Charlotte and son Eric at a recent book signing
Charlotte with son Patrick
Romance Author Charlotte Hughes Biography
Charlotte Hughes, the New York Times Best Selling author, has written almost 40 books. These award winning books run the gamut from Roamce to Mystery, as well as humor, horror and suspense.Whether it is due to the fact that she lives in a town steeped in civil war history or because of her fondness for such writers as William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and Katherine Ann Porter is up for debate, but Charlotte Hughes brings a welcome shot of Southern comfort to her readers.
Raised in South Carolina and Texas, Charlotte comes by her feel for the South- its voices and traditions- honestly. "It's not a perfect place but my roots are here and the characters that populate my books are the people that I have grown up with." She describes her mother as the heroine of her life. "She taught me the value of hard work- something I have never been afraid of- and that's allowed me to remain a highly motivated individual."
Although she majored in English and communications, Charlotte maintains that most of what she has accomplished is self-taught. "I always read a lot, and one day, while running a day care center, I picked up a Silhouette romance. That book saved me- I literally 'saw the light' and began to write myself." When her husband was transferred to Kansas City, Charlotte decided to write full-time. "My first catgory romance manuscript was turned down but I sold the second one. I look at first books as very useful and necessary learning tools of what not to do."
Since that first rejected manuscript, Charlotte Hughes has gone on to write thirty critically acclaimed novels running the gamut from romance to horror, mystery to humor. A regular occupant of Waldenbooks and B. Dalton's bestseller lists, Charlotte was one of the first category romance writers to secure a top-fifty ranking on USA Today's list. She has won the respect of both Southern Literary cousins such as Pat Conroy and Janet Evanovich, and her romance peers. A two-time recipient of the Maggie Award, Charlotte has also won the Talisman Award for best short story.
Charlotte Hughes lives with her husband, psychologist and author David John Berndt, in historic Beaufort, South Carolina, surrounded by water and antebellum homes. She has two dachshunds, Rambo and Muffin.
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