GIGNILLIAT, the other ELAINE

WHEN fans of romance illustration hear the name "Elaine" they generally think of Elaine Duillo, one of the premier paperback cover artists of the 20th Century. But there was another illustrator named Elaine, who was just as incredibly skilled with a brush as Duillo, and she too painted hundreds of magnificent looking romance covers. 

Her name was Elaine Gignilliat.

Gignilliat (pronounced Jen'-a-lat') started out as a fashion illustrator in Atlanta and New York before entering the paperback field proper in 1974. It was there that she quickly established herself as a very remarkable and extremely capable illustrator of historical romances, earning almost immediate praise from publishing house insiders, among them the legendary Bantam art director Len Leone, who called her "a big hitter with exquisite taste."

Gignilliat also found time during her lengthy book cover career to produce a rather substantial amount of advertising art for a variety of clients, among them names such as Delta Airlines, Dewars, Readers' Digest Music, Paramount Pictures, TV Guide, The Bradford Exchange, The Danbury Mint, and The Washington Post Weekly Magazine. She even produced sexy poster art for the adult film Industry (all tastefully done, I should add, just like the lady herself).

Gignilliat produced three covers for Joan Grant's Far Memory series, each one marvelous in conception and rendering. They were published by Avon in paperback in 1977. English born writer Joan Marshall Grant Kelsey (1907-1989) considered herself a reincarnationist, and claimed to have lived at least forty times before her current existence. She used the term "far memory" to describe her ability to remember previous lives and so her novels, in essence, were not novels at all but remembered realities, or as she preferred to call them, "previous life autobiographies."

So Moses Was Born by Joan Grant (Avon, 1977, copyright 1952).  'He was the Pharaoh, greatest of all men-- symbol of omnipotence to the people of Egypt-- but even the mighty Ramoses wanted to be loved as man, not as Pharaoh. So he indulged his fiery passions with 28 virgin concubines, until, as the surging Nile was rising, fate brought him the love of a common Hebrew girl, a love that began in innocence and swelled to ecstasy. And in the shadow of a coiled golden cobra, their child was born, one whose name would ring in the hearts of man long after all the false temples had turned to sand...'

Eyes of Horus by Joan Grant (Avon, 1977, copyright 1942).  'Stronger than the ancient gods of Egypt were the living consorts of darkness, who made themselves supreme in the strength of their whip-men... and slaked their every base desire with strange concealed rites no mortal passion dared oppose.  Yet in one pure, immortal passion there throbbed the power the gods had surrendered... The passion of two who had loved in far dead centuries and now risked all, reborn, to renew their torrid bonds.'

Lord of the Horizon by Joan Grant (Avon, 1977, copyright 1944).  'In a land still veiled by the darkness of godless depravity, the young princess was to be the Pharaoh's bride, and to bear the son who would light the way to Egypt's rebirth. Yet her heartless mother had taught her nothing of womanhood, but only of the ways that love could be twisted, and power stolen for personal glory. When at last the Pharaoh came to this bride in the soft silence of the night, it was as though a curse had descended on their embrace. Nor could he stir the fires imprisoned in her soul, until that curse was broken-- when at last, impassioned lovers, they would wake to the radiant dawn of Egypt's new age.'

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Gignilliat produced three excellent wraparound scenes for Barbara Ferry Johnson's historical romance saga series, Delta Blood, which undoubtedly helped push these paperback books into bestsellers. Avon published them between 1977 and 1980. The author, Barbara Ferry Johnson (1923-1989), was an Associate Professor of English at Columbia College in South Carolina for 24 years and wrote six New York Time's best-selling romance novels. She was also a recipient of two writing awards: the Palmetto Award for Fiction, and the Silver Medal Award for Historical Fiction given by the West Coast Writers Association.

