Eileen Goudge

Author profile

gender

female

website

http://eileengoudge.com/

twitter username

eileengoudge

genre

Literature & Fiction, Romance

About this author

edit data

I was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area as one of six kids, I was never without a cast with which to stage my early theatrical productions, which included a musical rendition of "The Christmas Carol," in which I was Ebenezer Scrooge. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven’t looked back since. From the early days of mostly collecting rejection slips, I went on to publish thirty-two novels for young adults, thirteen (and still counting) of women’s fiction, as well as numerous short stories and magazine articles, and one cookbook.
Often I’m asked where I get my ideas. Fortunately, I have a wealth of life experiences to draw from. Not all of...more I was born on the Fourth of July, and it's been fireworks ever since. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay area as one of six kids, I was never without a cast with which to stage my early theatrical productions, which included a musical rendition of "The Christmas Carol," in which I was Ebenezer Scrooge. I began writing at age eight, with short stories and poems, and I haven’t looked back since. From the early days of mostly collecting rejection slips, I went on to publish thirty-two novels for young adults, thirteen (and still counting) of women’s fiction, as well as numerous short stories and magazine articles, and one cookbook.
Often I’m asked where I get my ideas. Fortunately, I have a wealth of life experiences to draw from. Not all of them so good, but they each contributed to my writing in some way. Starting when I dropped out of college to get married, at age eighteen. Two years later I was divorced, with a baby son and no means of support. I ended up briefly on welfare, and stood in line for government surplus food. But every cloud has its silver lining, and this one led to my determination to make a go of it as a professional writer. I borrowed a typewriter from my next-door neighbor, and lacking a desk, plunked it down on the living room floor. The rest, as they say, is history.

I wrote non-stop for the next couple of years, selling a few articles here and there. Enough to fan the flame, if not to make ends meet. Oddly enough, with each rejection slip my determination only grew. I guess it's true what they say: Success is getting up one more time than you fall down. My first break came in the early eighties, when I was chosen to help launch a line of teen romances, which went on to become the phenomenally successful "Sweet Valley High" series. At last I had enough money (barely!) to strike out on my own. Ending another bad marriage, I pulled up stakes and moved east with my two children to New York City, where I was determined to make it as a novelist.

In 1986, my first adult novel, GARDEN OF LIES, was published. The saga of baby girls switched at birth---one rich, the other poor---went on to enjoy a combined total of 16 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, in hardcover and paperback. Though there’s no such thing as an overnight success, I felt like one, having gone in a matter of months from not knowing how I would pay the rent to wondering what I was going to do with all that money. The first thing I did was fulfill a fantasy born of years of wearing hand-me-downs: I walked into Saks Fifth Avenue and bought a dress...without even looking at the price tag!

I've since gone on to write many more novels. My most recent, which came out in June of '08, is titled DOMESTIC AFFAIRS ---a Cinderella story in reverse: Riches to rags but with a happy ending. I've posted a few sample chapters on this site. In '09, I have two new titles coming out, a Mother's Day novella, THE DIARY (April), about two adult daughters who come across their mother's girlhood diary while cleaning out her attic and discover a shocking secret. And ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (August), about sisters separated in childhood who are reunited later in life, after having lived drastically different lives. Look for a "sneak preview" of each in the weeks prior to publication.

My own real-life romance reads like those in my novels. After three failed marriages, I finally found true love in the most unlikely place of all: sitting at home. I was being interviewed over the phone by a radio talk show host named Sandy Kenyon, formerly of CNN and now a correspondent for WINS and WABC-TV, here in New York City. He sounded so nice that when he asked if he could call back later on, I said, "Sure!" We talked for three hours that night...and every night after that. Six weeks later, when we finally met, it was as if we'd known each other all our lives. We were married in September of 1996, and after more than ten years w(less)

