Bertrice Small

Bertrice Small (December 9, 1937 – February 24, 2015), was an American New York Times bestselling writer of historical and erotic romance novels. Bertrice lived on Long Island, New York, with her husband George Small. She was a member of The Authors Guild, Romance Writers of America, PAN, and PASIC.

Personal life

Small was born Bertrice Williams in Manhattan on Dec. 9, 1937. Her parents were David Williams and the former Doris Steen. Both worked in the business side of television broadcasting. She attended St. Mary’s, a school for girls run by Anglican nuns in Peekskill, N.Y. She later entered Western College for Women in Ohio but dropped out and transferred to a Katherine Gibbs secretarial school, after which she worked as a secretary in advertising agencies.

She was married for 49 years to George Small, who died in 2012. They had a son, Thomas, and 4 grandchildren. She had lived on eastern Long Island for 30 years.

Small died on February 24, 2015, aged 77, in Southold, New York.

Writing career

From 1978 on Small authored over 50 novels, including in the historical romance, fantasy romance and erotic contemporary genres. Her novels included The Kadin, and the series The O'Malley Saga and Skye's Legacy.

A New York Times bestselling author, Small also appeared on other best-seller lists including Publishers Weekly, USA Today and the Los Angeles Times. She was the recipient of numerous awards including Best Historical Romance, Outstanding Historical Romance Series, Career Achievement for Historical Fantasy and several Reviewers Choice awards from Romantic Times. She had a "Silver Pen" from Affaire de Coeur, and an Honorable Mention from The West Coast Review of Books. In 2004 Bertrice Small was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Romantic Times magazine for her contributions to the genre.