RWA Board of Directors

Below are the RWA Board of Directors members voted in by a special election in March 2020; these board members will complete the 2019-2020 term (through 8/31/2020). Contact the Board at board@rwa.org.

 

Alyssa Day, President

Alyssa DayTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Alyssa Day is a former trial lawyer and the New York Times bestselling author of more than 45 books that have been translated into many languages. She's a dog rescuer, future pug ranch owner, sci-fi nerd, and occasional optimist. She speaks out about her depression in an attempt to remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues and get people talking. She frequently makes mistakes but tries to learn from them. www.alyssaday.com

Email Alyssa Day

President-Elect

None

C. Chilove, Secretary

C. ChiloveTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

C. Chilove is the former CIMRWA President. She writes sexy, thought-provoking romance that explores the human condition while proving love transcends societal clichés. Her characters are strong, witty, and prove that diversity is beautiful. When she's not writing, she's living out her personal happily-ever-after by rockin’ the stands for her Volleyball star, cheering on her future MLB slugger, or celebrating date night with her hubby.




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E.J. Russell, Treasurer

EJ RussellTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

E.J. Russell (she/her) is the author of over twenty LGBTQ+ romances, ranging from romantic comedy (both paranormal and contemporary) through supernatural romantic suspense (with a little historical on the side). She spent fifteen years in not-for-profit financial management (for everything from a professional regional theater to a community mental health center), and followed that up with nearly twenty years as a database designer and business intelligence consultant. Nowadays, she writes full-time from her empty nest. E.J. lives in rural Oregon, enjoys visits from her wonderful adult children, and indulges in good books, red wine, and the occasional hyperbole.

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Directors-at-Large

Avery Flynn, Director-at-Large

Avery FlynnTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling romance author Avery Flynn has three slightly-wild children, loves a hockey-addicted husband and is desperately hoping someone invents the coffee IV drip.

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Veronica Forand, Director-at-Large

Veronica ForandTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

RWA has not been kind to marginalized authors. I want RWA to become a place where policies and procedures don't hide / enable acts of racism, homophobia, or ableism. A member of RWA for eight years, I’m part of the VFRW, Washington Romance Writers, CIMRWA, Philadelphia Romance Writers, and the Kiss of Death chapters. I worked as an international corporate tax manager at Ernst & Young before becoming a child advocate attorney in Philadelphia. I was named 2019 PRO Mentor of the Year and I’ve won the Golden Pen Award, the Bookseller’s Best, and finaled in the Daphne du Maurier Contest.

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Leslie Hachtel, Director-at-Large

Leslie HachtelTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Leslie Hachtel has been working since she was fifteen and her various jobs have included licensed veterinary technician, caterer, horseback riding instructor for the disabled and advertising media buyer, which have all given her a wealth of experiences. However, it has been writing that has consistently been her passion. She is a bestselling author who has written thirteen romance novels, including ten historicals and three romantic suspense.  She believes love is love and wishes there was more of it in the world. Leslie now lives in Florida with her very supportive husband, and her new writing buddy, Annie, the terrier.


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Lisa Kessler, Director-at-Large

Lisa KesslerTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Lisa Kessler is a bestselling author of paranormal romance fiction. She's a two-time San Diego Book Award winner for Best Published Fantasy-Sci-fi-Horror and Best Published Romance. Her books have also won the PRISM award, the Award of Excellence and Romance Through the Ages Award for Best Paranormal, and the Award of Merit from the Holt Medallion. Her short stories have been published in anthologies and magazines, and she was a finalist for a Bram Stoker award.

Lisa has taught writing workshops for RWA University, RWA National Conference, San Diego Writers Ink, RWA chapters, the RT Booklovers Convention, and writer’s retreats.

Email Lisa Kessler

LaQuette, Director-at-Large

LaQuetteTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Former president of RWANYC, LaQuette writes unapologetically sexy and diverse characters for Sourcebooks, Harlequin, and St. Martin's Press. She crafts emotionally epic tales deeply pigmented by reality's paintbrush. She fills her novels with a unique mixture of savvy, sarcastic, and brazen characters who are confident in their right to appear on the page.

Before romance, LaQuette was a college professor who taught literature, research & methodology, and creative writing to academically diverse and disadvantaged populations. She now uses her educational background to teach her Critical Lens course where romance writers learn how to consider the perspectives of marginalized voices.
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Siera London, Director-at-Large

Siera LondonTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Siera London is a USA Today Bestselling & Award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and crime fiction. Prior to her writing career, Siera completed 22 years in the United States Navy where she served as an equal opportunity advisor to the executive leadership. She has over 20 years of national and local government board experience.



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Amy Quinton, Director-at-Large

Amy QuintonTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Amy Quinton writes humorous historicals with heat, often from her back porch in Summerville, SC. But only when her dog and three cats allow.  She’s susceptible to sparkle, leather, thrift stores, Whisky, tattoos, Bunco with her Bitches, and men in kilts - not necessarily in that order. In her previous life, Amy was a software designer before becoming a Mom of Boys TM and hopes to contribute her passion, experience, dedication, time, and strong work ethic toward charting RWA on a new course toward diversity and inclusiveness via a newly defined progressive and forward-thinking organization in support of romance authors.


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Elizabeth Schechter, Director-at-Large

Elizabeth SchechterTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Elizabeth Schechter has been called one of the top erotica and alternative sexuality writers in the world. Her writing credits include the award-winning steampunk erotic romance House of Sable Locks,  the Celtic fantasy Princes of Air, and the ongoing Heir to the Firstborn serial, her first foray into New Adult fantasy. She was born in New York at some point in the past. She is officially old enough to know better, but refuses to grow up. She lives in Central Florida with her husband and son.

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Jessa Slade, Director-at-Large

Jessa SladeTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Jessa Slade joined RWA and Rose City Romance Writers, Portland Oregon, in 1997 and took ten years, more than a hundred rejections, and about a million final draft words to finally publish an urban fantasy romance with NAL Signet Eclipse. Since then, she has written paranormal romance for Harlequin and self-publishes now as Elsa Jade, writing science fiction and shifter romance. She has also self-published as Jenna Dales. She believes in the power of storytelling, HEAs, and the occasional well-placed F bomb. Powered by hope and chocolate, not necessarily in that order. She/her.

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Nikki Sloane, Director-at-Large

Nikki SloaneTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Nikki Sloane landed in graphic design after her careers as a waitress, a screenwriter, and a ballroom dance instructor fell through. For years she worked for a design firm in that extremely tall, black, and tiered building in Chicago that went through an unfortunate name change during her time there. Now she lives in Kentucky, is married and has two sons. She is a three-time Romance Writers of America RITA© Finalist, also writes romantic suspense under the name Karyn Lawrence, and couldn't be any happier that people enjoy reading her sexy words.

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Anna Zabo, Director-at-Large

Anna ZaboTerm expiration: 08/31/2020

Anna Zabo writes contemporary and paranormal romance for all colors of the rainbow. They live and work in Pittsburgh, PA. Their book, Syncopation, was listed as a Best Book for 2018 by Book Riot. Ann Kopchik is a senior technical writer, with more than 25 years of experience. They work for SAP Labs in Pittsburgh, and are a member of Pride@SAP, the global SAP LGBT employee network. Anna/Ann is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns.

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Advisors

Chapter Advisor

None

PAN Advisor

None

PRO Advisor

None