RAMP 2024 MentorsWe're so excited to announce the mentors for our Romance Author Mentorship Program! Karen Bonnick
Karen's Wishlist I'm excited to help my mentee write a story that focuses on the areas I do in my own writing. I am constantly working to write stories that: - are heavily character-driven, with diverse MCs -- interracial, age-gap, and older couples, and persons with physical challenges are my favorites- are plot-rich, with believable conflicts- employ fresh uses of language - think outside the box for a satisfying HEA- have a heat level commensurate with the story being told. I enjoy reading explicit and intimate love scenes, but only as often as is necessary for the building of the relationship as well as the advancing of the plot and conflicts. Unless your story is erotica, there should be no gratuitous sex scenes. - Also, as per personal preference and RWA policy, I will not read incest, dubious or non-consent, or heavy BDSM.My mentee must be willing to put in the work necessary to make this journey joyful and fulfilling. Once we've established a schedule, we will follow it absolutely, except of course in the case of an emergency. A writer's life can be unpredictable, as I can attest, so we'll both need to be able to manage our schedule to get the maximum benefit from the experience. I won't be "the sage on the stage," telling you what to do. I'll be "the guide on the side", helping you see---through regular critiquing and rewriting sessions---how you can polish your style, sharpen your plot points, and build the most engaging characters you can. Together, we'll help you send a beautiful book out into the world. Clair Brett
Clair's Wishlist I have a back ground in both child and adult education and love to share knowledge and help bring out a person's best in their work. I love an emotionally impactful story with strong character development and conflict. I like to work with people at their level and guide them to their own advancement, so I will want someone who has opinions about where they want to take their writing. My own experience is in self-publishing, but also have experience pitching and querying to traditional publishers. Sarah Hendess
Sarah's Wishlist I'd love a romance set in 19th century or colonial America, but I'm open to any time period. I'm not a good fit for a romance with any red-flag male characters (abusive, anger issues, etc.). I'd love to work with a mentee with a good sense of humor and a willingness to learn. Siera London
Siera's Wishlist I'm interested in working with a mentee who is dedicated to improving their manuscript during our time together. If you want a straightforward mentor who is willing to listen to your vision yet provide constructive feedback, then we should work well together. Linda Parisi
Linda's Wishlist Hello! Welcome to my world. I've been around a long time. I've been a member of RWA since 1994. I've been a mentor two out of the last three years. I want to give back to the community that welcomed me with open arms so long ago. I'm looking for a clean manuscript and an exceptional willingness to learn. I want someone who wants to work with me. I just signed my first contract with Harlequin and I have a lot of years of experience under my belt. Everything I say and do are to help you, the mentee, become a better, stronger, writer. So if you're looking for someone who may be tough but wants nothing more than for you to succeed, I'm your mentor. Hope Ramsay
Hope's Wishlist I will be honest, I am a traditionally published author whose books have made best sellers list (and one was turned into a Hallmark movie), but about a year ago I decided to step back from writing on deadlines. I'm currently not under contract or actively seeking a contract. I am working on a non-romance project that I may self publish, but I'm in no hurry. So if you are interested in a mentor with current knowledge of the romance market, I might not be the right one for you. I am, however, an experienced mentor who has won my chapter's mentoring award, which I consider one of my most important writing accomplishments. I can help you learn how to tell a good story, and I'm looking for authors who are interested in good stories. So if you're struggling to find the emotional core of your novel and the story that will convey it, I may be able to help you. I will definitely be looking for good story tellers in any manuscript I evaluate. Claudia Severin
Claudia's Wishlist I'm looking for manuscripts with strong female characters and relatable male characters, even if it isn't a M/F pairing. I've been enjoying writing and reading contemporary romance lately, like Abby Jimenez, Lucy Score and Emily Henry. I also enjoy Historical Romance, big Bridgerton fan (books and Netflix.) I've also started writing romantic suspense so would welcome those. I look forward to helping you polish the best book you can create. Show me your hard work! Anna Taylor Swerigen
Anna's Wish List Historical romance is my strongest suit, but as I write in a variety of subgenres and have strong editorial skills due to my journalism background I believe enable me to be helpful to you whether you write historical or not. I describe myself as a plotter on steroids, but have brainstorming techniques that my pantser mentees have found helpful. This will be my third time mentoring someone one on one in RAMP. I did group mentoring in RWA's Pen 2 Paper program. Danica Winters
Danica's Wishlist I am looking for strong writers who are looking to make publishing a career. I love my students and like to create strong relationships with my groups. Jason Wrench
Jason's Wishlist I love working with LGBTQIA+ authors. Most of my work is in the MM Romance world, so I feel best suited to work with books that fall into this category. However, I have also written traditional romance. I'm looking for a good story with a clear narrative arc in a manuscript. I want to see characters who are exciting and developed and make me root for them to get their HEA. Lara Zielinsky
Lara's Wishlist My favorite reads feature characters with realistic issues (even if the setting is fantastical) and a strong sense of place. The characters' journey is transformative and they often surprise themselves with the way(s) they are changing. My favorite romances are frequently slow burn, enemies/rivals to lovers, "how in the heck am I attracted to you?" seeming mismatches, or even the "inconvenient" romance: "why now when I've got all this other stuff going on?". Once they realize they're in love, they also realize they feel more comfortable in their own skin. Finally, I enjoy reading everything sexy, mild to wild, but it's crucial that the heat level fits the characters and the story's tone. Recent reads that I adored include: CARE AND FEEDING OF WASPISH WIDOWS by Olivia Waite (historical romance; LGBTQ+), SOUR GRAPES by Eliza Lentzski (contemporary romance; LGBTQ+), PREWRATH AND RAPTURE by TJ Dallas (erotic fantasy LGBTQ+), SHE DANCED ANYWAY by JJ Ranson (historical women's fiction), and DOMESTIC ARTS by Annie Ballard (contemporary women's fiction). |
A longtime ghostwriter of romance across several sub-genres, Karen is also now an indie author looking to find her niche in the vibrant romance writing market. Writing contemporary interracial---both M/F and M/M---historical, and paranormal romances keeps her as busy as she used to be when she taught English in high school and college and supervised high school educators. When she's not writing -- alone or with her writing partners -- she's reading voraciously in all genres but horror. She's a wife and mother of four humans and one fur baby, and grandmother of two Japanese-Jamaican kiddos.
