Eileen Dreyer
Quick Facts
Biography
Eileen Dreyer is a New York Times bestselling American author of contemporary romance, historical romance and suspense and also publishes under the pen name Kathleen Korbel. She is a five-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award and in 1995 was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. In 2014, she competed on the TV game show Jeopardy!.
Biography
Dreyer was born in St. Louis, Missouri and at the age of nineteen she began work as a trauma nurse.
She is trained in forensic nursing and death investigation and lives in Brentwood, Missouri with her husband and children. Her great-grandfather was a member of the IRA.
She published her first novel as Kathleen Korbel in 1986, writing for Harlequin's Silhouette category imprint. She said that "as a trauma nurse...she enjoyed writing romance because she liked to see good things happen to people, and scripting the story, she could be sure of that." Having grown up in a non-dysfunctional family, she said that working in the ER helped to how her the definition of a hero. "It constantly amazes me the people I've met who have had terrible things happen to them, but who live their lives well, loving and nurturing those around them. Those are my heroes. People who survive, who thrive, who triumph when there is no way they should."
Dreyer was a contestant on the October 30, 2014 episode of Jeopardy!, though she didn't win. She credited her ability to make it on the show and compete with reading a wide range of genres, but especially romance -- "I think I picked up the best information from romance." This was especially true for Final Jeopardy!. As she related in an interview, "So the Final Jeopardy! category was English Monarchs, and I had to place my bet before I knew the answer. I had $6,400 at the time. I bet $6,200 because I had a strong feeling after my own history with historical romance, I would know this one. The answer was, 'The name of two kings, fifth and eighth, who were notable for being king but not crowned.' (Cue music.) And yes, I knew that the two kings, one of the boys Richard III allegedly killed in the Tower, and the king who abdicated for Wallace Simpson, were named Edward. I didn't win. Unfortunately, the other two players knew it, too. But I knew the answer. And I knew it because I read and write historical romance."
Awards and reception
- 1987 - RT Bookclub named her Best New Contemporary Romance Author
- 1989 - Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Silhouette Desire for Hotshot
- 1990 - Romance Writer's of America RITA Award for Best Long Contemporary Series for The Ice Cream Man
- 1990 - Romance Writer's of America RITA Award for Best Romantic Suspense for Perchance to Dream
- 1992 - Romance Writer's of America RITA Award for Best Single Title Contemporary for A Man to Die For
- 1992 - Romance Writer's of America RITA Award for Best Long Contemporary Series Romance for A Rose for Maggie
- 1993 - Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Series Romance Book of the Year for A Walk on the Wild Side
- 1995 - Romance Writer's of America RITA Award for Best Long Contemporary Series Romance for A Soldier's Heart
- 1996 - Anthony Award Nominee for Best Paperback Original for Bad Medicine
- 2003 - Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Silhouette Intimate Moments for Some Men's Dreams
- 2003 - Romance Readers Anonymous (RRA) Award for Some Men's Dreams
- 2005 - Romantic Times Career Achievement Award Winner - Suspense
- 2010 - Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for Best Historical for Barely a Lady