People like Dorothy Garlock

Dorothy Garlock (June 22, 1919 – April 6, 2018) was an American author of over 50 historical romance novels, most of them set in the American West. Many of her books became bestsellers. She also wrote under the pen names Johanna Phillips, Dorothy Phillips and Dorothy Glenn.

Dorothy Garlock was born on June 22, 1919, in Texas, but spent twenty-five years in Oklahoma City. She and her husband moved to Clear Lake, Iowa, in 1955. Garlock worked for fourteen years as a bookkeeper and columnist for the local newspaper before retiring at age 49. To fill her time while she and her husband spent winters in a small south-Texas town, Garlock began to write stories. She completed four manuscripts before she decided to try to publish one of them. In 1976, she entered one of her books in a contest for unpublished writers. Although it did not win the contest, one of the judges, an agent, offered to represent her. He sold all four of her books in a few weeks.