Delta Blood (Avon, April, 1977):  'She had always known what it was to be a woman, to want as women want. And now, on the night of New Orleans' most dazzling ball, a lifetime of smoldering passions drew her into the deepening twilight, into the bayous that echoed still with voodoo chants and drumbeats.  Defying the savage embraces of highwaymen and aristocrats, through cruel terrain and the blazing furor of the Civil War, Leah would face all Fate had in store for her--to quench the wild longings that inflamed her, to quell the pounding of her aching heart.'

Homeward Winds the River (Avon, May, 1979):  'Leah... heartbroken and tortured by desire for her aristocratic Creole lover, Baptiste Fontaine, she flees New Orleans on a paddle-wheeler bound for the North--bound for a new life with James Andrews, the lawyer who saved her from the gallows. But as she ascends the gangplank for the sail upriver, and the first whistle of departure sounds its mournful tune, she gazes back to the cypress-shrouded levee, where the eyes of a wounded man burn deeply into her own. Try to forget, the eyes said. Someday you will long to sail southward on the river...'

The Heirs of Love (Avon, August, 1980):  'At the peak of her fulfillment, beautiful Leah, who has thrilled nearly two million readers, is mistress of a sprawling chateau outside Paris and wife to Baptiste Fontaine, once her wealthy Creole master. And now, as Europe enters its most turbulent era, the children move to center stage. THE HEIRS OF LOVE are: Lisette, the blonde beauty who was driven to flirt with English nobility by her husband's notorious pursuits; Nicole, passionate and artistic, who enjoyed the company of Van Gogh and Cezanne, but found love in all the wrong places; and Jean, a brilliant entrepreneur who would risk the future of a dynasty for the sake of a powerful, strange love.'

Who is Philippa Carr, prolific author of Lament for a Lost Lover? Well, for starters she is Jean Plaidy, Victoria Holt, Eleanor Burford, Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow, Anna Percival, Ellalice Tate all rolled into one person--Eleanor Alice Hibbert, one of the most successful women writers of all time. Carr was born Eleanor Alice Burford in London, England, in 1906, and while in her thirties she began writing, and she kept writing until her death in 1993 at the age of 86 (on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea). The end result was more than 200 various genre novels published, and 75 million copies sold worldwide. 

Lament for a Lost Lover  (Fawcett Crest, 1977):   'Lovely, naive Arabella Tolworthy had grown accustomed to her innocence--until the colorful, charismatic actress, Harriet Main, and the dashing Edwin Eversleigh burst into her life.  Arabella did not know it, but these two people would completely change her future. Harriet, for one, would return again and again to influence Arabella's happiness. As for Edwin, Arabella fell deliriously in love with him and married him.  But soon after the wedding she found herself in the new reign of Charles II, ready to devote the rest of her life to memories of the past.  Only one person had the power to free Arabella from her chaste and wealthy prison. that was Charleton Eversleigh, Edwin's cousin. But was he doing this for Arabella's sake... or his own?'

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River Witch featured yet another of Gignilliat's outstanding river-boat themed wraparound illustrations. Moon Witch, its thematic sequel, depicted a Manor House ball, a ball we all wish we could attend. Jove published these historical romance novels in paperback in 1979 and 1980, respectively.  Felicia Andrews is actually a pseudonym, one of several that acclaimed horror writer Charles L. Grant used to author books that fell outside of his preferred genre, horror. As Andrews, he published seven historical romances, which accompanied the more than 100 other books he either wrote or edited before a heart attack took his life in 2006 at the age of 65. Rest in peace, Charlie.

River Witch  (Jove, November, 1979):  'A Barefoot Temptress: Raised to be the finest pilot on the Hudson, Manda Franklin had lost her heart to a high-born beau who left her and her well-loved father to this cutthroat enemies. Now this raven-haired beauty would fight back-- and even the honey-tongued gambler who loved her could not stop her headlong passion for revenge.

