Speakers and Workshop Leaders

 

nora roberts is a publishing phenomenon. She has over 130 million copies of her books in print. In the U.S. alone, she has published over 140 novels and her work has been optioned and made into films, excerpted in national magazines and translated in over twenty-five different countries. According to Publishers Weekly, in 2000 she had an amazing 13 bestsellers (12 paperback and 1 hardcover), and of those thirteen several were #1 bestsellers. Nora Roberts’ successful futuristic romantic suspense series featuring Eve Dallas and Roarke are written under her pen name of J.D. Robb. Publishers Weekly hails them as "a perfect balance of suspense, futuristic police procedure and steamy romance...truly fine entertainment."

 
 
                                               
mary jo putney: Since 1987, Mary Jo Putney has published more than twenty-five books. Her stories are noted for psychological depth and unusual subject matter such as alcoholism, death and dying, and domestic abuse. She has made all of the national bestseller lists including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Publishers Weekly. Four of her books have been named among the year’s top five romances by The Library Journal. She has also won numerous awards, including Romance Writers of America’s Rita Award for Dancing on the Wind and The Rake and the Reformer, two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, and four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance.
                               
michael dirda is a writer and longtime writer and editor for The Washington Post Book World. His reviews or essays appear weekly, and address a broad range of interests: classics in translation, intellectual history, children's picture books, fantasy and crime fiction, biographies, American and European literature, poetry, and innovative writing of all kinds. In his monthly Readings column he touches, light-heartedly (he hopes), on all kinds of bookish matters collecting modern firsts, rediscovering neglected novels, the pleasures of ghost stories, the teaching of writing and much else, most of it at least semi-autobiographical.1993 Pulitzer Prize for criticism and author of the essay collection "Readings" and the memoir, "An Open Book."
    patricia gaffney has published twelve historical romance novels and three hard cover women’s fiction novels. Her first romance, Sweet Treason, won the Romance Writers of America's Golden Heart as well as other first-book awards. Six of her novels have been nominated for RWA Rita awards, and Wild at Heart was among ten finalists for the reader-nominated Favorite Book of the Year Award. Her first hardcover fiction novel, The Saving Graces, enjoyed bestseller status on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and other national lists. That was quickly followed by two more New York Times bestsellers: Circle of Three and Flight Lessons. Patricia Gaffney is currently at work on The Good-bye Summer, a novel about a woman who gets unexpected life lessons when she puts her eccentric grandmother in a nursing home. The Good-bye Summer will be available in spring of 2004.    
                                             
        mary kilchenstein (aka Mary Kirk) is a best-selling, award-winning romance novelist and editor. Her novels have garnered critical acclaim from all romance review sources, several becoming finalists for Romance Writers of America's RITA and Favorite Book of the Year awards; two have won Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards and one, RT's Lifetime Achievement Award. As a freelance editor, Ms. Kilchenstein has worked with hundreds of writers at all levels of achievement, from aspiring to multi-published, New York Times list of best-selling authors. She has also spearheaded collection projects, developing concepts, gathering and working with authors, and marketing the collections of short stories for the purpose of raising funds for charities. As an in-house editor for ImaJinn Books (an independent publisher of paranormal romance), she acquires manuscripts and works closely with the authors through all stages of editing and production. Ms. Kilchenstein is a member of Novelists, Inc.

rebecca york : A New York Times bestselling author, Rebecca York (aka Ruth Glick) has written over 90 books. She has authored or co-authored more than 40 romantic suspense novels, many with paranormal elements. Killing Moon was a launch book for Berkley's new Sensation Romance imprint in June 2003. Edge of the Moon and Witching Moon completed the trilogy. Ruth has recently signed a contract for three new Berkley paranormal romantic suspense novels and her novellas will appear in two Berkley anthologies. For many years, Ruth has also written Harlequin Intrigue's very popular 43 Light Street series, set in Baltimore. Ruth's many awards include two Rita finalist books. She has two Career Achievement awards from Romantic Times Magazine: for Series Romantic Suspense and Series Romantic Mystery. Ruth also writes cookbooks. Fabulous Low Carb Cuisine was a finalist for the Excellence in Independent Publishing Award of the MidAtlantic Publishers Association in 2001. The Diabetes Snack, Munch, Nibble, Nosh Book was the winner of the National Health Information Bronze Award in 1999 and has recently been reissued by the American Diabetes Association in a new edition including 25 new recipes.                                
         
