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Celebrate Romance
Attending Authors

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Welcome our CR2003 authors!

Jennifer Ashley

Jennifer Ashley's first historical romance, Perils of the Heart, was released in November 2002 by Leisure Books. An adventurous, comic historical, it garnished excellent reviews. She will publish three forthcoming romances with Leisure, beginning with THE PIRATE NEXT DOOR, which will be released in October, 2003. Just after that, in December, 2003, Berkley Books will release the first of her Regency mysteries, THE HANOVER SQUARE AFFAIR. Jennifer is writing these novels under the name Ashley Gardner. Jennifer lives in the southwest with a husband, a cat, and lots of sunshine. Please visit her Web site at www.jennifersromances.com.

Jennifer also airs an Internet radio show every Friday called Spotlight on Romance. She interviews authors and others in the romance industry, including Christine Feehan, Gaelen Foley, Jo Beverley, and cover model CJ Hollenbach. Anyone can listen from anywhere in the world! Please visit www.jennifersromances.com/spotlight.html for more information.


Michele R. Bardsley

Award-winning author Michele R. Bardsley spends her days begging her toddler son to please, please, please sit on the potty, venturing into her preteen daughter's Room of the Unknown, and answering her husband's silly questions (like "Honey, why is my sock glued to floor?"). Her hobbies include ingesting huge quantities of chocolate and drawing smiley faces in the dust accumulated on her furniture. She's been accused of plant homicide (you mean you have to water those green thingies?) and has been named Queen of Housework Procrastination. In-between the duties of her fantastically interesting life (yawn), she writes novels and short stories and grand excuses about how her husband's socks get stuck to the carpet.


Wendy Burge

Wendy Burge sat down and started to write in 1995, when she decided she wasn't going to put it off anymore, writing that book she always dreamed of. After having won two national contests, she sold the first two books she wrote, Love Me Again (Oct '02) and While You Slept (Feb '03), to Kensington, out of the slush pile, and this after years of hearing how her stories were too unusual for the romance genre, and they would never sell. Well, they did, and hopefully she will be around for years to come. Wendy lives in Southern California with her constant companions, Kayla and Nikki, the two most mischievous Italian Greyhounds that always find a way into Wendy's stories. You can learn more about Wendy at www.wendyburge.com.


Stephanie Burke

Stephanie Burke is the author of some 500 books and anthologies...in her imagination!
Actually, Stephanie is the author of two erotic anthologies offered by Renaissance E books and The Testrios series, Including Keeper of the Flame and Dangerous Heat at Elloras Cave. She also has a story in the riveting Valentines Anthology titled Forever also at Ellora's Cave. Her story is entitled A man Called Lust, a title that just came to her one night in a dream and is in wonderful company with authors Marilyn Lee and Louisa Trent.

Stephanie is married to the most wonderful maddening Irish Viking ever created and has given birth to two children, affectionately known as The Viking kittens.

Stephanies main support in her writing career has been her wonderful parents who are always willing to take her spawns, uh, children for a weekend so that she can work, her older sister Teresa, the stuffed chicken, and of course, her Irish Viking, Dennis.

Stephanie loves to write paranormal and fantasy characters with a lot of humor, because there is not enough laughter in the world. Stephanie also loves to write erotica, just to shock people, but in her heart she is a romance fanatic.

One day, Stephanie will reach that 500 book mark, but until then, she is grateful for all of the people who have helped her, awed by the writers who give her advice, and humbled by the friends she has made both on line and in life.


Nicole Burnham

Nicole Burnham is originally from Colorado. However, as the daughter of an Army officer, she grew up traveling the world. She's used those travel experiences in five books for Silhouette Romance, including her current releases, THE PRINCE'S TUTOR and THE KNIGHT'S KISS. Nicole also writes young adult romances for Simon & Schuster. ROYALLY JACKED, which will hit the store shelves in spring 2004, will be the launch book for their new young adult romance program.

When she's not writing, Nicole enjoys relaxing in her garden, playing in her local softball league, and traveling--the more exotic the locale, the better.


Louise Crawford

Louise Crawford holds an M.A. in Psychology with a background in addiction and recovery, and lives in California.

