BY DANNY McCARTHY
It was early in the {1970s} that Bertrice Small started herself, near the time when the first successful historical romance hit the bookstores. For Small it was learning about Suleiman the Magnificent’s West European mother that sparked her interest in history. Suleiman was a Turk in the Ottoman Empire, and when he became a sultan, his mother was called Kadin because she was then her husband’s favorite wife-hence the role for Small’s new book, ‘The Kadin.’ It was published by Ballantine Books in 1978.
According to LIFE magazine, Bertrice Small will be one of the best-selling romance authors of the 1980s.
“Small has printed five books to date, all of them classified as historical romance. Her most popular, ‘Skye O’Malley,’ ran with the winners for seven weeks on the New York Times best seller {stet} list.
Small is probably best known locally as being the lady who writes ‘those tales of erotica.’ Her lead characters, always heroines, are based on real people and the real events that affected them, but the part of their lives that sells paperbacks is {their} never-before-told-closed-door secrets which Small fictitiously recreates.
The author makes no excuses for her pornography. She writes ‘grown-up fairy tales’ which are ‘important to a person’s mental health.’
‘I’m a great believer to escape fiction,’ she says. ‘It’s nice to have a half-hour where you can be beautiful, chased by several men, and have a nursemaid for the children. Come out of that, and you’re ready for anything.’
It may be the erotica that keeps the cash register ringing, but pornography without a factual base, Small says, ‘is too boring.’
To keep her work true to history, Small incorporates extensive research. In a reference book entitled ‘Western World Costumes,’ she utilizes countless records of old-world ways that tell what was worn and what was done down to the most minute details. ‘If you’re going to undress a heroine,’ she says, ‘you better know what she’s got under her hoop skirt.’
Small says her field of writing has finally, after nearly a decade, come into its own in the publishing world. In addition to the Life coverage, the trade magazine Publishers Weekly is planning to give it a little tongue-in-cheek exposure. ‘P.W, {Publishers Weekly} is finally getting around to writing about historical romance,’ she {said} sarcastically. ‘We’ve only been around for nine years.’
Small’s heroines are always strong women ‘who are in full control but have a lot of fun.’ She had no room for ‘sappy heroines.’
And yet she strives to make her readers ‘feel’ the tenderness that she creates for her novelistic lovers. Small {wanted} her readers to feel ‘either sorry, mad, or wish their husband was there …’
She adds that letting loose with erotic reading can be healing ‘as long as readers don’t expect their partners to perform characters in the book.’
But the respects the writer can bring about the excitement of love without being overly explicit. A favorite is Barbara Cartland. ‘She can do more with a kiss that others can do with everything else,’ Small said.
Small, who {said} she’s ‘over 35,’ is a New Yorker who moved to Southold about five years back. She and her husband opened a local gift shop and stay out of the city as much as possible. They {loved} Southold, Small {said}, even in winter. ‘{They drove} around… love the farm fields-sometimes covered with snow, sometimes bare.’
Paul Demery also included that at the time of his published article, “Unconquered” was ‘Small’s newest creation, brings some hometown touch in the book world. {It was due out in January} {and} tells of an American heroine during the War of 1812 who lives on Windsong Island–a place Small envisions off the coast of Orient-before sailing on to England Russia.
{From Paul Demery's August 27, 1984 Traveler article titled Romance Writer Heads For Top.}
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