A recovering lawyer, Ann Christopher has been published since 2006 and writes steamy contemporary romance. When she’s not writing, Ann likes to do the following, in no particular order: read; cook; eat; hang out at Target looking for new stuff she doesn’t need; play with her 2 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats; and travel the world with her family. She lives in Ohio. If you’d like to recommend a great new TV show or share a recipe for homemade cake of any kind, Ann would love to hear from you! Stay in touch with Ann! AnnChristopher.com ann@annchristopher.co

Jacquelin Thomas is an award-winning, best selling author with 94 titles published. Her books have garnered several awards, including two EMMA awards, the Romance In Color Reviewers Award, Readers Choice Award and the Atlanta Choice Award in the Religious & Spiritual category. Jacquelin was a 2005 honoree at the Houston Black Film Festival for the movie adaptation of her novel, Hidden Blessings. She was the first recipient to receive the Writers Achievement Award at the North Carolina Book Festival in Winston-Salem. She also received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Romantic Times Magazine. Jacquelin has published in the romance, women's fiction, inspirational and young adult genres. Her second book in the YA series, Divine Confidential was nominated for a 2008 NAACP Image Award. Jacquelin is happily married to her best friend and is the proud mother of three children. Jacquelin and her family live in North Carolina.

In 1994, Brenda Jackson’s first novel, Tonight and Forever, was released. Since then she has had more than 100 novels and novellas published (the first African-American author to accomplish such a feat) and has over 3 million books in print. A native of Jacksonville, Florida, Brenda is the first African-American author to have a book published by Harlequin Desire and the first African-American romance author to make the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller lists within the series romance genre. In 2012, Brenda received the Romance Writers of America’s Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award—one of the highest literary awards a romance author can receive. In 2013, she was recognized by the mayor and the city of Jacksonville as being a Trailblazer in the literary field. In 2010, she collaborated with Five Alive Films to turn her Truly Everlasting title into a feature film. Brenda’s 2011 novel A Silken Thread is scheduled to be filmed with Debbie Allen attached as director in 2015. Email Brenda at authorbrendajackson@gmail.com or visit her on her website at brendajackson.net.

pseudonym Naomi Chase I have enjoyed writing for as long as I can remember. My earliest memory of knowing I had a “literary gift” was as a third grader, when I wrote and illustrated a story about a child who stumbled upon a bird’s nest and decided to nurture the orphaned chickadee until its mother returned. I can’t recall whether the story had a happy ending or not, but my teacher, Mrs. Bennett, was so impressed that she predicted I would someday become a writer. During the summers as a teenager, I preferred the sticky discomfort of my bedroom to hanging outdoors with friends. I would lock myself away for hours, churning out endless stories and surfacing only for quick meals. Is it any wonder my parents and siblings labeled me a certifiable recluse? I received a B.A. in English from the University of Maryland College Park, with a minor in creative writing. As a former freelance writer, my articles were featured in various magazines, Web sites, and newspapers including the Baltimore Afro-American and Prince George’s Journal. I did a brief stint as a third grade teacher at a private school in Washington, DC—a gig requiring the patience of Job! I now live in San Antonio, Texas with my wonderful husband and our two children. When I’m not tending to their incessant needs, I can be found at my computer, sweating over a deadline. Since the publication of my debut novel in 2002, I have been nominated for four Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards and numerous Emma Awards. I have won the Romance in Color Reviewers’ Choice Awards for New Author of the Year and Romantic Suspense of the Year (Ghosts of Fire). In 2010, I won the Emma Award for Best Romantic Suspense for Secret Agent Seduction. In 2011, I was nominated for the RT BOOKreviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Kimani Series Romance for Recipe for Temptation.