Moon Witch  (Jove, August, 1980):  'Amanda Munroe. She was known as "the witch," riverboat captain, gambler's wife-- but most of all, as the independent beauty whose sharpshooting exploits set the frontier aflame... Now widowed and wealthy, her heart turns farther West, to the wild San Francisco of the 80's, and the charm of Trevor Eagleton, the taunting wheeler-dealer she must possess. But desire has its price, and soon her affair with Trevor drives her deeper into a dangerous labyrinth of deceit where an old, deadly enemy lies waiting for revenge, and to a rendezvous where destiny shimmers beneath the moonlit Wyoming sky.'

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This 1980 Dell paperback cover makes one want to jump right into the scene and grab a dance partner, any dance partner, because they all stun in their Regency period outfits.  Silks and Sabers was the debut novel by Laura Parker, who has since went on to be named a Legend of Romance and awarded a Pioneer of Romance by the Romantic Times.

Silks and Sabers  (Dell, 1980):   'He had saved her life. She owed him everything. But Gweneth Valois swore she would rather be savaged by pirates than rescued by Captain Raoul Bertrand, the man who had killed her brother, captured her sister, and expected Gweneth to pay her debt--with gratitude. Had she escaped the terrors of the Revolution only to be trapped in hell on the high seas? From war-torn France to far Tortola, from the crumbling Old World to the lawless New, Gweneth brought a fiery temper, an iron will, a ready sword, and a heart inflamed-- against the handsome adventurer who vowed to tame her and take her for his own!'

Passion's Pride was one of several historical romances that Claudy Conn wrote under her pseudonym Claudette Williams. Conn also used the pen-name Melanie Davis, but most of her 60 plus romance novels were published under her own name. Gignilliat produced at least two more covers for her while under contract at Fawcett Crest.

Passion's Pride  (Fawcett Crest, April, 1980):  "For you I want no loveless marriage, no marriageless love..."  Windmera, as lovely as she was illegitimate, heard again the words of her mother as she found herself between two rivals--the bold young buccaneer captain and the bastard son of her father.  Against the exotic backdrops of the West Indies and the Cornish countryside unfolds this tumultuous story of reckless passions and wild adventures--the story of a woman who dared to love the stranger in her heart...'

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Gignilliat went above (a waterfall), and beyond (a tall ship), for The Devil's Love, producing a wraparound illustration that also featured two of the most attractive lovers ever to champion a paperback cover. Dell published this historical romance novel in 1981.  For the life of me I could not find any online information about the book's author, Lane Harris, or even if she (or he) wrote any additional fiction. The copyright page credits Monica Harris but there's nothing online about her either. There was, however, a young, pioneering associate editor with that same name who was working at Dell then. Was she this one-hit-wonder, perhaps?

The Devil's Love  (Dell, March, 1981):   'Christina--untamed, unpredictable, utterly captivating. She was determined to live as free as the wind--yet fatally bound to the one man whose passion could imprison her forever.  Kade--a handsome privateer. The banished son of a Scottish earl, he roamed the seas, thriving on danger and the intrigue of a turbulent age. From her lush Caribbean paradise, Christina fled to the dazzling salons of Paris. But Kade had vowed to pursue her across the world... to make her see that at the end of her perilous journey lay the ecstasy they were powerless to resist and a glorious destiny forged by... THE DEVIL'S LOVE.'

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Here, on these two covers, Gignilliat facilitates the classic trope of romance: two women vying for the affections of one man; and then alternately, two men vying for the affections of a one woman. Each must ultimately choose between them but is perilously drawn to both.  The Fallon Blood was published by Ace in 1980, followed by The Fallon Pride in 1981, which was published by Pinnacle instead of Ace. The third volume in the Fallon Chronicles, The Fallon Legacy (Pinnacle, 1982), unwisely used a different artist for its cover illustration.  Reagan O'Neal is the pseudonym of James Oliver Rigney, Jr., who is better known for using another pseudonym, that of Robert Jordan, a name that is directly associated with the bestselling, twelve-volume Wheel of Time fantasy series--now stretched to fifteen books by fellow writer Brandon Sanderson after Rigney's premature death in 2007. The deeply religious Rigney, an Episcopalian, was also a history buff (as denotes his interest in writing historical romances), as well as a devout fisherman, chess player, sailor and pipe collector. 

