Our Contributors –

Ann Hite’s debut novel, Ghost On Black Mountain, was one of ten finalist for 2012 Townsend Prize. Ann won Georgia Author of the Year 2012 in the first novel category. Her second novel, The Storycatcher, will be released by Gallery Books September 10, 2013. Lowcountry Spirit will be released by Pocket Star August 13, 2013.  Ann lives in Smyrna, Georgia with her family.

Find her online at:    www.annhite.com      www.livingcreativelife.wordpress.com/    Facebook and Twitter

 

 

 

 

Deborah Smith is the New York Times bestselling author of A Place to Call Home, Sweet Hush, The Crossroads Cafe, A Gentle Rain and other acclaimed romantic novels portraying life and love in the modern Appalachian South. A native Georgian, Deborah is a former newspaper editor who turned to novel-writing with great success.

With more than 35 romance, women’s fiction and fantasy novels to her credit, Deborah’s books have sold over 3 million copies worldwide. Among her honors is a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine and a nomination for the prestigious Townsend Literary Award. In 2003 Disney optioned Sweet Hush for film. In 2008 A Gentle Rain was a finalist in Romance Writers of America’s RITA awards.

Deborah Smith is a founding member and current Vice President and Editoral Director of BelleBooks and Bell Bridge Books. Deborah produces book trailers for the Bell Bridge and BelleBooks titles, creates the company’s podcasts, and also narrates and produces audiobooks for BelleBooks Audio.

 

 

Atlanta native Haywood Smith has returned to Georgia from Boston and now lives near her son, daughter-in-law, two grandsons, and two granddaughters.

Besides writing, she enjoys gardening and attending Blackshear Place Baptist Church in Oakwood, Georgia.

She is an active member of Georgia Romance Writers, and loves speaking (without a speaker’s fee) for major women’s charity fundraisers and large Red Hat Society gatherings.

Her six successful historical novels, set in England and Scotland, won critical acclaim and many devout fans. But after a difficult divorce, she switched to writing “Hell Hath No Fury” hardback books about women who help each other to get over it and get better when their lives fall apart.

The Red Hat Club was on the New York Times Bestseller List. The Red Hat Club Rides Again debuted at #26 on the New York Times Best Seller list. The paperback edition of Queen Bee of Mimosa Branch appeared on both the USA Today‘s list and the New York Times Extended Bestseller List.

 

 

2012 marks Jean Willett’s third Golden Heart Final in RWA’s prestigious Golden Heart competition. A multi-award winning author, she loves escaping into a story, whether it’s mystery, romance or women’s fiction.  A former chemist, Jean now prefers the chemistry on the page. Her years as a Navy brat traveling just about everywhere provide a rich tapestry of material for her stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After playing hooky one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, Karen White knew she wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O’Hara. In spite of these aspirations, Karen pursued a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University. Ten years later, after leaving the business world, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a writer and wrote her first book. In the Shadow of the Moon was published in August, 2000. This book was nominated for the prestigious RITA award in 2001 in two separate categories. Her books have since been nominated for numerous national contests including two more RITAs, the Georgia Author of the Year Award and has twice won the National Readers’Choice Award for Learning to Breathe and On Folly Beach.

Karen currently writes what she refers to as ‘grit lit’—southern women’s fiction—and has recently expanded her horizons into writing a bestselling mystery series set in Charleston, South Carolina. Her fourteenth novel, The Beach Trees, was released in trade paperback by New American Library, a division of Penguin Publishing Group, in May, 2011 and debuted on the New York Times bestseller list at number fifiteen. Her fifteenth novel, The Strangers on Montagu Street (the third book in her mystery series) was released in November of 2011 and also debuted at number fourteen on the New York Times bestseller list.

 

 

Kimberly Brock is a former actor, special needs educator, and native to the north Georgia foothills. Her debut novel, The River Witch, a southern mystical work set against the backdrop of the Appalachian foothills and the Sea Islands, spins a poignant tale of characters who reckon with histories replete with regret and secrets, struggling to find home in an unpredictable world. Her work has appeared in the anthologies “Summer in Mossy Creek” and “Sweeter Than Tea.” She spends much of her non-writing time enjoying her husband and three children, and encouraging storytelling in all its many forms. Kimberly lives north of Atlanta, where she’s made her home for the last eight years. To learn more, visit her website at kimberlybrockbooks.com

 

 

 

Laura Drake is a Midwesterner who never grew out of her tomboy ways or a serious cowboy crush. She writes Women’s Fiction and Romance, and in December, she sold three novels set in the world of professional bull riding to Grand Central. THE SWEET SPOT, in which a couple struggles to reclaim their lives after a tragic loss, will be released in the spring of 2013.

Laura resides in Southern California, though she aspires to retirement in Texas. She’s a corporate CFO during the day, and a wife, grandmother, writer, and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours. She is past President of the Women’s Fiction Chapter of RWA.  http://LauraDrakeBooks.com    @PBRWriter

 

 

Nicki Salcedo has a pay job during the day and a write job at night. She’s the mother of four little kids and the wife of What’s-his-name. She has received the Maggie Award of Excellence twice and was a 2012 Golden Heart finalist. Her debut novel “All Beautiful Things” will be published by Bell Bridge Books in 2013. When given the opportunity, she travels through time. You can find Nicki on facebook, twitter, and online at www.8headedhydra.com.