Difference between revisions of "Brenda Novak"

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{{DEFAULTSORT: Novak, Brenda}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT: Novak, Brenda}}
 
[[Category: Authors - N]]
 
[[Category: Authors - N]]
 +
[[Category:RITA Award Finalists]]
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[[Category:Contemporary Romance Authors]]
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[[Category:Romantic Suspense Authors]]
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[[Category:1999 Debut]]
 +
[[Category:California Authors]]
  
−
'''Brenda Novak''' juggles her writing career with her children’s softball and soccer games, field trips, carpool runs and homework sessions. Her best advice for a would-be author? "read, read, read….”
+
It was a shocking experience that jump-started '''Brenda Novak'''’s bestselling author career.
  
 +
“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided I needed to do something from home.”
 +
 +
However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.
 +
 +
Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of twenty in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.
 +
 +
“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”
 +
 +
Brenda sold her first book OF NOBLE BIRTH, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the Rita, the National Reader’s Choice and the Bookseller’s Best, and she now runs a warm and enthusiastic book group on Facebook with over 17,000 members.
 +
 +
Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, playing pickle ball, hiking and biking — she rides an amazing 20 miles several times a week!
  
 
==On The Web==
 
==On The Web==
−
[http://www.brendanovak.com/ Brenda Novak] ''(Warning: flash and audio)''
+
* Website [https://brendanovak.com/]
  