The Fallon Blood  (Ace, 1980):  'Michael Fallon, bonded servant, with trouble in Ireland just behind him, comes to the new World with one desire--to found a dynasty that need bend the knee to none.  In Charlestown, South Carolina, Fallon begins. From bondsman to rice planter, from planter to privateer; from the beautiful, disturbingly sensual Elizabeth Carver to the lovely, and loving, Gabrielle Fourrier; from peace to the greatest Revolution the world had ever seen--a novel beating with the passion of THE FALLON BLOOD.'

The Fallon Pride  (Pinnacle, 1981):  'From the shores of Tripoli to the burning of Washington, from the Louisiana Purchase to Aaron Burr's Empire of Mexico, to the War of 1812, Robert Fallon-- bastard son of wealth-- takes part in all the momentous events of his time.  But for Robert Fallon affairs of state are only the beginning of the story. There is Louise de Chardonnay, her elegant French mistress; Catherine Fallon, his disturbingly sensual half-sister; the sinister and seductive Cordelia Applegate; and ever present, in the shadows, the dark menace of the Fourriers-- the aristocratic family that will stop at nothing to destroy THE FALLON PRIDE.'

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Another masterful wraparound by Gignilliat, showing yet another tall, masted ship in the background. Dell published Oriana in 1981. It was one of three historical romances that Janice Young Brooks and Jean Brooks-Janowiak wrote under the pseudonym Valerie Vayle. Janice Brooks is better known by her other non-de-plume, Jill Churchill, and under that name she published 23 popular cozy mysteries, most with clever, literary title puns such as Grime and Punishment, Silence of the Hams, and A Farewell to Yarns.

Oriana  (Dell, November, 1981):  'Oriana--delicate silver-haired sprite. Born of the Viking princess, she braved the icy seas in her father's ships with a spirit no man could match. Only an adventurer as bold as Gaerith could claim her heart, command her body, possess her soul. Their entwined destinies swept them across oceans to the exotic Caribbean colonies, into London Society, and into the perilous heart of battle to fight alongside legendary Celtic warriors for Scotland's honor and glory. Oriana--daughter of the wild waves. She would know the ecstasy of passion stolen in the heart of danger, the searing pain of separation, and the burning sweetness of eternal love."

Iron Lace, a historical romance by Lorena Dureau, was published by Pocket Tapestry in 1983. Gignilliat, I'm pretty sure, produced at least a dozen covers for Tapestry during the Eighties and at least two additional ones for Dureau.  Lorena Dureau (1924-1997) was born Lorraine Dureau in New Orleans, Louisiana. She was a graduate of Loyola University, where she studied voice, piano and violin, and later taught both. After college she won a Metropolitan Opera area audition and then embarked on a career as a singer in Mexico, where the opera season lasted almost all year. She flourished there, and it was where she also began writing the first of five historical romances. As a singer she paired up with international opera star Norman Treigle, whom she met at Loyola. The pair adopted the style of movie singing stars Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy while performing songs such as "Sweethearts," "Will You Remember?" and "Indian Love Call." She was married twice; to John C. Newsham and then to George H. Lehleitner. In a 1995 interview Dureau said of herself: "I liked three careers because it gave me more independence. I did not have to take anybody's guff... my three-ring circus--I loved it!"

Iron Lace  (Pocket Tapestry #9, 1983):  'Handsome Miguel Vidal de la Fuente assumed he could calm the seething resentment of his beautiful ward, Monique. What he didn't count on was her willfulness--or his passion. Monique's defiance begins as a game, amusing to her, vexing to him. But her reckless behavior puts both their lives in danger at the hands of a tormented Padre, who hopes to rekindle the fires of the Spanish Inquisition.'

 

I was unable to find any biographical information on author Susannah Leigh, but I don't believe the name is an actual pseudonym. All of her 13 romance novels are copyrighted under that name, and that name only. Yesterday's Tears, a historical romance written by Leigh, was published by Signet in 1982. Cheyenne Star was published by Signet also, but in 1984. 

