Meet Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer's profilic ability to write engaging books often leaves fans with many questions, from what book to read first to which is her most popular novel. We've collected a pool of answers to these questions, in order to help those just discovering Heyer, and those re-immersing themselves in her rich stories.

• Who was Georgette Heyer?
• What order were her books published in?  
• Do any of the books have recurring characters?
• What were Georgette Heyer's favorite Heyer books?
• What was her first book? What was her last book?
• Quick facts about Georgette Heyer 

Who was Georgette Heyer?

Georgette Heyer was a woman of mystery. In the years that Miss Heyer published her novels, she rarely reached out to the public to discuss her works or private life. "You will find me in my work," is what Miss Heyer often said when asked to divulge about her childhood or personal life. It is known that she was born in Wimbledon in August 1902, and her first novel, The Black Moth, was published in 1921. Four years later, at the age of 23, she married a mining enginer, George Ronald Rougier.

Heyer's large volume of 56 novels is due to her experimental process of writing one romance and one mystery novel a year, starting in 1932. In that period she also did heavy research and spent much time working on her historical fictions.

Miss Heyer had one son, who married in 1959, adopted his wife's two sons from her first marriage and eventually had a child of their own.

Heyer's health started deteriorating five years after her son's marriage, first with kidney stones, then a septic mosquito bite, and finally lung cancer. She passed away in July 1974; her married name was never revealed to fans until her obituary was printed. 

What order were her books published in?

Do any of Heyer's books have recurring characters?

Yes. While timelines don't quite match the character pairing in some of Heyer's books, some do make returning appearances.

These Old Shades characters Leonie and Justin were Dominic's parents in Devil's Cub.

Dominic and Mary from Devil's Cub are the granparents of Barbara in An Infamous Army.

An Infamous Army also has Regency Buck characters Judith and Peregrine. 

Some characters in Heyer's first novel, The Black Moth, share similar storylines and traits as those in These Old Shades, though appear with different names.

What were Georgette Heyer's favorite Heyer books?

While Heyer's fans were partial to her regency romances, it is well known that Heyer did not feel the same way. The popularity of her romances pushed her to continue writing them, but her personal interest in them did not reflect the same enthusiasm.

Miss Heyer's heart lay, instead, in her historical fictions. Allowed the excuse for meticulous research and detailed storylines, Heyer prized her time spent on historical fictions, such as An Infamous Army, Royal Escape and My Lord John, published after her death in 1975.

 Learn more about An Infamous Army
 Learn more about Royal Escape

What was her first book? Her last book?

Heyer's first published book was The Black Moth in 1921. The book originated from a story the 17-year-old Heyer had told her ailing brother at the time; upon hearing the story, Heyer's father pushed her to publish it.

The Black Moth follows Jack, the wrongly dethroned Earl of Wyncham (and current highwayman), as he rescues beatuiful Diana from the Duve of Andover's abduction attempt, sending the villain into a scurry, and creating a love ridden with scandal.

Heyer's last published book, released posthumously in 1975, is My Lord John. Heyer's original intention was for My Lord John to be the first book in a three-part series about John, the Duke of Belford, as noted in a preface written by Heyer's surviving husband, George Ronald Rougier. 

John, the third son of Henry IV, is the focus of Heyer's medieval novel, specifically built around the years 1939 to 1413. The heavily researched novel differed greatly from Heyer's previous novels, to some acclaim and other disapproval.

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Quick Facts about Georgette Heyer

• Heyer's third book, The Transformation of Philip Jettan, was published under her pseudonym, Stella Martin. The book was later republished with the name Powder and Patch, and using Heyer's real name. 
  
  
• After marrying George Ronald Rougier in 1925, the couple lived in Tanganyike, Africa for 3 years, where Rougier was stationed for work. While in Africa they produced and lived in a hut made of elephant grass. After Africa, Heyer and her husband lived in Macdeonia, where she had a near-death experience after an anaesthetic incident at the dentist.
  
  
• Heyer scared the Queen. It is said that a week after Heyer lunched with the Queen at Buckingham Palace, the Queen was buying copies of Heyer's latest book and told the salesperson, "She came to lunch with me last week and I found her very formidable."
  
  
• Rather than give specific dates to reference time periods in her books, Heyer often used subtle clues instead. Such as: Leonie and Justin from These Old Shades, based in 1756, are the parents to Dominic in Devil's Cub, and in which Dominic is "Twenty-four all but a month or two", placing Devil's Cub in 1780.
  

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