Her suspense series, Blaize of Glory, Hat Trick, 12 Jagged Steps, are available from 5 Star Mysteries, Amazon.com, Hardshell.com, Fictionwise.com and Barnesandnoble.com. Hat Trick and 12 Jagged Steps were nominated for Romantic Times Magazine Reviewers Choice awards in 2001 and 2002. Crawford's fantasy romance Mariah's Love (the first in the Syrithian trilogy) was a Golden Heart finalist and is now available in paperback. Her paranormal romance A Witch for Good Luck is also available. Crawford also collaborated on the thriller, The Courier, (by Jay MacLarty) due out from Pocket Books in June 2003


Shannon Donnelly

Shannon Donnelly grew up with the perfect education for a Regency sportswoman, learning to ride, fence and shoot (the last courtesy of an uncle who collected flintlocks). A Compromising Situation, her first published Regency from Zebra, won the Romance Writers of America's national Golden Heart contest. Her third novel with Zebra, Under the Kissing Bough is a finalist in RWA's 2002 national RITA award for Best Regency. Other awards include winning the Laurel Wreath, two-time finalist status in the Holt Medallion, the Colorado ACE, the Wisconsin Write Touch Award, the Golden Quill, and the Beacon Award. Her most recent romance, A Proper Mistress, due out in May 2003 earned a 41/2 star review and top pick from Romantic Times magazine. And her next Regency romance, Barely Proper Conduct, is due out from Zebra later in 2003.

Besides being a member of the Orange County Chapter (OCC) of RWA, she is also a member of the Los Angeles Romance Authors (LARA), and is a member and past-president of the Beau Monde, Regency Chapter of RWA. She has spoken at the Beau Monde's Regency Conference, as well as at OCC and LARA, and will be speaking at the 2003 Regency Writers conference in Denver, July 2003, and Emerald City's Writers conference in Seattle, fall 2003. Her abiding passions include--besides writing--her dogs, reading, gardening, belly dance, and the ever present horses in her life.


Kate Douglas

Kate Douglas has been writing professionally for more than thirty years, with a varied background ranging from ad copy for radio, a three year stint as a photo-journalist, almost twenty years spent producing public information material-including drawing a weekly comic strip-for a world-wide health agency, co-authoring a wine-country cookbook and writting numerous freelance articles for publication. She has won multiple awards for her books, including three EPPIES, an award given by the international electronically published authors' organization EPIC-two for Best Contemporary Romance in 2001 and 2002, and a third for Best Romantic Suspense in 2001. Kate also creates cover art and is the winner of EPIC's 2002 Quasar Award for outstanding bookcover graphics.

She is multi-published in contemporary romance and romantic suspense, as well as her popular futuristic romantica StarQuest Series with Ellora's Cave. She and her husband of over thirty years live in the northern California wine country where they find more than enough subject material for their shared passion for photography, though their new grandson is most often in front of the lens. Kate's romantic parody, Cowboy in My Pocket, is currently in the hands of a production company, and her newest title, Last of the O'Rourkes, a sequel to Honeysuckle Rose, was released in April.
Current titles: Honeysuckle Rose, romantic suspense, HSWF On Wings of Love, contemporary romance, HSWF Cowboy in My Pocket, romantic comedy, HSWF Last of the O'Rourkes, romantic suspense, HSWF Lionheart, s/f, Ellora's Cave Night of the Cat, s/f, Ellora's Cave Pride of Imar, s/f, Ellora's Cave More Than a Hunch, paranormal, Ellora's Cave, Luck of the Irish, fantasy anthology (A Wolf by Any Other Name) Ellora's Cave


Christine Feehan

Christine Feehan says " I've been a writer all of my life -- it is who I am. I write for myself and always have. The ability to create pictures and emotions with words is such a miracle to me. I read everything. I mean everything. I am fascinated by the written word and I love storytellers. It is a great privilege to be counted one myself.

"I will be attending CR2003 this May in Sacramento, California. It should be a fun conference for readers and authors to get together. I hope anyone in the area or anyone interested in attending will do so!! Celebrate Romance (CR) is a wonderful place to get together, visit, and have some fun!"

Christine has won numerous awards including PEARL awards for Best New Author of Paranormal Romance, and Best Overall Paranormal Romance. Her books have been on the New York Times, USA Today, Barnes and Nobles, and Walden Books Best Seller lists and have been included as selections for Doubleday and Rhapsody and Sci Fi clubs. Her book, DARK LEGEND, was featured on the cover of the January '02 issue of Romantic Times magazine. Christine's unique and intriguing writing style has gained her many loyal fans, who think that each of her books is worth its weight in gold!


Susan Grant

"Drawing on her experience as a commercial airline pilot, Grant brings a masterful realism to (her)...emotionally charged romance," raves Publishers Weekly about the creator of aviation romance, Susan Grant. Winner of the Daphne Du Maurier Award for romantic suspense, the RT Bookclub Reviewers Choice Award, and the PEARL, Susan has "very strong" sell-throughs, according to her publisher, and her "books are in high demand." Former book editor and critic for the San Francisco Chronicle Pat Holt called Contact (Oct 02), "one of the first novels written by a professional insider that shows us how airline crews of today have adjusted in-flight procedures to accommodate the lessons learned from 9/11. You don't have to be a romance reader to enjoy this tale by Susan Grant. She's got the stuff." A mom to two very active kids, Susan was featured along with author Nora Roberts on the television show Extra!