Yesterday's Tears  (Signet, September, 1982):   'Faith Eliot came from England to the South Carolina plantation of Havenhurst to find out the truth about the mysterious death of her twin sister, Fleur. But when she arrived, she could feel Fleur's spirit come alive-- within herself. No longer was Faith the shy creature so very distant from her irrepressible, insatiable twin. She felt Fleur's power over men becoming hers, she felt Fleur's burning needs. Handsome powerful Brad Alleyn and elegant, sophisticated Alexandre Rochforte both were eager to possess her, just as they had Fleur-- and Faith could no more deny their hungers than she could her own. In all innocence, Faith had entered her sister's world of divided love-- and darkest danger..."

Cheyenne Star  (Signet, June, 1984):   'Kristyn Ashley was renamed Morning Star by the Cheyenne who kidnapped her when she was six. They raised her as their blue-eyed beauty, to be wed to the greates fighting man of the tribe, Little Bear, who left her on the eve of their marriage to fight the white man.  But now Kristyn had been returned to the white man's world--rescued by the lean and handsome Rafe Valero. This mocking yet magnificent man aroused feelings in her she had never dreamed existed. Kristyn knew she should remain faithful the the memory of her Indian husband--but she was helplessly swept away from her past by a torrent of passion that burst from the wellsprings of all-consuming love...'

Gignilliat didn't always illustrate historicals; Reflections, a contemporary romance, was published by Harlequin-Silhouette in 1983. Nora Roberts was the first writer to be inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. She is a perennial, bestselling New York Times author, with more than 225 novels to her credit, and the recipient of numerous fiction writing awards. Her best work though was probably published under the pseudonym J. D. Robb.

Reflections  (Harlequin Silhouette, 1983):  'A lifetime of dedication to dance has left ballet teacher Lindsay Dunne with little time for romance. That is until she meets Seth Bannion, the guardian of a talented young dancer in her class. Lindsay finds herself attracted to, and distracted by, the brooding architect. and when they clash over their hopes for the girl's future, Lindsay winds up on the receiving end of a lesson in the art of love.'

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Devil's Embrace was published in paperback by Signet in 1982. It was Catherine Coulter's first historical novel that was not a Regency romance, and it was followed up by its thematic sequel, Devil's Daughter, in 1985. Both books benefited greatly in my opinion by Gignilliat's wonderful cover art.  New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter has written to date more than 85 novels, most of which are historical and contemporary romances, but she's also written dozens of entertaining suspense and investigative procedurals. Her first novel, a Regency romance titled The Autumn Countess, was published in 1978, and her latest, Vortex, an FBI thriller, will be on sale in August, 2021. 

Devil's Embrace  (Signet, August, 1982):  'For beautiful young Cassandra Brougham, the seething city of Genoa, Italy, seemed a world away from the great 18th century English estate where she was raised--and the closest she had ever come to purgatory.  Cassie was no longer an innocent when she arrived there with Lord Anthony Welles, the brutally handsome aristocrat who had seduced and stolen her from her intended, Edward Lyndhurst. Still, she was not prepared for what awaited her in this foreign place where she was being held captive by a lover who swore he would conquer her heart as he had conquered her body. Thus Cssie' trial by the fire of passion began--ass the man she detested made her a slave of desire... as an unknown enemy wreaked revenge upon her... and as she desperately plotted a way to cross the seas to a man she no longer could be sure she loved...'

Devil's Daughter  (Signet, May, 1985):  'His imperious blue eyes raked over her trembling body. She had never imagined that Kamal, the savage sultan who dared make her a harem slave, would look so like a blond Nordic god. She had never dreamed that the warm, exploring touch of his hand could bring such moans to her lips and rob her of her will... He was aflame with urgent desire, and he knew he would take by force what he longed to win by love. Her golden loveliness had conquered his very soul, but her cruel taunts stung his fierce pride. Now her sweet essence, her tantalizing nearness, ignited his need for her to yield her ripe innocence to him and him alone...'

