Jeri Smith-Ready http://www.jerismithready.com

Jeri has been writing fiction since the night she had her first double espresso. Her debut print novel, Eyes of Crow, a romantic fantasy from Luna Books, appears in November 2006. Jeri's e-pubbed urban fantasy, Requiem for the Devil (Time Warner, 2001) won first place in the National Writers Association Novel Contest. She holds a master’s degree in environmental policy and lives in Maryland with her husband, two cats, and the world's goofiest greyhound.   #

Mary Strand

Mary Strand has been a member of WRW since November 2001, about the same time she left her position as a partner in a large Minneapolis law firm to write novels full-time. After practicing corporate law for 16 years, she much prefers writing women’s fiction. Her first manuscript won the 2001 Golden Heart; her second was a 2002 Golden Heart finalist. She has now completed five manuscripts and is anxiously awaiting her first sale. She also served on the RWA Board of Directors from 2002 to 2004, but she’d rather talk about writing. Or basketball. Or, well, any number of things.  #

Patty Suchy http://www.novelexplorations.com

Patty Suchy's learned a lot from WRW and now will be putting most of those lessons learned into non-fiction efforts rather than fiction. Her passion for the written word also carries over into a business she created 10 years ago—Novel Explorations, Where Fiction and Travel Merge. You can check out her latest travel offerings on her Web site, which is in the process of being updated and reformatted to promote the many wonderful writers she's had the opportunity to meet.   #

Hope Tarr http://www.hopetarr.com

Hope Tarr is the author of three historical romances to date including Tempting, a "My Fair Lady" story with a twist and a past nominee for Romantic Times Book Club Reviewers Choice Award Nominee for Best Innovative Historical Romance. Hope's other books, My Lord Jack and A Rogue's Pleasure, have garnered multiple contest awards and award nominations. The latter include Reviewers International Organization's Dorothy Parker Award and RT Book Club's Best First Historical Romance. Hope is at work on a contemporary romance set in Washington, DC and New York and an historical romance trilogy set in 1890s London. When not writing or pursuing her other passion—rescuing, spaying/neutering and re-homing stray and feral cats, Hope likes to log in time rocking on her front porch in historic Fredericksburg, VA. Look for Hope's next historical romance, Vanquished, the first in her new "Men of Roxbury House" trilogy, in bookstores starting July 2006.   #

LaVerne Thompson http://www.isisindcblog.blogspot.com

LaVerne Thompson, originally from Trinidad, has been writing stories shortly after she learned to write. She is an avid reader of all genres of romance and sci/fi, and she writes contemporary and fantasy romances. Her contemporary work, Promises from Red Rose Publishing is her first publication. Her fantasy work, Dragon’s Heart-Story of the Brethren won first place in the 2008 Romance Slam Jam Aspiring Author Contest. She is currently working on several other writing projects due out soon.  #

Maggie Toussaint http://www.maggietoussaint.com

A scientist by training, a romanticist at heart, Maggie Toussaint loves to solve puzzles. Whether it’s the puzzle of a relationship or a who-dun-it, she tackles them all with equal aplomb and wonder. Maggie writes romantic suspense for The Wild Rose Press, sweet romance for Freya’s Bower, and cozy mystery for Five Star. Besides being a member of Washington Romance Writers, she’s also a member of RWA’s Kiss of Death, First Coast Romance Writers, Southeast Mystery Writers of America, Florida Sisters In Crime, and EPIC. She was awarded the WRW Magic Crystal Award for taking the newsletter from print to electronic format during her two-year tenure as Update editor. She’s been a member of WRW since 1998, serving as a contest judge, raffle ticket seller, and newsletter editor.   #