As a professional romance novelist, she publishes books at a furious pace — it’s never enough
This is a love story. But like many, it’s long and lopsided. Kathy Lyons loves writing romance novels. And the romance novel industry — which claims a sizable percentage of the fiction bought in this country — only loves Kathy Lyons when it’s convenient. You might consider this an unhealthy relationship. Or at least, a long-term codependent affair, marked by frustration and only a glimmer of the exhilaration true love promises.
Kathy Lyons, faithful scribe of Champaign, Illinois, definitely would.
The romance between Kathy Lyons and the romance novel industrial complex is so complicated, fickle and undying — albeit typical for many romance novelists — she has changed her name several times. She has remade herself into what she thinks the romance novel business wants her to be. Not once. She was born Katherine Greyle and first wrote as Katherine Greyle. When she married, she became Kathy Grill, but “Grill” wasn’t especially romantic. So she wrote as Kathy Lyons. Playing off her Chinese heritage, she began writing books as Jade Lee. Last year, she eased into diversifying her resume and started writing children’s books, which meant adding Cat Chen to her aliases. She learned to rebrand: Jade Lee uses green and gold colors in her marketing; Kathy Lyons uses red and white. In a genre of vampires, unexpected babies, bodice rippers and frontier librarians, she’s even tried a few grizzly-bear paranormal romances.
She started 25 years ago, and she hasn’t stopped.
Since 1998, she’s been on USA Today’s bestseller list for one week. That’s her high-water mark. She has written more than 80 books and sold about a million copies. She has fans and the respect of peers. In return, publishers have remained mostly indifferent. Which makes her average for this profession. Sara Reyes, who runs Fresh Fiction, a popular online gathering spot for romance readers, knows Kathy well. “She is very typical for this world. She hangs in there. She knocks out two or three books a year. Sometimes more. She does not get much notice but she’s also the backbone of a business, providing stories readers look for. How many of these writers can support families doing this — that’s, but it is true.”