It's high flying romance by Gignilliat for the cover of Some Distant Shore. Pocket published this paperback in 1985. Lynn Erickson is a joint pseudonym used by the writing team formed by Carla Peltonen and Molly Swanton. Since 1980 the duo have written more than 50 novels, mostly historical romances and suspense thrillers, with the last one published in 2004. Both writers appear to be retired now and living life to the fullest here in the high country of Colorado.

Some Distant Shore  (Pocket, September, 1985):  'London 1917... A time of forced gaiety and weary patriotism, when the specter of war was a constant shadow. Into this volatile world came Emily Baird, a gently-reared New England beauty who defied her parents to become one of the valiant nurses on the front lines. Soon she would leave for France, but first there was to be one last London party. There, amid the swirling elegance of velvet gowns and dashing uniforms, Emily heard a deep and resonant voice that spoke to her very soul. And Captain Anthony Dunbarton, the Earl of Clare, knew in one splendid moment that he had waited all his life for the proud, vibrant Yankee. Together they found a private world, a tender place of laughter and love. But their fragile haven vanished in the tumult of war... and Anthony's devastating secret threatened the glorious future just within their grasp, on... SOME DISTANT SHORE.'

Devilwind was published in paperback by Signet in 1986. Aola Vandergriff started writing in her mid-40s by selling first-person confessions to magazines, eventually publishing 2500 confessions, short stories, poems and articles before turning her talents to the more lucrative field of romance novels. She hit pay dirt there, publishing twenty successful novels, some under pseudonyms, before her untimely death in 1989 at the age of 68.

Devilwind  (Signet, December, 1986):  'In a South still raw and bleeding from the Civil War, Beautiful Inga St. Germain fought for survival, and struggled for happiness with a husband who was no longer the man she had married... On a trackless Western plain, proud and passionate Jenny St. Germain searched for her lost lover, and discovered savage terror and untamed ecstasy as captive of the Navajos... In the notorious re-light district of New Orleans, sensually ravishing Kirsten St. Germain used men as her pawns of pleasure and power-- until one man taught her that two could play at the game of seduction and enslavement... Three full-blooded women... three perilous paths in an America of bold desires and rapturous love-- a romantic adventure that will thrill the imagination and quicken the pulse...'

As far as I can tell, Gignilliat only produced these three covers for June Lund Shiplett's historical romance series, The Winds. Shiplett (1930- 2010) wrote fifteen historical romances altogether, eight of which were part her bestselling The Winds series, which began in 1978 and concluded in 1988 with volume 8. She also taught writing for many years at the Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio, and was a charter member of the Romance Writers of America. 

The Winds 5: Thunder in the Wind  (Signet, January, 1983):  'Heather, born of a rapturous love beyond the bounds of wedlock, inherited both her mother Darcy's exquisite beauty and a fiery sensuality that drove her to seek happiness in the arms of a man who could never marry her... And her cousin Lizette, charming, an irresistible coquette whom everyone thought of as a mischievous child--except for the handsome adventurer who took her innocence in a brief moment of unforgettable ecstasy and transformed her into a woman of dangerous desire... Sweeping from the opulent ballrooms of magnificent Carolina mansions to the raw violence of America's untamed wilderness, here is the enthralling saga of two women defying family and society in their search for the love they could no longer deny...'

The Winds 7, Winds of Betrayal  (Signet, January, 1987):  'Beautiful, voluptuous Lizette Kilter deeply loved her husband Bain Kolter, even though the handsome adventurer and plantation owner would not reveal what he did on his mysterious missions to the Caribbean. She found out the truth when she was abducted by the men of Sancho de Cordoba, the savagely strong and virile freebooter who sought revenge for the bloody defeat Bain had inflicted upon him. Sancho de Cordoba was determined to make Lizette not only his prisoner but his sensual slave--only to discover that he more than lusted for her... he loved her. And Lizette was caught up in a wave of desire that swept her beyond all restraint--a cresting passion that could just as easily plunge her to hell as lift her to heaven...'

