Beverly Barton
Beverly Barton, originally named Beverly Beaver, is a renowned romance author from Tuscumbia, Alabama, known for her evocative storytelling and authentic Southern settings. Raised in a culturally rich Southern family, Barton faced the early loss of her mother and was brought up by her grandmother, who greatly influenced her writing. Throughout her formative years, she engaged in various forms of writing, including short stories and poetry. After marrying and supporting her husband during his naval service, she returned to Alabama and devoted time to her family before reigniting her passion for writing in her mid-thirties.
Barton published her debut novel, "Yankee Lover," in 1990, drawing inspiration from her hometown's historical significance as the birthplace of Helen Keller. Many of her works portray small-town Southern life and often include archetypal characters, such as the charming "bad boy" and wise mentors reflecting her grandmother’s influence. In addition to her prolific writing, Barton played a pivotal role in the romance writing community, founding Alabama's Heart of Dixie Chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Her contributions to literature have earned her multiple prestigious awards, highlighting her impact on the romance genre.
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Beverly Barton
Author
- Birthplace: Tuscumbia, Alabama
- Died: April 21, 2011
Biography
Romance writer Beverly Barton was born Beverly Beaver in Tuscumbia, Alabama, where her parents lived on her paternal grandmother’s ancestral farm. Her family has lived in Alabama for six generations. She lost her mother at a young age and was raised by her genteel, old- fashioned Southern grandmother. She also enjoyed the love and support of a large Southern extended family. Raised both on the family farm in Tuscumbia and in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Barton wrote short stories, poetry, plays, and novels throughout her school years.
Barton attended Chattanooga Central High School and the University of North Alabama, but she left the university without a degree to become a military wife. She traveled with her husband while he served in the navy in mid- to late 1960’s. After her husband decided against a military career, the couple returned to Alabama to settle down and raise their daughter and son. In her mid-thirties, when her children were teenagers, Barton began to return to the writing she enjoyed before she was married, and by the age of forty had developed a professional career as a writer.
Barton published her first novel, Yankee Lover, in 1990. Inspired by the fact that Tuscumbia was the birthplace of Helen Keller, the famous blind and deaf author and motivational speaker, Barton set her first novel in Tuscumbia during the town’s annual Helen Keller festival. Most of her books take place in small towns in the South and are noted for the authenticity of their settings. The majority of her characters are from the South. Her novels often feature a bad boy with a heart of gold as well as a wise character modeled on her strong, loving paternal grandmother, the woman who raised her and was her role model and inspiration when she was growing up. Barton occasionally includes paranormal elements in her books.
Barton was the founder of Alabama’s Heart of Dixie Chapter of the Romance Writers of America and remains active in that organization. She received the National Readers’ Choice Award for several of her novels, the Star Rider Studio Author of the Year Award in 1996, and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award for Series Romantic Adventures in 1988. She also is the recipient of two Puget Sound Romance Readers’ Awards and two Georgia Romance Writers Maggie Awards.