Romance novelist and Signet Books part ways

NEW YORK -- Romance writer Cassie Edwards and publisher Signet Books have decided to break up after allegations emerged in January that she lifted passages in several of her books from other sources.

“Signet has conducted an extensive review of all its Cassie Edwards novels and due to irreconcilable editorial differences, Ms. Edwards and Signet have mutually agreed to part ways,” the publisher said. “Cassie Edwards novels will no longer be published with Signet Books. All rights to Ms. Edwards’ previously published Signet books have reverted to the author.”

Signet publicist Craig Burke said that the publisher, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), would have no additional comment. Edwards, whose books include “Bold Wolf,” “Silver Feather” and “Falcon Moon,” could not be reached for comment.

A romance-novel website posted excerpts from Edwards’ novels in January and placed them alongside similar passages from reference books and magazines. Penguin initially said that Edwards had “done nothing wrong” and that any use of other texts was protected by “fair-use doctrine.”

Edwards has written more than 100 novels, although not all with Penguin, which has said that more than 10 million copies of her work were in print.

“Writing my Indian romances is my small tribute to those beautiful first people of our land who have suffered so much injustice,” Edwards writes on her home page on Penguin’s website.

In a phone interview in January, the author told the Associated Press that she indeed “takes” material from other works but that she didn’t know she was supposed to credit her sources. Her husband, Charles Edwards, said in the interview that the author got only “ideas” from other books and did not “lift passages.”