                               
diane chamberlain's novel Private Relations earned Diane the RITA award for Best Single Title Contemporary Novel. She has since gone on to author fifteen novels. Her novel Brass Ring received the Best Contemporary Novel award from the Romantic Times Bookclub Magazine. Diane was also the recipient of that magazine's career achievement award in 1993 and again in 2001
emilie richards is the author of more than fifty novels. Emilie's first hardcover, Prospect Street, set in Georgetown, was published in 2002, followed by The Parting Glass in 2003, a sequel to Whiskey Island, which was published in 2000. In 1994, Emilie received the RITA award from Romance Writers of America for her novel, Dragonslayer. Emilie's upcoming trilogy, Shenandoah Album, which focuses on quilts in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, debuts in July with Wedding Ring. She is also hard at work on her first mystery series to be published by Berkley Prime Crime.



                                   
catherine asaro's fiction is a successful blend of hard science fiction, romance, and exciting space adventure. She has published nine novels, seven of which belong to her Saga of the Skolian Empire. The Quantum Rose won the Nebula Award for best novel of 2001. She has also published short fiction in Analog magazine and in several anthologies. Catherine has also served as the vice president of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Inc. (SFWA).

photo by Hugh Talman
chassie west began her writing career as a young adult novelist, her books running the gamut from teen romances and adventures to mysteries, including two of the updated Nancy Drew Files. Sixteen books later, a good many of which also appeared in foreign language editions, she undertook a new challenge: the adult market. The results were three romantic suspense novels for Silhouette Intimate Moments, written as Joyce McGill. Through the Looking Glass and Unforgivable made Waldenbooks Bestsellers List. Unforgivable was Silhouette's first ethnic romantic suspense featuring African American protagonists. Other milestones were the Romantic Times 1989-1990 Lifetime Achievement Award for New Series Romantic Mystery Author and the Romantic Times 1990-91 Career Achievement Certificate of Excellence for Series Romantic Fantasy. The next stage of Chassie's writing career began with her decision to try her hand at mysteries. Her first, Sunrise, written under her own name and published by HarperPaperbacks, was nominated in 1995 for an Edgar for Best Original Paperback by the Mystery Writers of America. That was followed in 1997 by Loss of Innocence, a HarperPaperback Publisher's Choice. Her next mystery, Killing Kin published in 2000, the second of a series featuring Sunrise's Leigh Ann Warren, was a nominee for an Edgar and an Anthony. The third in the series, Killer Riches, was published in April, 2001. The fourth book in the Leigh Ann Warren series, Killer Chameleon, is scheduled for publication by Avon in October 2004, along with repackaged issues of Sunrise, Killing Kin and Killer Riches.

photo by glamour shots, baltimore, md

 

 
               
