Helen Bianchin
Personal Information
Description
Helen Shirley was born on 20 February 1939 in New Zealand, where she grew up, an only child possessed by a vivid imagination and a love for reading. She wrote stories for amusement in her early teenage years, and when she left leaving school, she took a secretarial job at a father-and-son legal firm. At age twenty-one Helen joined a girlfriend and embarked on a working holiday in Australia, travelling via cruise ship from Auckland to Melbourne. Alas, no shipboard romance, as she spent all four days in her cabin suffering from sea-sickness! After fifteen months working in Melbourne, Helen and her friend bought a vehicle and took three months to drive the length and breadth of Australia, choosing to work in Cairns in order to fund the final leg of our journey to Sydney. It was in Cairns that Helen met her future husband, Danilo Bianchin, an Italian immigrant from Treviso. He was a tobacco sharefarmer from the tobacco farming community of Mareeba. His English was pitiful, and her command of Italian was nil. Six months later they married, and Helen was flung into cooking for up to nine tobacco pickers, stringing tobacco, feeding 200 chickens, a few turkeys, ducks... plus killing, cleaning and cooking the same! Her knowledge of Italian improved, and there were hilarious moments in retrospect. Some of what she endured was cooking on a wood-burning stove, having no running hot water, a primitive shower and toilet facilities, washing uniforms for two soccer teams during the soccer season... floods, horrendous hailstone damage to tobacco crops, hardship, and the stillbirth of their first child. Then, to their joy, Helen's daughter, Lucia, was born. Three years later the couple returned to New Zealand, where they settled for sixteen years. During those early years, they added two sons, Angelo and Peter, to the family. With multiple anecdotes of farm life in an Italian community to friends, the idea of writing a book occurred. A romance, set on a tobacco farm in Australia's far north, Queensland, featuring an Italian hero. Helen says, "the background was authentic, believe me!" However the hero was rich and owned the farm artistic license! It took her a year to complete a passable manuscript, typed on a portable typewriter at the dining room table. That first effort was deemed too short with insufficient detail. Helen rewrote it. This time it was considered too long with too much extraneous detail. She revised, then sent it to London. Four months later she received a telegram from Alan Boon (Mills & Boon) to say they intended to publish and a contract would be sent in the mail. It was the most wonderful news! Helen wrote ten more books while living in New Zealand, then in 1981, her family resettled in Australia, on Queensland's Gold Coast. She has since published twenty-five more books. Today, with computer technology, the mechanics of writing are much easier. However, the writing process doesn't change. Helen says that she's having a good day if she can achieve 5 good pages, which she is likely to change, edit and rewrite the following day. She loves creating characters, giving them life and providing a situation where their emotions are tested and love wins out. For her, the greatest praise is for a reader to say they couldn't put the book down... then Helen knows that she has achieved what she set out to do -- "create a moving enjoyable story which holds the reader entertained from beginning to end." Helen's hobbies are tennis, table-tennis, judo, reading. She loves movies, and leads an active social life.
Books
Purchased
Lara's beloved restaurant is in crisis.There's only one man who can help--38 year old Wolfe Ignatius Alexander, her tall, dark, brooding stepbrother. Wolfe lives up to his name: he demands that, in exchange for his money, Lara Anne Sommers, 28, must become his convenient wife! With no choice but to accept Wolfe's terms, Lara is soon swept into his world of high-society glamour beyond her wildest dreams--and into the passion of his bed. But there is just one thing missing--her husband's love....
The Martinez Marriage Revenge
When Shannay's marriage to billionaire Marcello Martinez ended, she returned home carrying with her a precious secret....Now, four years later, Marcello has tracked his wife down and discovered she has kept knowledge of his child from him! Marcello will make Shannay pay for her deception--by returning her to their marital home...and their marriage bed?
The Marriage Possession
For the past year, Lisane Deveraux has been a successful lawyer by day and millionaire Zac Winstone's passionate mistress by night.A surprise pregnancy changes everything. Zac insists on commitment. But is he simply protecting his prize possessions—his beautiful lover and his future heir? For the sake of their baby, Lisane will become Zac's trophy wife...knowing that his heart will never be part of the deal.
The Greek Tycoon's Virgin Wife
Reluctant mistress, convenient wife. Xandro Caramanis wants a wife. She must be well-bred, willing to give him an heir and accept a loveless arrangement. Ilana Girard is a society beauty with a head for business who understands emotions are not part of the deal... Ilana accepts Xandro's proposal because she needs his protection. He doesn't realize she's never slept with a man before, and it's reluctantly that she takes her place in his bed...
The High-Society Wife
Gianna and Franco Giancarlo had gone into their convenient society marriage with their eyes wide open. They acted the happy couple to create an alliance between their powerful, wealthy families—and dispel media gossip....A year later, things have changed: their marriage may not be real, but Franco's passion for his wife is...and Gianna has fallen in love with her husband!
