Marion Smith Collins (1935–2002)

Marion Smith was born on 1935 in Georgia, USA. She got the writing bug early when she was seven and won an award for her essay on protection of our feathered friends. She admitted, "The thrill of seeing my words on a printed page has never faded." She met her husband, Robert L. Collins Jr., while studying journalism at the University of Georgia. Bob was a lawyer, and they had two children, Robert L. and Katherine. The family lived in the north Georgia mountains. She had been a public relations director, and her love of art inspired her to run a combination gallery and restaurant for several years. But her love was to write, and while bringing up her two children she wrote features for the local paper, press releases for civic clubs, political advertising — anything to keep her hand in. And then, she wrote her first romance novel, published in 1982. "Now I've found my niche, my passion," she said with conviction. "I want to do this every day for the rest of my life." Her enjoyment of romance writing was reflected in the warmth and gentle humor found in her novels. She was the author of several contemporary romances, as well as one book of general fiction. She and her husband shared a love of art, travel, oceans and beaches. She was a devoted traveler and had been to places as far-flung as Rome and Tahiti. Her favorite country for exploring, however, was the United States because, she sayd, it has everything. She died on 24 February 2002 in a house fire, survived by her husband and children.