By Scott D. Johnston

Widely-read, prolific author and long-time Ocean Shores resident Margaret Chittenden passed away Dec. 29 in Lakewood. She was 83.

Known as “Meg,” she and her husband Jim retired to Ocean Shores in 1988 from the Tacoma area. Already a successful novelist working primarily in romance, suspense and mystery genres, she wrote about half of her 35 published books at their home on the Bell Canals. They relocated back to Lakewood two years ago.

A memorial service and celebration of her life will take place Tuesday, Jan. 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Mountain View Funeral Home at 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, in Lakewood. Her family has asked that expressions of sympathy be made as memorial donations to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, which can be found online at www.alzfdn.org.

In a 1998 interview with The Internet Writing Journal, Chittenden offered a recap of her beginnings as a writer with no formal training in the craft:

“I started writing in 1970 and in the next few years published some articles, quite a few short stories in Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, Boys’ Life and so on, plus four romantic suspense novels and one occult suspense novel.

“Then in 1979, George Glay, a senior editor at Harlequin, visited Seattle, called and invited me to lunch. I met him at the Four Seasons and he invited me to write for a new line he was just starting called Superromance, which was intended to be ‘longer and hotter’ than previous romance novels. He dangled print runs in huge numbers in front of my dazzled eyes and I agreed immediately.”

From 1982 through 1988, Harlequin published nine of her novels under the pseudonym, Rosalind Carson. Why a nom de plume?

“I expected to continue doing other books and wanted to keep my real name separate,” she explained. “As it happened I enjoyed myself so enormously I only wrote two ‘other’ books in the next few years. In 1989, I discarded the pseudonym and have written everything under my own name since then.” The name was a combination of her and her husband’s middle names.

She enjoyed considerable success with Harlequin, writing a total of 17 titles between 1982 and 1995. According to her daughter-in-law, Susan Chittenden of University Place, Meg was a “meticulous researcher” and sought to imbue her characters with more depth than many of her competing authors. Still, “She really enjoyed writing mysteries, that’s where her heart has really been,” Susan recalled.

Meg explained in her 1998 interview, “Just about all of my romance novels included some kind of mystery. I’ve always loved, and read, mystery novels.”

In 1996, she debuted the first in a series of five “Charlie Plato Mystery” novels with “Dying to Sing.”

Several of her novels contain scenes set in the North Coast area, sometimes thinly disguised, sometimes not.

Chittenden was born in Northumberland, England, in 1933. Years later, “I married an American and it seemed a good idea to live in the same country. … Three years after we were married, I became an American citizen.”

It was her husband’s Air Force career that eventually landed them in the Pacific Northwest, with Jim being stationed at McChord Air Force Base (now Joint Base Lewis-McChord) near Lakewood. While Jim was winding down a post-service civilian career, the couple bought a home in Ocean Shores, worked on it for a couple of years, and made it their primary residence in 1988.

The couple’s friends here offered fond remembrances:

“Meg was phenomenal in many, many ways,” said Marlene Thomasson, editor and publisher of The Ocean Observer. “She was an amazing woman and very generous with her help for new writers.”

Long-time friend Luanne Anderson noted the Chittendens’ involvement in Associated Arts of Ocean Shores and remembers Meg as “a very active person, a wonderful writer…always willing to help somebody.”

Local author Kathleen Wolgemuth recalls first meeting her at a northwest writer’s conference: “She was a great teacher and I was a new writer… and she encouraged me tremendously…we became great friends. She was just a gift – really, really fun to be with. I will miss Meg.”

She and her husband also came to love the North Coast area. In addition to the ocean and beaches, they found a favorite place. In her 1998 interview she said:

“The Quinault rainforest is about an hour’s drive from my house. Huge old trees, fairly steep trails, wildlife, birds. Very peaceful and awe-inspiring.

“There’s a short looping trail, and a longer more taxing trail. I love to walk these trails whenever I have a chance. Rain or shine. Nearby is a great old lodge on Quinault Lake that features good food and some old cabins. They also have some spiffy new quarters for guests, but we always request one of the older cabins when we spend the night.

“Last New Year’s Eve we hiked the forest with friends in the afternoon, ate dinner at the lodge, danced until 2 a.m. to some really wild rock music (my favorite kind) spent the rest of the night in cabins, had breakfast at the lodge and hiked the forest again. A wonderful way to greet the year. We may do it again this year.”

Those wishing may contact Jim at Bridgeport Place Retirement Community, 5250 Bridgeport Way W., University Place, WA 98467

Published books

Writing as Meg Chittenden: “Snap Shot” (2004), “More Than You Know” (2003).

Writing as Margaret Chittenden: “Dying to See You” (2000), “Don’t Forget to Die” (1999), “Dead Beat and Deadly” (1998), “Dead Men Don’t Dance” (1997), “Dying to Sing” (1996), “How to Write YOUR Novel” (non-fiction, 1995), “The Enchanted Bride” (1994), “When The Spirit Is Willing” (1993), “Double Take” (1993), “Shadow Of A Doubt” (1993), “The Wainwright Secret” (1992), “The Scent of Magic” (1991), “This Time Forever” (1990), “Until October” (1989), “Forever Love” (1988), “Beyond The Rainbow” (1986), “Mystery of the Missing Pony” (children’s book 1980), “The Face In The Mirror” (1980), “The Other Child” (1979), “House of the Twilight Moon” (1979), “Song of Dark Water” (1978), “Findlay’s Landing” (1975), “Merrymaking In Great Britain” (children’s book 1974), “When The Wild Ducks Come” (children’s book 1972).

Writing as Rosalind Carson: “The Moon Gate” (1988), “Close to Home” (1988), “The Marrying Kind” (1987), “To Touch The Moon” (1985), “Love Me Tomorrow” (1984), “Lovespell” (1984), “Such Sweet Magic” (1983), “Song Of Desire” (1982), “This Dark Enchantment” (1982).