in Edinburgh, Scotland
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Mellyora Ashley enjoyed her job as an executive secretary, but as a few years passed, she longed to finish her romantic novel. Her husband urged her to stay at home, raise their sons, and write. Her first book, A LADY IN DISGUISE, was published by Zebra Kensington in New York.
Besides writing books, she is a comedy playwright, director, and award-winning costume designer for theater and opera. She was editor of a monthly Christian publication, and taught a college class called "Write to Delight." Mellyora enjoys traveling abroad, where she thrills to see the realism of her research. Visiting and exploring with her friends in many countries, she finds inspiration and stunning locations for her Regency and historical novels. She says,
"I write for the love of sharing my stories with you." |
Mellyora Ashley and Dame Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland was often listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most books published in a year. I began reading her romances when I was a teenager, and loved them.
This accomplished author invited me to tea after writing her review of my first book. The afternoon we spent at her mansion, Camfield Place, was fun and stimulating. She was not only warm and witty, but she also inspired me with her confidence in my work. At age 96, she was dictating a new book to her secretary when we arrived. When I asked her at the tea table how many books she had written, she batted her eyelashes and said, "Six hundred twenty-nine, I believe."
She gave us presents, and signed my copy of the book she endorsed. She asked me to go outside and touch the enormous oak tree that Queen Elizabeth I planted in the 1500s, and to make a wish. I went out with Margaret, her Lady-in-Waiting, and laid my hand on that ancient bark. I wished that my second book would be published. As Dame Barbara predicted, my wish came true.
We continued to correspond through the rest of her life, which was a few months short of one hundred years. I hope I can be like her, still writing romantic novels with enthusiasm in my nineties.
Now here I am, reissuing A LADY IN DISGUISE because it sold out the first year. I hope you will enjoy it.
This accomplished author invited me to tea after writing her review of my first book. The afternoon we spent at her mansion, Camfield Place, was fun and stimulating. She was not only warm and witty, but she also inspired me with her confidence in my work. At age 96, she was dictating a new book to her secretary when we arrived. When I asked her at the tea table how many books she had written, she batted her eyelashes and said, "Six hundred twenty-nine, I believe."
She gave us presents, and signed my copy of the book she endorsed. She asked me to go outside and touch the enormous oak tree that Queen Elizabeth I planted in the 1500s, and to make a wish. I went out with Margaret, her Lady-in-Waiting, and laid my hand on that ancient bark. I wished that my second book would be published. As Dame Barbara predicted, my wish came true.
We continued to correspond through the rest of her life, which was a few months short of one hundred years. I hope I can be like her, still writing romantic novels with enthusiasm in my nineties.
Now here I am, reissuing A LADY IN DISGUISE because it sold out the first year. I hope you will enjoy it.