 
==Books==
 
==Books==
−
*Dead Right
+
* ''[[Baby Business]]'' - 2000
−
*Dead Giveaway
+
* ''[[A Baby Of Her Own|Baby Of Her Own, A]]'' / ''[[That One Night]]'' - 2002
−
*[[Coulda Been A Cowboy]]
+
* ''[[The Banned Books Club|Banned Books Club, The]]'' - 2024
−
*[[Once Upon A Christmas - Superromance|Once Upon A Christmas|]]
+
* ''[[The Bastard|Bastard, The]]'' - 2013
−
*Baby Business
+
* ''[[Before We Were Strangers]]'' - 2018
−
*A Baby Of Her Own
+
* ''[[Big Girls Don't Cry]]'' / ''[[Finding You]]'' - 2005
−
*[[Big Girls Don't Cry]]
+
* ''[[Blind Spot]]'' - 2019
−
*Cold Feet
+
* ''[[Blood In, Blood Out]]'' - 2012
−
*Dead Silence
+
* ''[[Body Heat]]'' - 2010
−
*Dear Maggie
+
* ''[[The Bookstore On The Beach|Bookstore On The Beach, The]]'' - 2021
−
*Every Waking Moment
+
* ''[[A California Christmas|California Christmas, A]]'' - 2020
−
*Expectations
+
* ''[[Christmas In Silver Springs]]'' - 2019
−
*[[A Family Of Her Own]]
+
* ''[[Cold Feet]]'' - 2004
−
*[[A Home Of Her Own]]
+
* ''[[Come Home To Me]]'' - 2014
−
*[[A Husband Of Her Own]]
+
* ''[[Coulda Been A Cowboy]]'' / ''[[The More I Love You|More I Love You, The]]'' - 2007
−
*More than Words
+
* ''[[Dead Giveaway]]'' - 2007
−
*Mother Please
+
* ''[[Dead Right]]'' - 2007
−
*Of Noble Birth  
+
* ''[[Dead Silence]]'' - 2006
−
*[[The Other Woman]]
+
* ''[[Dear Maggie]]'' - 2001
−
*Shooting the Moon  
+
* ''[[Discovering You]]'' - 2016
−
*Snow Baby
+
* ''[[A Dundee Christmas|Dundee Christmas, A]]'' - 2010
−
*[[Stranger In Town]]
+
* ''[[Every Waking Moment]]'' - 2005
−
*Taking the Heat
+
* ''[[Expectations]]'' / ''[[Back To You]]'' - 2000
−
*We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause
+
* ''[[Face Off]]'' - 2018
 +
* ''[[A Family By Christmas|Family By Christmas, A]]'' - 2011
 +
* ''[[A Family Of Her Own|Family Of Her Own, A]]'' / ''[[First Love, Second Chance]]'' - 2004
 +
* ''[[Finding Our Forever]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[Hanover House]]'' - 2015
 +
* ''[[The Heart Of Christmas|Heart Of Christmas, The]]'' - 2014
 +
* ''[[Hello Again]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[Her Darkest Nightmare]]'' - 2016
 +
* ''[[Home To Whiskey Creek]]'' - 2013
 +
* ''[[Home For The Holidays]]'' - 2021
 +
* ''[[A Home Of Her Own|Home Of Her Own, A]]'' / ''[[Say You Love Me]]'' - 2004
 +
* ''[[Honor Bound]]'' - 2014
 +
* ''[[A Husband Of Her Own|Husband Of Her Own, A]]'' / ''[[Falling for You]]'' - 2003
 +
* ''[[In Close]]'' - 2011
 +
* ''[[In Seconds]]'' - 2011
 +
* ''[[Inside]]'' - 2011
 +
* ''[[Just Like The Ones We Used To Know]]'' / ''[[The Best Christmas Surprise|Best Christmas Surprise, The]]'' - 2006
 +
* ''[[Keep Me Warm At Christmas]]'' - 2021
 +
* ''[[Killer Heat]]'' - 2010
 +
* ''[[The Last Stand Collection Volume 2|Last Stand Collection Volume 2, The]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[A Matter Of Grave Concern|Matter Of Grave Concern, A]]'' - 2014
 +
* ''[[The Messy Life Of Jane Tanner|Messy Life Of Jane Tanner, The]]'' - 2024
 +
* ''[[No One But You]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[Of Noble Birth]]'' - 2099
 +
* ''[[On A Snowy Christmas]]'' - 2009
 +
* ''[[One Perfect Summer]]'' - 2020
 +
* ''[[The Other Woman|Other Woman, The]]'' / ''[[Just The Two Of Us]]'' - 2006
 +
* ''[[The Perfect Couple|Perfect Couple, The]]'' - 2009
 +
* ''[[The Perfect Liar|Perfect Liar, The]]'' - 2009
 +
* ''[[The Perfect Murder|Perfect Murder, The]]'' - 2009
 +
* ''[[Right Where We Belong]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[Sanctuary]]'' - 2003
 +
* ''[[The Seaside Library|Seaside Library, The]]'' - 2023
 +
* ''[[The Secrets She Kept|Secrets She Kept, The]]'' - 2016
 +
* ''[[The Secret Sister|Secret Sister, The]]'' - 2015
 +
* ''[[Shooting The Moon]]'' - 2002
 +
* ''[[Small Packages]]'' - 2004
 +
* ''[[Snow Baby]]'' - 2000
 +
* ''[[Stop Me]]'' - 2008
 +
* ''[[Stranger In Town]]'' / ''[[Meant For You]]'' - 2005
 +
* ''[[Summer On The Island]]'' - 2022
 +
* ''[[The Summer That Changed Everything|Summer That Changed Everything, The]]'' - 2025
 +
* ''[[Take Me Home For Christmas]]'' - 2013
 +
* ''[[Taking The Heat]]'' - 2003
 +
* ''[[The Talk Of Coyote Canyon|Talk Of Coyote Canyon, The]]'' - 2023
 +
* ''[[Talulah's Back In Town]]'' - 2023
 +
* ''[[This Heart Of Mine]]'' - 2015
 +
* ''[[Through The Smoke]]'' - 2013
 +
* ''[[Tourist Season]]'' - 2024
 +
* ''[[Trust Me]]'' - 2008
 +
* ''[[Tying The Knot]]'' - 2024
 +
* ''[[Unforgettable You]]'' - 2019
 +
* ''[[Until You Loved Me]]'' - 2017
 +
* ''[[Watch Me]]'' - 2008
 +
* ''[[We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus]]'' - 2001
 +
* ''[[What A Girl Wants]]'' / ''[[To Win Her Heart]]'' - 2004
 +
* ''[[When Lightning Strikes]]'' - 2012
 +
* ''[[When Snow Falls]]'' - 2012
 +
* ''[[When Summer Comes]]'' - 2013
 +
* ''[[When I Found You]]'' - 2021
 +
* ''[[When We Touch]]'' - 2012
 +
* ''[[White Heat]]'' - 2010
 +
* ''[[A Winter Wedding|Winter Wedding, A]]'' - 2015
 +
 
 +
==Series/Related Titles==
 +
'''9 Months Later''' (multi-author series)
 +
:  21. ''[[Expectations]]'' / ''[[Back To You]]''
 +
:  26. ''[[Snow Baby]]''
 +
:  27. ''[[Baby Business]]''
 +
:  35. ''[[A Baby Of Her Own]]'' / ''[[That One Night]]''
 +
 