Candice Hern

Award-winning author Candice Hern has written six short Regency romances for Signet and now writes longer Regency-set historical romances for Avon. Her books have won the Booksellers' Best Award, CRW's Award of Excellence, and the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence from RIO. Her first book for Avon, THE BRIDE SALE, was named by Library Journal as one of the Best Books of 2002. Her most recent book,ONCE A DREAMER, was the first in a trilogy to be continued in August 2003 with ONCE A SCOUNDREL.

Candice lives in San Francisco in a house cluttered with mountains of reference books and an eclectic assortment of antiques. When she's not writing, her favorite things to do include reading, cooking, attending the ballet, and watching football. Go 49ers!


Barbara M. Hodges

Barbara M. Hodges lives in Nipomo, California, a small town on the central coast. She shares her life with her husband Jeff, a sassy yellow tabby and two basset hounds. She has been published in fiction and non-fiction, and was a 2002 Independent eBook Awards finalist. Barbara's first fantasy novel is The Blue Flame. Her second, The Sword and the Flame, co-authored with C.R. MacPhadrick was released March of 2003, and her third, The Emerald Dagger is set for release, June 2003.


Brenda Novak

Two-time Golden Heart finalist Brenda Novak writes contemporary romance from her home in Sacramento, California. Since her first sale to HarperCollins in 1998, she's sold seventeen books to Harlequin, thirteen for their Superromance line, three contemporary romantic suspense novels and a novella. Many of her Superromance titles have been designated as a Romantic Times "Top Pick" and have gone on to place in contests such as the National Reader's Choice, the Bookseller's Best, The Write Touch, the Award of Excellence, and the Beacon Award for Published Authors.

Brenda has given various writing workshops at the Romance Writers of America's National Convention in both Washington DC and Denver, at the Romantic Times Booklover's convention in Toronto, Houston, and Reno, and at various RWA and California Fiction Writer meetings. She's also done several television and radio appearances, including Fox 40 News, News 10, GOOD DAY SACRAMENTO, GOOD DAY ARIZONA, Booklover TV and KFBK News Talk Radio.

Publisher's Weekly says Brenda's novels are "richly dramatic." According to The Library Journal, her work will appeal to those who like their romances with a "sophisticated touch." And Romantic Times says, "Brenda Novak skillfully blends richly developed characters and emotionally intense issues to create a powerful romance. This is an author destined for stardom."


Robin D. Owens

Robin D. Owens has been seriously writing for more than ten years. Her book HeartMate was released in December 2001, the first futuristic/fantasy romance purchased for Jove's Magical Love line and was awarded the 2002 RITAŽ Award for Best Paranormal Romance. Her second book, Heart Thief is a launch title for Berkley Sensation and will be out June 3, 2003. Her third book, Heart Duel will be published May 2004.

She is very proud of her website which is updated monthly with motivational quote, creativity exercise, affirmation and contest.


Jane Porter

Harlequin Presents author, Jane Porter, is thrilled her books have been so enthusiastically received. So far, all of her books have hit the Waldenbooks Bestseller List for Series Romance, as well as the UKs BookTrack Hot 100. Her fourth Presents, , was a 2002 Rita Finalist, and Christoss Promise took second in the 2002 Booksellers Best Contest.

A 1998 Golden Heart winner, Jane laughingly admits shes an overnight success story: it only took twelve years of writing and ten rejected manuscripts before she sold her first book. Fortunately, since getting that first sale in January 2000, Jane's written and sold 12 more to Harlequin, including Mistaken for a Mistress, an online serial for eHarlequin.com and The Secret, the last book in Coopers Corner, Harlequin newest continuity series. Raised in California, Jane holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and today makes her home in Seattle, Washington with her husband and two young sons.


Susan Squires

Susan Squires grew up among the giant redwoods of California. She thought she was being practical by changing her major in college from theater to English. But, immersed in a Ph.D. program, she only slowly realized that none of her graduating friends had work. So she dropped out to take an actual paying job in the business world. UCLA gave her a Master's degree as a consolation prize. She then used tales of romance and adventure to escape budget and projects. Now she researches and writes her books at the beach in Southern California, supported by two Belgian Sheepdogs, a thoroughbred mare and a wonderful husband named Harry who writes occut mysteries.


Sue Swift

Sue is a believer in reincarnation. In her 48 years she has reincarnated from a receptionist to a librarian then to a trial attorney. After twenty years of toil in the Sacramento County Court just a few blocks from this hotel, she found the love of her life: writing novels.

Her first book won the Beacon Aware for the best historical romance of its year. Her second book was a RITA finalist in Traditional Romance. Her third won several awards as an unpublished work. Her fourth book, In the Sheikh's Arms, was a top seller in its category, and received rave reviews--RT wrote: "Sue Swift just gets better and better!"

Sue is represented by agent Ean Fogelman.

When she's not writing, Sue plays ice hockey and has earned a 2nd degree black belt in karate. She lives just a few miles away with her husband and two retrievers.

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