Peggy Gaddis Dern (born Erolie Pearl Gaddis; March 5, 1895 - June 14, 1966)Peggy Gaddis; LibraryThing website http://www.librarything.com/author/gaddispeggy was an American writer of traditional romance novels, so-called "nurse novels," as well as racy pulp romance stories. Utilizing her actual surname as well as various pseudonyms, she was actively writing from the late 1930s up until the 1960s, ultimately producing dozens of books, perhaps even a couple hundred or more. Her primary literary identity was as Peggy Gaddis.Server, Lee. Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers (New York: Facts of File, Inc., 2002), p. 107
Life Peggy Gaddis Dern was born Erolie Pearl Gaddis March 5, 1895 in Gaddistown, Georgia. She attended and graduated from Reinhardt College, and then worked editing periodicals, first in Atlanta and later New York City, where she edited movie fan magazines and racy pulp periodicals. In 1931, she married John Sherman Dern, a member of a traveling minstrel group. Dern began her career writing for pulp magazines such as Breezy Stories and Love Story Magazine, usually under the pseudonym "Peggy Gaddis".Nolan, Michelle. Love Story Magazine, The Pulp Magazines Project, Retrieved 27 March 2020Sloane, David E. E. American Humor Magazines and Comic Periodicals Greenwood Press, 1987. (pg. 368) Later, Dern moved on to writing paperback novels.
Dern worked six days a week and endeavored to write a minimum of 3,000 words a day. Typically, she produced a book approximately every three weeks. Of writing, she was quoted as saying, "It's a sort of drug, for which I hope no one ever finds a cure."Server, Lee. Encyclopedia of Pulp Fiction Writers (New York: Facts of File, Inc., 2002), p. 108 Dern died in 1966 and was buried in Fellowship Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery in Tucker, Georgia.
Pseudonyms Dern utilized her actual surname and nearly a dozen pseudonyms during her career. The majority of her books were published under the names Peggy Gaddis and Peggy Dern. Frequently used pseudonyms included Gail Jordan, Perry Lindsay, and Joan Sherman. Other pen names included Carolina Lee, Georgia Craig, James Clayford, as well as Roberta Courtland, Joan Tucker, Sylvia Erskine, and Luther Gordon.
Partial bibliography The Affairs of a Country Girl, Gail Jordan, Cameo, 1952 (Country Girl, 1954) The April Heart, Peggy Dern; Arcadia, 1959 As Good As Married, Perry Lindsay, Phoenix, 1945 At Granada Court, Peggy Dern, Arcadia, 1959, Wright Brown (UK), 1960 (Karen, Valentine, s.d.) At Ruby's Place, Joan Tucker, Cameo, 1952 (Waterfront Club, 1954), também em1956, como John Tucker, pela Venus The Babe in Arms, Perry Lindsay, Phoenix, 1943 Back Home, Peggy Gaddis, Arcadia, 1950. Também pela Manor, Star (Austrália) e 5-Star (UK), 1972 (ou como “Reaching Out for Love”, Large Print, 1996) Backwoods Girl, Peggy Gaddis; Venus, 1954 Bayou Nurse, Peggy Gaddis, Arcadia, 1964 Beauty to Burn, Peggy Gaddis, Godwin, 1937 Beloved Intruder, Peggy Dern, Arcadia, 1958 Betsy Moran, Peggy Dern, Arcadia, 1964 Beware of Romance, Roberta Courtland, Gramercy, 1948 Coast Guard Girl, Georgia Craig, Arcadia, 1945 Courtesan, Joan Sherman, Godwin, 1936 (publicado como Lulie, pela Handi-Book, 1949) Doctor Merry's Husband, Peggy Gaddis, MacFadden, 1962. Eileen Duggan, Peggy Gaddis, Arcadia, 1952 Goodbye, My Heart, Peggy Dern, Arcadia, 1941 Marriage Can Wait, James Clayford, Quarter, 1949 Nora was a Nurse, Peggy Gaddis, MacFadden, 1953 Nurse at Sundown, Peggy Gaddis, Magnum Books, 1958. Perry Kimbro, R.N., Georgia Craig, Arcadia, 1950 Shanty Girl, Joan Tucker, Venus, 1953 Satan's Gal, Carolina Lee, Handi, 1950 Show Boat Girl, Roberta Courtland, Gramercy, 1940 The Girl Next Door, Peggy Gaddis, Arcadia, 1949 The Marryin'Kind, Roberta Courtland, Gramercy, 1947 Young Doctor Merry, Peggy Gaddis, Arcadia, 1944 Young Nurse, Sylvia Erskine, Cameo, 1952 Wings on Her Heart, Roberta Courtland, Gramercy, 1942 Winter Circus, Peggy Dern, Arcadia, 1943
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