 +
'''The Birth Place''' (multi-author series)
 +
:  2. ''[[Sanctuary]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Bulletproof'''
 +
#''[[Inside]]''
 +
#''[[In Seconds]]''
 +
#''[[In Close]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Coyote Canyon'''
 +
#''[[Talulah's Back In Town]]''
 +
#''[[The Talk Of Coyote Canyon]]''
 +
#''[[The Messy Life Of Jane Tanner]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Dundee, Idaho'''
 +
#''[[A Baby Of Her Own]]'' / ''[[That One Night]]''
 +
#''[[A Husband Of Her Own]]'' / ''[[Falling For You]]''
 +
#''[[A Family Of Her Own]]'' / ''[[First Love, Second Chance]]''
 +
#''[[A Home Of Her Own]]'' / ''[[Say You Love Me]]''
 +
#''[[Stranger In Town]]'' / ''[[Meant For You]]''
 +
#''[[Big Girls Don't Cry]]'' / ''[[Finding You]]''
 +
#''[[The Other Woman]]'' / ''[[Just The Two Of Us]]''
 +
#''[[Coulda Been A Cowboy]]'' / ''[[The More I Love You]]''
 +
#''[[A Dundee Christmas
 +
 
 +
'''Evelyn Talbot Chronicles'''
 +
#''[[Hanover House]]''
 +
#''[[Her Darkest Nightmare]]''
 +
#''[[Hello Again]]''
 +
#''[[Face Off]]''
 +
#''[[Blind Spot]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Fairham Island'''
 +
#''[[The Secret Sister]]''
 +
#''[[The Secrets She Kept]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Hired Gun'''
 +
#''[[White Heat]]''
 +
#''[[Body Heat]]''
 +
#''[[Killer Heat]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Last Stand'''
 +
#''[[Trust Me]]''
 +
#''[[Stop Me]]''
 +
#''[[Watch Me]]''
 +
#''[[The Perfect Couple]]''
 +
#''[[The Perfect Liar]]''
 +
#''[[The Perfect Murder]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Silver Springs'''
 +
#''[[Finding Our Forever]]''
 +
#''[[No One But You]]''
 +
#''[[Until You Loved Me]]''
 +
#''[[Right Where We Belong]]''
 +
#''[[Unforgettable You]]''
 +
#''[[Christmas In Silver Springs]]''
 +
#''[[A California Christmas]]''
 +
#''[[When I Found You]]''
 +
#''[[Keep Me Warm At Christmas]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Stillwater'''
 +
#''[[Dead Silence]]''
 +
#''[[Dead Giveaway]]''
 +
#''[[Dead Right]]''
 +
 
 +
'''Whiskey Creek'''
 +
::  .5 ''[[When We Touch]]''
 +
#''[[When LIghtning Strikes]]''
 +
#''[[When Snow Falls]]''
 +
#''[[When Summer Comes]]''
 +
#''[[Home To Whiskey Creek]]''
 +
#''[[Take Me Home For Christmas]]''
 +
#''[[Come Home To Me]]''
 +
#''[[The Heart Of Christmas]]''
 +
#''[[This Heart Of Mine]]''
 +
#''[[A Winter Wedding]]''
 +
#''[[Discovering You]]''
 +
::  10.5 ''[[Home For The Holidays]]''
 +
 
 +
==Awards==
 +
*2015  [[RT Reviewers Choice Award]] Winner - Contemporary Romance, ''[[This Heart Of Mine]]''
 +
*2012  [[RT Reviewers Choice Award]] Winner - Contemporary Romance, ''[[When Snow Falls]]''
 +
*2003  [[RT Reviewers Choice Award]] Winner - Harlequin SuperRomance, ''[[Sanctuary]]''
  