          cathy maxwell is a former US Navy officer and a New York Times bestselling author of 11 historical romances, four of which were designated as Avon Treasures. She has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award from the Romance Writers of America, and Romantic Times Magazine calls Cathy Maxwell "an author who understands the human heart and whose stories touch our souls."
eileen charbonneau: The Ghosts of Stony Close was Eileen Charbonneau’s first published book and the first novel to win her a Rita award. Since then she has gone on to author more than a dozen young adult and adult novels, in adventure, mystery and romance. Her novels have won numerous awards, including Romantic Times Magazine awards and the American Library Association Reviewer’s Choice awards.                  
karen lee's first book, Meredith’s Wish, is a love story replete with unexpected twists, plenty of laughs, and a soupçon of cyberspace. To create this unique tale (which includes a genie who emerges from a cell phone!) Ms. Lee draws on her own extensive experience in the world of technology: in her other life, she is a partner at a telecommunications consulting firm. Following the success of Meredith’s Wish, she went on to author another romantic comedy.
todd pierce: Winner of the IAP Award for Fiction, a Kingsbury Fellowship, and the Charles Angoff Award, Todd James Pierce is the author of two novels, The Sky Like Tamara Blue (2004) and The Australia Stories (2003). His nonfiction has appeared in books published by Penguin, Harcourt Brace, and NCTE Press and in magazines such as Poets & Writers and The Iowa Review. His most recent publications include The Australia Stories: a novel, the story "Newsworld" in The Georgia Review, the story "Arise and Walk, Christopher Reeve" in Indiana Review, and the story "Wresting Al Gore" in North American Review. Todd has also created an acclaimed website detailing the ins and outs of acquiring an agent. He updates his material often, and his site has become THE place for anyone searching for an agent for the first or fiftieth time.                
                           
judy fitzwater began her writing career freelancing as a columnist, feature writer, and reporter of superior court proceedings for a newspaper in rural North Carolina. Her first novel featuring unpublished mystery writer Jennifer Marsh, Dying to Get Published, was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Mystery of 1998. Jennifer’s adventures continued in Dying to Get Even, Dying for a Clue, Dying to Remember, Dying to Be Murdered, and Dying to Get Her Man. Fitzwater belongs to a writers’ group that steadfastly denies any resemblance to the critique group that appears in her books.
barbara cummings is the award-winning author of five historical romances, four single title women’s fiction novels, two Victorian mysteries, one young adult romantic comedy and one young adult mystery. She is also the published author of four short stories and her poetry has appeared in several online publications. She is currently at work on a paranormal suspense.                        
linda morelli is an award-winning author who is also an editor. Her first historical romance, Fiery Surrender, has received critical praise. Shadow of Doubt has received rave reviews and numerous awards, including the 2003 Write Touch Readers' Awards, the 2003 Laurel Wreath Award for romantic suspense, a 2003 Affaire de Coeur Internet Readers/Writers Poll, and has been rated #1 in About.com's "Top Five Romantic Suspense Novels.” Linda is currently Historical Editor for Gotta Write Network Online (GWN) and the Associate Romance Editor for Port Town Publishing.
              richard galli is a multi-talented author. He is also an attorney and the father of a quadriplegic son, about whom he wrote his first book, Rescuing Jeffrey. Recently he received an MA in English from the University of Rhode Island. He graduated cum laude from Boston University School of Law in 1976. Before that, he was a newspaper reporter and photographer. While in the Army (1969-71) he was awarded the bronze star for his service as a Vietnamese interpreter. It was his experience in Vietnam that lead to his penning his first novel. REMFS is an often hilarious, often sobering look at the grunt in the rice paddies of Vietnam. Mr. Galli chose to self-publish this novel, but has recently been approached by a traditional publisher, and they are in negotiations.
                 
binnie syril braunstein aka Binnie Syril has authored three romance novels and forty-nine published short stories. She has also written reviews and articles, compiled a frequently updated romance bibliography, "A Bouquet of Books." Her first novel, The Color of Love, was a RITA award finalist. Out of the Darkness was a finalist in the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart contest. Her short stories have appeared in almost a dozen magazines all over the world. And she frequently teaches courses on techniques of fiction writing, essay and personal memoir, library research, and publicity. Ms. Braunstein is also a publicist – for Washington Romance Writers, and for a growing number of romance and literary authors – via her company, Press Kit Communications. In addition, she coordinated publicity for weekend seminars on romance writing presented by The Smithsonian Associates.

kathy carmichael Award-winning romantic comedy author, Kathy Carmichael, is a frequent regional and national lecturer on the craft and business of writing. She judges numerous writing contests, including the Writer's Digest Self-Published Contest. Multi-published in both short stories and novels, Kathy's first romantic comedy, Chasing Charlie, made the Independent Bookseller Association's Booksense 76 extended list. Her second book, My Lady Mischief, received the 2002 Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence, presented by the Reviewers International Organization and her third romantic comedy, Here Comes Trouble, is a finalist for 2003. Kathy currently serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Romance Writers of America. To find out more information or to read her writing articles and workshop notes, visit her website by clicking on her name above.