Purchased by the Billionaire
Kayla removed Spanish billionaire Duardo Alvarez's wedding ring after just seventy-two hours of marriage. But now desperate circumstances have forced Kayla to beg her ex-husband for help. Duardo's price is high: marry him again, or he'll walk away.
The Greek's Bought Wife
Nic Leandros, 37, knows that most people want only his money. So when he finds out beautiful Tina Matheson, 27, is pregnant with his late brother's child, he's certain her price will be high....However, Tina must agree to his terms: no Leandros heir has ever been born out of wedlock; they will marry for the baby's sake....
His Pregnancy Ultimatum
Mia Fredrickson has no idea what possessed her to share the bed of a complete stranger. Her handsome lover turns out to be Greek tycoon Nikolos Karedes, and when he discovers Mia's secret -- she's carrying the Greek tycoon's baby! -- he insists they marry. But Mia refuses! However, as far as Nikolos is concerned, Mia's resistance is only temporary. He will have again what he enjoyed before -- Mia -- using his exceptional seductive skills to place her at his mercy! Expecting! -- she's successful, sexy and pregnant!
The Spaniard's Baby Bargain
Billionaire Manolo del Guardo has been dumped - by his nanny. Ariane Celeste is a Sydney TV reporter sent to interview the rags-to-riches tycoon, and she's surprised to find out that he's a devoted father . . . in a fix! Ariane is persuaded to look after the little girl . . . temporarily. But Manolo is a man who knows a good deal, and he wants to keep Ariane. So he wastes no time in making a new bargain . . . that Ariane takes over permanently - as his wife!
The Pregnancy Proposal
asha is overjoyed to discover that she's pregnant. But telling Australian tycoon Jared North that he's the father of her baby is the hardest thing she's ever had to do. For three years they've shared an intensely passionate relationship -- but marriage has never been on the agenda.... Then Jared stuns Tasha with a marriage proposal, but, convinced he's just offering marriage out of a strong sense of duty, Tasha is reluctant to become his convenient bride..
In the Spaniard's bed
Diego de Santo: dynamic, charismatic, he's made millions and won a place in Sydney high society by sheer determination -- and he believes everything is for sale.... Cassandra Preston-Villiers: heiress to an empire, she's beautiful and sophisticated -- everything Diego's ever wanted in a woman -- so he blackmails her into being his, their passion is explosive! She became his mistress, but now that he's got
The Greek Bridegroom
The moment hot-blooded tycoon Jace Dimitriades met 25 year old Rebekah, the attraction sparked between them! Jace knows that women find him irresistible -- and Rebekah's no exception. So how come all he's getting from her is the cold shoulder? Rebekah finds Jace extremely sexy...but that's the problem! She can't give in to her feelings for him without giving Jace a hold on her heart -- and it's been bruised before.
A Passionate Surrender
Ana had secretly hoped her marriage of convenience to Luc Dimitriades would turn into the real thing, yet one year after exchanging their vows he still seemed susceptible to the charms of his ex-mistress. Holding her head high, Ana, 27, knew she had to leave. Luc wasn't prepared to let his wife go. In fact, he seemed determined to blackmail her back into his bed! Ana fought to resist his passionate persuasion, but Luc held one last trump card: he knew she was carrying his child...
Reconciliacion (Reconciliation)
For months, Katrina has tried to forget she's still married to Nicos Kasoulis! As newlyweds, they were bonded by desire. Then Katrina became convinced her powerful, sexy, property tycoon husband was having an affair.... Now Katrina discovers that, under her father's will, she can only gain control of the family business if she's reconciled with Nicos -- for one year! Knowing Nicos expects her to refuse, should Katrina surprise him and put their marriage to the test
Husband Test (Presents Passion)
For months, Katrina has tried to forget she's still married to Nicos Kasoulis! As newlyweds, they were bonded by desire. Then Katrina became convinced her powerful, sexy, property tycoon husband was having an affair… Now Katrina discovers that, under her father's will, she can only gain control of the family business if she's reconciled with Nicos—for one year! Knowing Nicos expects her to refuse, should Katrina surprise him and put their marriage to the test?
Mistress by contract
Indecent proposal! There was only one way for 25 year old Mikayla to clear her father's debt to powerful tycoon Rafael Velez-Aguilera: by offering herself in exchange! She knew it was crazy -- Rafael had his pick of glamorous women, and Mikayla was a virgin.... But 36 year old Rafael was intrigued by Mikayla's proposal and immediately presented her with a contract of her duties as his mistress for a year! Top of the list was sharing his bed. What had Mikayla let herself in for? Rafael was an intensely sensual man, and once he'd made love to Mikayla, he might never let her go....