−
==Novellas/Short Stories==
+
==Recognitions==
−
*[[Sanctuary]] (with [[Pamela Bauer]], [[Judith Bowen]], [[K.N. Casper]], [[Laura Abbot]] and [[Caron Todd]])
+
*2021  [[Publishers Weekly]] Starred Review, ''[[The Bookstore On The Beach]]''
 +
*2019  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Romantic Suspense, ''[[Before We Were Stangers]]''
 +
*2018  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Contmeporary Romance: Long, ''[[No One But You]]''
 +
*2017  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[No One But You]]''
 +
*2017  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Until You Loved Me]]''
 +
*2016  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[Her Darkest Nightmare]]''
 +
*2016  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Contmeporary Romance: Long, ''[[The Secret Sister]]''
 +
*2016  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Her Darkest Nightmare]]''
 +
*2015  [[Booklist]] Starred Review, ''[[This Heart Of Mine]]''
 +
*2015  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[This Heart Of Mine]]''
 +
*2015  [[RT Book Reviews]] Tpop Pick, ''[[The Secret Sister]]''
 +
*2015  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[This Heart Of Mine]]''
 +
*2015  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[A Winter Wedding]]''
 +
*2014  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[The Heart Of Christmas]]''
 +
*2014  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[A Matter Of Grave Concern]]''
 +
*2014  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Contmeporary Single Title, ''[[Home To Whiskey Creek]]''
 +
*2014  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[Come Home To Me]]''
 +
*2014  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[The Heart Of Christmas]]''
 +
*2013  [[Library Journal]] Starred Review, ''[[Take Me Home For Christmas]]''
 +
*2012  [[RT Book Reviews]] Top Pick, ''[[When Snow Falls]]''
 +
*2011  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Romantic Novella, ''[[A Dundee Christmas]]''
 +
*2010  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Romantic Novella, ''[[On A Snowy Christmas]]''
 +
*2009  [[Romance Writers of America (RWA) Awards|RITA Award]] Finalist - Romantic Suspense, ''[[Stop Me]]''

Latest revision as of 13:42, 7 November 2024


It was a shocking experience that jump-started Brenda Novak’s bestselling author career.

“I caught my day-care provider drugging my children with cough syrup and Tylenol to get them to sleep while I was away,” Brenda says. “It was then that I decided I needed to do something from home.”

However, writing was the last profession she expected to undertake. In fact, Brenda swears she didn’t have a creative bone in her body. In school, math and science were her best subjects, and when it came time to pick a major in college, she chose business.

Abandoning her academic scholarship to Brigham Young University at the age of twenty in order to get married and start a family, Brenda dabbled in commercial real estate, then became a loan officer.

“When I first got the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Brenda sold her first book OF NOBLE BIRTH, and the rest is history. Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the Rita, the National Reader’s Choice and the Bookseller’s Best, and she now runs a warm and enthusiastic book group on Facebook with over 17,000 members.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are the proud parents of five children—three girls and two boys. When she’s not spending time with her family or writing, Brenda is usually raising money for diabetes research. Her youngest son, Thad, has diabetes, and Brenda is determined to help him and others like him. She also enjoys traveling, playing pickle ball, hiking and biking — she rides an amazing 20 miles several times a week!

On The Web

Books

Series/Related Titles

9 Months Later (multi-author series)

21. Expectations / Back To You
26. Snow Baby
27. Baby Business
35. A Baby Of Her Own / That One Night

The Birth Place (multi-author series)

2. Sanctuary

Bulletproof

  1. Inside
  2. In Seconds
  3. In Close

Coyote Canyon

  1. Talulah's Back In Town
  2. The Talk Of Coyote Canyon
  3. The Messy Life Of Jane Tanner

Dundee, Idaho

  1. A Baby Of Her Own / That One Night
  2. A Husband Of Her Own / Falling For You
  3. A Family Of Her Own / First Love, Second Chance
  4. A Home Of Her Own / Say You Love Me
  5. Stranger In Town / Meant For You
  6. Big Girls Don't Cry / Finding You
  7. The Other Woman / Just The Two Of Us
  8. Coulda Been A Cowboy / The More I Love You
  9. [[A Dundee Christmas

Evelyn Talbot Chronicles

  1. Hanover House
  2. Her Darkest Nightmare
  3. Hello Again
  4. Face Off
  5. Blind Spot

Fairham Island

  1. The Secret Sister
  2. The Secrets She Kept

Hired Gun

  1. White Heat
  2. Body Heat
  3. Killer Heat

Last Stand

  1. Trust Me
  2. Stop Me
  3. Watch Me
  4. The Perfect Couple
  5. The Perfect Liar
  6. The Perfect Murder

Silver Springs

  1. Finding Our Forever
  2. No One But You
  3. Until You Loved Me
  4. Right Where We Belong
  5. Unforgettable You
  6. Christmas In Silver Springs
  7. A California Christmas
  8. When I Found You
  9. Keep Me Warm At Christmas

Stillwater

  1. Dead Silence
  2. Dead Giveaway
  3. Dead Right

Whiskey Creek

.5 When We Touch
  1. When LIghtning Strikes
  2. When Snow Falls
  3. When Summer Comes
  4. Home To Whiskey Creek
  5. Take Me Home For Christmas
  6. Come Home To Me
  7. The Heart Of Christmas
  8. This Heart Of Mine
  9. A Winter Wedding
  10. Discovering You
10.5 Home For The Holidays

Awards

Recognitions

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