17 Things to Know about Lisa Kleypas

By Heat Theory • Aug. 4, 2023 • Authors

Key Takeaways

17 interesting stories and quotes from Lisa Kleypas, the bestselling author of the Wallflowers series, including her personal pet peeves, her dream second home, and the annual celebration of one of her most popular heroes, Derek Craven.

Before Booktok and Netflix adaptations, there was Lisa Kleypas. As she once described herself, Kleypas is a "cookie-loving daydreamer [who turned] her love of words and fantasies into a writing career, and [found] true love along the way." [Source: The Good, The Bad, and The Unread]. Here are 17 facts about this leading and beloved romance author.

She read The Flame and The Flower at the age of 12: "I found it fascinating but a little mystifying. At a time when twelve-year-olds were still pretty innocent, I didn't completely understand the love scenes-I knew the facts of life, of course, but nothing about sensuality. However, I loved the notion that a man who was very fierce and powerful could be tamed by the love of a woman." [Source: The Internet Writing Journal]
She was a writer from an early age, writing her first novel at the age of 16 while attending summer camp. [Source: Goodreads]
Her parents supported her talent. After she finished that first novel, her parents sent her to a romance writers' conference in New Hampshire. [Source: The Internet Writing Journal]
She competed in beauty pageants and was crowned Miss Massachusetts. [Source: Wikipedia]
She’s an early riser, starting her day at 4am. [Source: The Book Smugglers]
Kleypas and her family lost their possessions in a flood in 1998. During that difficult time, she found comfort in romance novels along with motivation to continue writing and never let her readers down: "After we lost everything in the flood in 1998, and I mean like everything — my husband, my baby, and I and my purse were basically all we had — we were fortunate enough to get a motel room, and I remember waking up at 3 in the morning pretty much every single night for the week we stayed at this motel. There was no place to read in the room, so I had to go into the bathroom and sit on this cold, white tile floor, and I had the romance novel that I’d bought at Walmart. I just remember waking up feeling such deep anxiety and stress. Just to sit there reading this book — it gave my brain enough of an escape and enough of a rest that it brought my stress down, it reminded me that there are happy endings, that everything was going to be okay. It was like a connection to all the happy experiences I’d ever had reading. It was an eye-opener to me. When I started writing again very soon after the flood, I had a new sense of commitment that I've never lost or forgotten since then. Knowing every single book I write could possibly be picked up by someone who had been through something like that and if they needed a good escape, I can’t let them down. I can't do an indifferent or mediocre job on this book because — what if this is the one book they're reading on the bathroom floor at 3 in the morning?" [Source: Entertainment Weekly]
Kleypas believes that a successful love scene should always focus on the emotional context of the characters. To her, a perfect romance combines both the romantic and the passionate: "I have been surprised and gratified in the last couple of years that the love scenes have been remarked on, especially since I have made a point never to use foul language or 'bed-hopping' characters, and I am even reluctant to use euphemisms for body parts. I believe what makes a love scene really sizzle is to always remind the reader of the emotional context of the scene . . . what has led to this act, and how it will change their relationship from now on, and why making love with this one person is different from doing it with someone else. Scenes where the writer does little but describe perfect bodies interacting with each other leave me cold. So many times, I have read or heard of romance novels being either the 'romantic' kind or the 'hot' kind, when to me the perfect romance is a mixture of both. Loretta Chase did this beautifully in Lord of Scoundrels, or Laura Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm.” [Source: Writers Write]
While Kleypas initially made her mark in historical romance, she expanded to writing contemporary novels in 2007, drawing inspiration from her Texan husband: "Since I'm married to a Texan, I didn't have to look far for inspiration! Even though we've lived in Washington state for almost a decade, my husband, Greg, still has a hint of a drawl, a fondness for a colorful turn of phrase and a touch of old-fashioned masculinity that I've always found irresistible. He's modern and forward-thinking, but just like Jack Travis, he likes power tools, football, fishing, large moving objects, and he'll only admit to knowing the names of about five or six colors." [Source: USA Today]
Kleypas’ novel Blue-Eyed Devil deals with domestic abuse and personality disorders. In an interview with The Book Smugglers, she relates that “[part] of what interested me in the subject of abuse was that a long time ago, before I was married, I was involved with a verbally abusive guy.” [Source: The Book Smugglers].
She's passionate about research and about weaving the history of pioneering women into her fictional characters like Pandora Ravenel, a board game developer, in Devil in Spring, and Dr. Garrett Gibson in Hello Stranger, the only female doctor in England. In an interview with Cosmopolitan, she stated that “[the] more that time goes on, the more I feel really passionately about putting more history into historical romance.” [Source: Cosmopolitan]
Even an acclaimed author like Kleypas has her own fangirl moments: "I will admit, I once launched myself at Julie Garwood for a hug, hoping some of her magic would rub off on me ... and I have fangirl crushes on Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Linda Howard, and Kresley Cole, among many others. My ultimate crush may be Judith McNaught — I met her once more than 20 years ago, and she was incredibly kind and encouraging to me." [Source: USA Today]
Over her career, Kleypas has addressed the changing understanding of consent and inclusivity, and she has released edited versions of some of her books to reflect that. [Source: All About Romance, Cosmopolitan, and Writers Write]
Derek Craven, Kleypas' iconic self-made hero, is honored on Derek Craven Day on February 4. [Source: Fated Mates]
Some editions of her books are highly sought after by collectors. [Source: Goodreads]
Kleypas's pet peeves include the lack of courtesy in today's world: "I think people are hardly ever courteous enough to each other. Life would be so much more pleasant for all of us if we practiced a little more consideration of others. I can't stand unkindness, and I see it so often . . . it just makes me cringe. Other pet peeves . . . people who don't use their blinkers while driving. . . .hair stylists that cut my bangs too short and give me that 'Hamlet' look . . .pants that keep shrinking lengthwise every time you wash them. When I can't get Equal for my coffee and have to settle for a packet of the bitter 'pink stuff'. Parents who tell me their child started sleeping through the night two weeks after coming home from the hospital. Oh, and the way the volume level goes so much higher during commercials than it is on the main program." [Source: Writers Write
Kleypas's love for Hampshire, England, has influenced several of her novels. A dream home for her would be a cottage in the region, surrounded by the same beauty that inspired her writing: "A little thatched roof cottage in Hampshire, England would be perfect. I've set so many books in Hampshire—the Wallflower series, the Hathaways, and now the Ravenels—to me it would feel like living in a romance novel. Hampshire is in South East England, so the climate is mild, and the land is green and fertile, with rivers, lakes and woodland. It’s also Jane Austen's birthplace, so it would be very inspirational. I could visit her house in Chawton, which is now a museum. In fact, maybe they would let me occupy a couple of rooms in the off-season? I'm sure Jane wouldn't mind!" [Source: Rakes and Rascals]
Kleypas has recently been absent on social media.