The Winds 8: The Gathering of the Winds (Signet, December, 1988. *Gignilliat sure gave this blonde hunk (Richard Banks) his share of modeling opportunities! And can we blame her?):   'Texas in the 1830s was at the heart of a tumultuous whirlwind as Americans, Mexicans and Indians fought for the untamed land. It was here that three passionately determined women sought love's fiery fulfillment. Beautiful and willful Teffin Dante was helplessly drawn to the handsome man who was forbidden to her by every taboo... gallant and lovely Blythe Kolter lost her innocence in the arms of a lover she could neither trust nor resist... proud and exquisite Catalina de Leon told herself she hated the American Bain Kolter with all her Mexican blood, but could not stop her body from responding to his touch... Three unforgettable women... three burning paths of desire... in June Lund Shiplett's thrilling romantic spellbinder of the flaming American frontier."

Here's a glimpse into the grand, ultra romantic world of the Regency Period by Gignilliat, on Joan Smith's romance novel, Lover's Quarrels. Fawcett Crest published this paperback in 1989. Joan Smith is often referred to as the "Canadian Georgette Heyer," a compliment of the highest order. She's written over a hundred books thus far, most of which are in her debut choice of genre, the Regency, but she's also written contemporary and historical mysteries and even a few gothic mysteries. In fact, nearly all of her novels have some element of mystery or suspense in them, making them all that much better to read.

Lover's Quarrels  (Fawcett Crest, September, 1989):   'Jane Halsey decided it was time to stop her girlish daydreams and face reality. She had to find a rich husband to end the financial woes plaguing her sister Belle and herself. Lord Romeo, an ardent lover of all things Grecian, vowed the moment he saw Jane (whom he promptly renamed Athene), to marry her. That was precisely what his brother, Lord Renfrew, wanted: a practical lady of good conscience to wed his eccentric brother. Jane, however, had no interest, classical or otherwise in the incorrigible Romeo. Renfrew was her ideal. The drama unfolding was both a comedy and a tragedy. And how she yearned for a romance!'

Here we have another of Gignilliat's elegant, Regency themed dances on the cover of the The Love Match (check out the jealous expression on the woman at the far right--hilarious!). Fawcett Crest published this paperback in 1990. Marion Chesney is the maiden name of the pseudonymous mystery writer M. C. Beaton, the celebrated creator of both the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth series. Beaton, or rather Chesney (her married name was Gibbons), wrote nearly one hundred Regency romances, many under pseudonyms other than Chesney, before turning exclusively towards mystery. In that genre alone she wrote more than 60 novels before passing away in 2019 at the age of 83.

The Love Match  (Fawcett Crest, 1990):  'By day she championed women's rights, but by night she dreamed of romance. No young lady was more devoted to the teachings of that infamous bluestocking Mrs. Waverley than her adopted daughter Felicity. However, unlike her mentor, she vowed to stay unmarried and true to the cause. In fact, she was the secret author of a scandalous new novel-- the tale of a lady "rake" and her romantic exploits. Unfortunately, there was one titled gentleman who learned her identity and grew intrigued with the headstrong young lady who was taking the town by storm. With the handsome marquess spurring her on, Felicity would soon learn that real life could be infinitely more interesting than mere fiction... '

IT WOULD appear that Elaine Gignilliat passed away herself in 2015, at the age of 87, but her estate still has an active website (romancebookcoverart.com), where you can discover more about her career and even order prints of her work. There is also a great section where you can see the fascinating process, from start to finish, of how she creates a book cover. For illustration nerds like me it's invaluable. You can also see photographs of her stately home in Georgia, built and designed by her to provide stylish, comfortable living--and of course to showcase her fabulous paintings in the grandest way possible.

 

 [© March, 2021, Jeffersen]