Patricia Matthews

Patricia Anne Klein Ernst Brisco Matthews
Born	Patricia Anne Klein Ernst July 1, 1927(1927-07-01) San Fernando, California, USA[1]
Died	December 7, 2006(2006-12-07) (aged 79) Prescott, Arizona, U.S.A.
Pen name	Patricia Ernst, P.A. Brisco, Patty Brisco, Pat A. Brisco, Pat Brisco, Patricia Matthews Laura Wylie, Denise Matthews
Occupation	Novelist
Nationality	American
Period	1959 - 2004
Genres	Gothic Fiction, Romance, Mystery
Spouse(s)	Marvin Owen Brisco (1946-1961) Clayton Hartley Matthews (1972-2004)
Children	2

Patricia (Anne Klein, née Ernst) Brisco Matthews (July 1, 1927 in San Fernando, California, USA - December 7, 2006 in Prescott, Arizona, USA ) was an American writer of gothic, romance and mystery novels. She wrote under the pen names P.A. Brisco, Patty Brisco, Pat A. Brisco, Pat Brisco, Patricia Matthews and Laura Wylie. She collaborated with her second husband, Clayton Matthews, on romance and mystery (suspense) novels; they were called "the hottest couple in paperbacks."^{[citation needed]} She also collaborated with Denise Hrivnak as Patricia Matthews.

Biography

Patricia Anne Klein Ernst was born on July 1, 1927 in San Fernando, California, the daughter of Roy Oliver Ernst and Gladys Gable. Her mother enrolled her in the famous Meglin Kiddies school, but she recorded only two of her songs professionally for one demo tape. She studied at California State University, Los Angeles, were she worked as secretary to the General Manager of Asociated Students by the California State College.^[1]

In 21 December 1946, she married Marvin Owen Brisco and moved to Arizona, they had two sons: Michael Arvie and David Roy.^[2] By 1961, the marriage had ended in divorce. Focused on her writing career, she returned to California, where she met the writer Clayton Matthews in a local writers' group. After Matthews divorced his first wife, he and Patricia married in 3 November 1972 and lived near San Diego.

Matthews started to write poetry, juvenile books, a play, fantasy and mystery short stories, which she signed under different names: Patricia Ernst, P.A. Brisco and Pat A. Brisco. Using the names Patty Brisco and Pat Brisco, she wrote gothic novels.

When the market for gothic novels softened, at the suggestion of the Matthews' agent, Jay Garon, she began to write romance novels under her second married name, Patricia Matthews. She and her husband also collaborated on several romance and suspense novels using the pseudonyms Laura Wylie and Laurie Wylie. She and her husband wrote five Casey Farrell mystery novels together, and she wrote three on her own, the Thumbprint Mysteries, set in the American Southwest. With Denise Hrivnak, she also wrote under the pseudonym Denise Matthews.

Her husband Clayton died in 25 March 2004. Patricia died on December 7, 2006 in the Brisco family home in Prescott, Arizona.

Awards

^[1]

• 1983 Reviewers Choice Awards for Best Historical Gothic
• 1986-87 Affaire de Coeur Silver Pen Readers Award

Bibliography

As P.A. Brisco

Single Novel

• Harold Jensen's Hope Chest, 1959

As Patty Brisco

Single Novels

• Horror at Gull House, 1969
• Merry's Treasure, 1969
• The Crystal Window, 1973
• House of Candles, 1973
• Mist of Evil, 1976
• Raging Rapids, 1978
• Too Much In Love, 1979

As Pat A. Brisco

Single Novels

• The Other People, 1970

As Pat Brisco

Single Novels

• The Carnival Mystery, 1974
• Campus mystery, 1978

As Patricia Matthews

Hannah Bilogy

1. Love's Avenging Heart, 1976
2. Dance of Dreams, 1983

Single Novels

• Love Forever More, 1977
• Love's Wildest Promise, 1977
• Love's Daring Dream, 1978
• Love's Pagan Heart, 1978
• Love's Golden Destiny, 1979
• Love's Magic Moments , 1979
• Love's Bold Journey, 1980
• Love's Sweet Agony, 1980
• Tides of Love, 1981
• Embers of Dawn, 1982
• Flames of Glory, 1982
• Gambler in Love, 1984
• Tame the Restless Heart, 1985
• Thursday and the Lady, 1987
• Enchanted, 1987
• Mirrors, 1988
• Oasis, 1988
• Sapphire, 1989
• The Dreaming Tree, 1989
• The Death of Love, 1990
• The Unquiet, 1991
• Dead Man Riding, 1999
• Death in the Desert, 1999
• Secret of Secco Canyon, 1998
• Rendezvous at Midnight, 2004

Poems

• Love's Many Faces, 1979

Single novels with Clayton Matthews

• Midnight Whispers, 1981
• Empire, 1982
• Midnight Lavender, 1985

Casey Farrell Series with Clayton Matthews

1. The Scent of Fear, 1992
2. Vision of Death, 1993
3. Taste of Evil, 1994
4. Sound of Murder, 1994
5. Touch of Terror, 1995

Anthologies in collaboration

• On Wings of Magic, 1994 (with Andre Norton and Sasha Miller)

As Laura Wylie

Single Novel

• The Night Visitor, 1979

References and sources

1. ^ ^{a b c} Taylor & Francis Group; Sleeman, Elizabeth; Neale, Alison (2003), International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004, Routledge, pp. 640, ISBN 1857431790 
2. ^ Reginald, R.; Menville, Douglas; Burgess, Mary A. (2010), Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature: Volumen 2, Wildside Press LLC, pp. 362 

• Patricia Matthews's Webpage in Fantastic Fiction
• Goodbye to Patricia Matthews in Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. Website
• International Who's Who of Authors and Writers 2004 by Taylor & Francis Group, Elizabeth Sleeman, Alison Neale

Persondata
Name	Matthews, Patricia Anne Klein Ernst Brisco
Alternative names	Ernst, Patricia Anne Klein (maiden name); Brisco, P.A. (pseudonym); Brisco, Patty (pseudonym); Brisco, Pat A. (pseudonym); Brico, Pat (pseudonym); Matthews, Patricia (pseudonym); Wylie, Laura (pseudonym)
Short description	gothic, romance and mystery writer
Date of birth	July 1, 1927
Place of birth	San Fernando, California, USA
Date of death	December 7, 2006
Place of death	Arizona, U.S.A.