combine editions
Books by Eileen Goudge

Average rating: 3.57 · 5,606 ratings · 878 reviews · 76 distinct works

	The Diary 3.54 avg rating — 858 ratings — published 2009 — 11 editions	My rating:
	Woman in Red 3.65 avg rating — 647 ratings — published 2007 — 16 editions	My rating:
	Garden of Lies 3.92 avg rating — 473 ratings — published 1989 — 18 editions	My rating:
	Once in a Blue Moon 3.34 avg rating — 423 ratings — published 2009 — 9 editions	My rating:
	Domestic Affairs 3.38 avg rating — 405 ratings — published 2008 — 14 editions	My rating:
	Otherwise Engaged 3.30 avg rating — 382 ratings — 6 editions	My rating:
	Such Devoted Sisters 3.70 avg rating — 258 ratings — published 1991 — 8 editions	My rating:
	Immediate Family 3.23 avg rating — 294 ratings — published 2006 — 10 editions	My rating:
	Stranger in Paradise 3.70 avg rating — 226 ratings — published 2001 — 9 editions	My rating:
	One Last Dance 3.67 avg rating — 205 ratings — published 2011 — 18 editions	My rating:

More books by Eileen Goudge…

Series by Eileen Goudge

Seniors (20 books)
by Eileen Goudge

3.77 avg rating — 120 ratings

Who Killed Peggy Sue? (4 books)
by Eileen Goudge

3.59 avg rating — 79 ratings

Upcoming Events

No scheduled events. Add an event.

Quotes by Eileen Goudge

“Why was it that the only choices that truly mattered were the ones you felt least prepare to make?”
― Eileen Goudge

7 people liked it

“Still waters run deep.”
― Eileen Goudge, Once in a Blue Moon

4 people liked it

“Looking at him now, she saw a study in contrasts. Someone who was kind and loyal but who could also be stubborn and intractable; who was his own man but also your typical man from Mars; who was always there for her but who had a tendency to hold back when showing his own emotions; who was forgetful at times but who never forgot was was most important. In short, someone who wasn't perfect but perfect for her, because of rather than in spite of his flaws.”
― Eileen Goudge, The Replacement Wife

1 person liked it

See all Eileen Goudge's quotes »

Polls

April Book Nomination Poll. We will read the top two books.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

4 votes, 25.0%

The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge

3 votes, 18.8%

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

2 votes, 12.5%

The Secret by Julie Garwood

2 votes, 12.5%

You Know When the Men Are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

2 votes, 12.5%

After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell

1 vote, 6.3%

Looking for Alaska by John Green

1 vote, 6.3%

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen

1 vote, 6.3%

What Happened to Hannah: A Novel by Mary Kay McComas

0 votes, 0.0%

Friends Like Us by Lauren Fox

0 votes, 0.0%

16 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
GR-101: Book Appr...: Jan's Reading Log - 2010	25	12	Jan 07, 2010 02:00pm
GR-101: Book Appr...: Marilyn's Reading Log-2010	17	6	Jan 17, 2010 11:15am
Fiction Fair: April BotM Nominations CLOSED	68	29	Feb 28, 2010 08:30pm
Fiction Fair: June BotM Nominations!!!	53	41	May 01, 2010 10:52pm
Serious About Books: June BOM	37	28	May 07, 2010 05:43pm
Novel Ladies: Group Read Nominations - June 2010	51	43	May 23, 2010 06:07am
GR-101: Book Appr...: 2010 Final Grades Master List	34	14	Jun 28, 2010 12:29pm

More…

Is this you? Let us know. If not, help out and invite Eileen to Goodreads.

Add New
Videos

Eileen's Fans (47)

Eileen Goudge

Author profile

combine editions
Books by Eileen Goudge

Series by Eileen Goudge

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Eileen Goudge

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add NewVideos

Eileen's Fans (47)

Eileen Goudge

Author profile

combine editionsBooks by Eileen Goudge

Series by Eileen Goudge

Upcoming Events

Quotes by Eileen Goudge

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Add New
Videos

combine editions
Books by Eileen Goudge