Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Kate Duffy, editor at Kensington, passed away

I am saddened to see the news on Janet Reid's blog of Kensington editor and publishing powerhouse Kate Duffy's passing, much, much too soon.

Edited to add: Diana Rodriguez Wallach was Kate Duffy's first YA acquisition and she has a lovely post about Kate Duffy, aged 56 at her passing. Check it out HERE on her blog.

When I stumbled onto Lori Foster's message board years ago and saw Kate Duffy's humorous, straightforward approach to questions and comments I knew there was something special about her. This was before everyone had a blog, and seeing an editor make daily contributions on a forum was impactful. I followed that message board for years, always appreciative of her wit and no-nonsense replies to everything from query questions to random swiffer and wax lips commentaries. At the time I tried my hand at historical romance and sent her a partial. Her letter was encouraging, and it didn't have to be. I now write YA in part because of what I learned from her and other editors who were kind enough to give me a little guidance when they had no vested interest in doing so. It's difficult to grasp that I won't "see" her online or at a writer's conference anymore. As Sarah on SBTB said, "She's the Julia Child of romance." See the full tribute to Kate Duffy from SBTB HERE and visit Media Bistro for a video.

Kate Duffy, you will be missed.

2 comments:

  1. Sorry to hear that someone you hold dear has passed away too soon.

    Thank you for all of your compassion and support lately, I appreciate it. :)

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  2. Hi C, I hope you and your family are still managing through the typhoons. Take care and stay safe.

    And thank you as well for your compassion today. Although I didn't know Kate Duffy, she made a permanent impression on me as a writer very early on... not to mention the authors I love that were pulled out of her slush-- Judith McNaught for one (author of Whitney My Love). I guess she was such a distinctive presence it came as a big shock to me.

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