American Gothic Romance Authors
Coffman, Whitney, Michaels-Queens of 60s and 70s Romantic Suspense
The 1960s and 1970s were the decades of the gothic romance in the US and in Great Britain. In the US, VIrginia Coffman, Phyllis Whitney and Barbara Michaels reigned
The 1960s and 1970s were a popular time for gothic romance. American and British publishers and readers couldn’t seem to get enough of the novels about dark castles, frightened governesses, and brooding, mysterious men hiding dark secrets. Most of these novels were in the tradition of earlier novels by the Brontes—Charlotte’s Jane Eyre and Emily’s Wuthering Heights, and the ever-enduring Daphne DuMaurier novel Rebecca.
So many gothic romances were published that the demand for them gradually declined. But many of the authors are well- remembered. Many of them wrote different books under other pseudonyms.
Virginia Coffman
Virginia Coffman was known as the author who set off the new gothic craze of the 1960’s. Her popular gothic romance Moura gained instant success when it was published in 1959 by Crown Publishing. Coffman was born in San Francisco and worked for a while as a movie and television script writer before turning to novel-writing full-time. She was a world traveler who did thorough research for her novels. She also wrote historical novels. She wrote under many pen names, including Kay Cameron, Victor Cross, Jeanne Duval, Virginia C. Du Vaul, Diana Saunders and Anne Stanfield. Ms. Coffman was a long-time resident of Reno, Nevada. She passed away in 2005. Some of her most popular titles under the name Virginia Coffman included the Moura Series (1959-1999), The Lucifer Cove Series,(1970-1971) and single titles The Devil Vicar (1966) Curse of the Island Pool (1965), and many more.
Phyllis A. Whitney
Phyllis Whitney was born of American parents in Yokohama Japan, and spent her childhood years in Japan, China and the Philippines. After the death of her father, she and her mother moved back to the United States. They lived in California and Texas. Whitney later settled in Chicago, where she worked in bookstores and the library. Her early travels in Asia provided exotic settings for many of her books. Her unique settings were an important part of her work. In addition to romantic suspense, Whitney wrote many books for children and young adults. Some of her more popular romantic suspense titles were Window on the Square (1962), Seven Tears for Apollo (1963), Columbella (1966), The Winter People (1959), Hunter’s Green (1968), and The Turquoise Mask (1974) After a long and successful writing career, Phyllis Whitney died in 2008 at the age of 104.
Barbara Michaels
Barbara Michaels is the gothic pen name of author Barbara Mertz. Ms. Mertz was born in 1927. She has a PH.D in Egyptology, and is also author of the popular Amelia Peabody series, written under the name Elizabeth Peters. This mystery series features an Egyptologist as the main character. She has written nonfiction as well as mystery and suspense novels. She is author of two other mystery series—the Viky Bliss series and the Jacqueline Kirby series. Many of her gothic novels are haunting and have a supernatural element to them. Some of her most memorable books published under the name Barbara Michaels include The Master of Blacktower (1966), Ammie Come Home (1968) The Crying Child (1971), and Graygallows. (1972)
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