Peter O'Donnell was an award-winning gothic historical romance novelist who wrote under the female pseudonym Madeleine Brent, in 1978, his novel Merlin's Keep won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award by the Romantic Novelists' Association.
13 Facts About Peter O'Donnell
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Peter O'Donnell began to write professionally at the age of 16.
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Peter O'Donnell saw active service in Persia in 1942, after which his unit was moved to Syria, Egypt, the Western Desert, and Italy, and he was with forces that went into Greece in October 1944.
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Peter O'Donnell wrote a play that was widely performed in the 1980s, Mr Fothergill's Murder, and wrote for television and film.
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Peter O'Donnell wrote for women's magazines and children's papers early in his career.
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At the request of publisher Ernest Hecht, Peter O'Donnell began writing gothic romance and adventure novels under the pen name of Madeleine Brent.
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In 2001, Peter O'Donnell retired from writing the Modesty Blaise comic strip and was said to have retired from full-time writing.
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Peter O'Donnell was interviewed for a special feature included on the DVD release of the 2004 film My Name Is Modesty, which was based on his creation.
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Peter O'Donnell's wish was that no one else write any future Modesty Blaise stories, but whether this was ever formalized is unknown.
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In 2007, working with young women students at Bullers Wood and Newstead Wood schools, Peter O'Donnell established an official website, Modesty Blaise, Ltd.
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Peter O'Donnell died in May 2010, aged 90, in Brighton, Sussex.
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Peter O'Donnell is buried in the same grave with his wife, Constance, at Lawn Memorial Cemetery, Warren Road, Woodingdean, Brighton, Sussex.
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Peter O'Donnell wrote romance books and television and movie scripts.