Laura Marie Altom

Laura Marie Altom is the author of fifteen books.     Three short contemporaries for Kensington's Precious Gems, nine long contemporaries for Harlequin American, and three single title paranormals for Leisure Love Spell.     Early in her writing career, this former interior designer and mother of twelve-year-old boy/girl twins published over seventy romantic short stories.     Her debut Harlequin American, BLIND LUCK BRIDE, was nominated for two Romantic Times Awards--Best First Series Romance & Best Harlequin American.     It won the 2003 Windy City Choice Award.     Her debut single title, BLUE MOON, was a finalist in four contests, including the National Readers’ Choice Award.     Laura has spoken on a local level at RWA Chapter meetings, and on a national level at the 2003 RT Convention.

Further information can be found at Laura Marie's website

Margaret Daley

Margaret Daley has been writing for 25 years.     She started in the late 1970s writing because she wanted to see if she could put a whole story down on paper.     That book is still in the drawer and will never see the light of day.     But she was able to finish a book which was her goal.     She decided after that to get some help and joined a writer's round table where she met once a week with some writers and went over each other's work.     Margaret sold her first book in the early 1980s and has been selling ever since.

Upon discovering the burgeoning inspirational fiction market, she has enjoyed weaving an extra element into her books - faith.     Margaret now specializes in telling tales centered on Christian principles, showing her readers, through a wealth of warmhearted everyday characters, how important God can be in sustaining them when life gets rough.     She writes for Steeple Hill and recently sold her fortieth book, THE CINDERELLA PLAN, to their Love Inspired line, coming out in Oct 2005 as the 4th book in the continuity series Tiny Blessings.

Further information can be found at Margaret's website

Merline Lovelace

A retired Air Force Colonel, Merline Lovelace served at bases all over the world, including tours in Taiwan, Vietnam, and at the Pentagon.     When she hung up her uniform for the last time in 1991, she decided to combine her love of adventure with a flare for storytelling, basing many of her tales on her experiences in the service.

Since then, she's produced more than fifty action-packed sizzlers, many of which have made USA Today and Waldenbooks bestseller lists. Over seven million copies of her works are in print in 28 countries.     Named Oklahoma's Writer of the Year in 1998, Merline is also a recipient of Romance Writers of America's prestigious Rita Award.

Further information can be found at Merline's website

Allison Lyons

Allison Lyons has been with Harlequin/Silhouette Books for nearly seven years.     She started out working on the Intimate Moments line and has since worked on or acquired for nearly every series that comes out of the New York office.     Some of her most rewarding moments have come from finding and working with new authors who are eager to learn and develop their skills as a writer.     It's finding the book that touches her heart that makes her job a true joy.

Further information can be found at the Harlequin Enterprises website

Susan McCarty

Susan McCarty received her BA at Wellesley College and her MFA in Creative Writing at Vermont College.     She has been with Berkley for two and a half years.     She is currently interested in romantic suspense, paranormal romance and gothics - especially the modern kind.     She also enjoys YA and literary fiction.

Further information can be found at the Berkley website

Cameron McClure

Cameron McClure joined the Donald Maass Literary Agency in March of 2004.     Prior to that she worked as an assistant agent for Curtis Brown Ltd., New York.     She earned her degree in English and Spanish from the university of Santa Barbara, and worked as a high school teacher in Los Angeles before moving to New York.     She is interested in seeing literary and historical fiction, mystery and suspense, fantasy, romance and women's fiction, narrative non-fiction and projects with multi-cultural, international and environmental themes.

Further information can be found at the Donald Maass Agency website

Hilary Sares

(Check back later for Ms Sares' bio information)

Further information can be found at the Kensington website

Colleen Thompson

A former Houston-area teacher, Colleen Thompson is the author of eight novels, ranging form her latest, the romantic thriller Fatal Error, to seven American-set historical romances written under the pseudonyms Gwyneth Atlee and Colleen Easton.    She adores her job for its low-maintenance wardrobe, the perk of getting to know all her favorite authors and the added benefit of never having to scrape ice off her windshield in the morning.     Her books have received K.I.S.S. awards, a Top Pick, and a nomination for an annual reviewer's choice award from Romantic Times Book Club Magazine in addition to the Best Historical Romance nominations from the Reviewers International Organization.     Her books have been translated into Dutch and Italian, and recently, Innocent Deceptions was released as an audio book by Recorded Books.

Now residing in The Woodlands with her husband and son, Colleen continues working with children while continuing to write and speak.

Further information can be found at Colleen's website

Click on appropriate link below for additional conference information

• Conference Main Page
• Conference Registration Form
• Previous Conferences Photo Gallery

Last Update 03/21/04