                   
               
                                                                                         
                                                                                             

patricia mclinn always wanted to write novels, although she took a detour of practicality into journalism before publishing her first book in 1990. Cited by reviewers for strong emotion and characterization, Patricia’s books have topped best-seller lists and garnered awards. She is following up last year’s Wedding of the Century and The Unexpected Wedding Guest with two books that will be out in 2005 from Silhouette Special Edition – Rehearsal Wedding and Wedding Bells and Baby Blues. She especially enjoys connected books, allowing readers to see how characters from past books are getting along after they’ve found love – because finding love isn’t a happy ending at all, but a happy beginning. Patricia received BA and MSJ degrees from Northwestern University. She was a sports writer for the Rockford (Ill.) Register Star and assistant sports editor at the Charlotte (N.C.) Observer before moving to the Washington Post. After serving as an assignment editor and copy chief she went part-time to write novels and now edits for the Post’s news service. Patricia lives in Arlington, Va., in a house that grows piles of paper and dog hair at an alarming rate.
gay cameron snell’s first book, His Brother’s Keeper, was published in 1994 by Harlequin Intrigue under the name Gay Cameron. Her second book, published under the same name and released in 1997, is titled The Defendant. Gay has had several educational articles published, as well as having written and received mini-grants for education. Recently, her short story, “The Wedding Dance,” received an award in a nation-wide writing competition. Gay is currently working on a suspense novel titled Death Rattle. Gay is a member of Novelists, Inc.; Mystery Writers of America; Romance Writers of America; Washington Romance Writers, of which she is a past president; the TKG Critique Group, and Sisters-In-Crime. She has also met the Virginia state requirements to qualify as a private investigator, an endeavor that introduced her to law and complemented her previous work experience in intelligence
judi l strider was born in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. After a college career that afforded her three advanced degrees in English, library science, and communications, she married and settled in her hometown. Judi began writing at the age of twelve. She had had poetry and short stories published in the Sans Merci, a literary magazine. Several manuscripts and rejections later, her contemporary romantic-suspense, Hold On to My Heart, was published in the July 2002. She is currently working on an historical romance trilogy on the Rothirforde family. The first part of the trilogy, Aidan’s Chance, placed fourth for the RWA Connecticut Oak Leaf Award of Excellence. She is associate editor of the newsletter Update for Washington Romance Writers.
                         
            leslie pietrzyk is the author of Pears on a Willow Tree, a novel about four generations of Polish-American women, and the forthcoming A Year and a Day. Her short fiction has appeared in many literary journals, including Iowa Review, Gettysburg Review, and New England Review. Her work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and she has won a number of writing awards, including Shenandoah's Jean Charpiot Goodheart Prize for Fiction. She has a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from Northwestern University and an MFA in Creative Writing from American University.
             

ann c. crispin

 

louise titchener is the author of over forty published novels in a variety of genres, including romance, science-fiction fantasy and mystery. The heroine of her Toni Credella mystery series was first introduced in Homebody. Toni is a dyslexic young woman who shot and killed her abusive Baltimore cop husband. A free E-Book version of Homebody is available on Louise’s website: . Buried in Baltimore, the second Toni Credella mystery, was awarded an Eppie for Best Mystery of 2002. The book was a finalist for the National E-Book Award. The third Toni Credella mystery, Burned in Baltimore, is now available from Hard Shell. Louise has taught novel writing for the Johns Hopkins Continuing Education program and for the Smithsonian Institute.