Fur baby wrangler and historical romance author of 7 published novels Clair Brett lives in NH with her hard-working husband of more than 23 years. Her office staff during the day consists of Cinta a black cat and the matriarch of the fur babies Mojo a yellow kitten who spends his day holding Clair down in her seat to get her word count in a boxer/beagle mix puppy named Willow who sleeps next to her chair to make it hard to do an Oreo run without doing a pee run as well Sanibel a lab mix who is the HR dept. keeping moral up and her “grand dog” Bailey who came to visit and didn’t leave an 80 pound shepherd mix who is always up for a good time. When not writing she tries to keep tabs on her newly minted adult daughters who are working on figuring it all out. A former middle and high school English teacher Clair has had a lifetime love affair with reading. Once she read Pride and Prejudice as an extra read in high school she was hooked. Clair began pursuit of publication when she was a new mother in need of a hobby. Her oldest daughter graduated high school in 2017 so you do the math. Clair is a firm believer that a reader finds a piece of who they are or learns something about the world with every book they read. She wants her readers to be empowered and to have a refreshed belief in the goodness of people and the power of love after reading her work.
Hello! I can't wait to help you polish your manuscript. As the co-founder of Golden Bridges Publishing, I'm eager to work with debut authors. I have ten years' experience as a fiction editor, and my own debut novel, SECOND CHANCES IN HOLLYWOOD, won the Adult Fiction prize from the Florida Author Project in 2023. I specialize in historical romances, but I love contemporary too. When I'm not writing and editing, I'm probably reading, cross-stitching, or chasing after my eight-year-old.
Siera London is the USA Today Bestselling & Award-winning author of contemporary and paranormal romance, romantic suspense, and crime fiction. She crafts stories of diverse characters navigating the challenges and triumphs to find lasting love. Intelligence, wit, emotion, drama, and romance are between the covers of every Siera London novel. Siera lives in Florida with Mr. Awesome, and a color patch tabby named Frie.
As a major in Biochemistry with a minor in English literature, Linda always tried to mesh her love of science with her love of the written word. Once a clinical research scientist, now a NJRW Golden Leaf, N.N. Light’s Book Heaven 2021 Best Paranormal Romance Award winner, and 2022 HOLT Medallion Winner for Speculative Fiction, she creates unforgettable characters and puts them in untenable situations, much to their dismay. Choices always matter and love conquers all, so a happy-ever-after is a must. Linda is the current President of Liberty States Fiction Writers. She has served on the boards of other writing organizations, as a Mentor for RWA, and loves to teach the craft of writing at workshops and conferences. She recently signed a contract with Harlequin, and her book Reunion with The Single Mom is scheduled to release May 2025. She loves to travel, tries to bake, and lives in New Jersey with her son Chris, daughter-in-law Sara, and Audi and Archer, a pair of pooches who had her at woof!
Hope Ramsay is a USA Today bestselling author of heartwarming contemporary romances set below the Mason-Dixon Line. Her children are grown but she has a beloved fur baby Daisy the Cockapoo who keeps her entertained. Hope lives in the medium-sized town of Fredericksburg Virginia and when she’s not writing or walking the dog she spends her time knitting and noodling around on her collection of guitars.
Claudia J. Severin sat down to write romance novels after completing her “to-do list” and kissing the nine-to-five jobs and grown kids goodbye. Well, first she painted her bedroom and researched her entire genealogical history. And watered the garden.She’s six published books in and still views the world through romance-colored glasses. The first book, Her Side of History, was based on stories of four female ancestors, based on information gleaned from various resources about their lives. The first series she wrote, The Twirler Quartet, was set in the late 1960s about four girls who became high school baton twirlers. Teen pregnancy was the recurring theme in that series. The last book published, The Love Genes, was a combination of a historical romance, set in the 1920s, and a story about the contemporary indirect descendants of the first protagonists, as they uncovered their ancestors’ stories and their attraction to each other. Her current manuscript features characters found in The Love Genes. She has been actively involved with the RWA, serving as a guide for both Pen2Paper and Paper2Polished this year, serving on two national committees, and has been a RAMP mentor.
I'm a retired United Church of Christ minister. I joined RWA in 2003 and write African-American romance under three different pen names: As Anna Taylor, I published an inspirational novel with White Rose Publishing in 2008; as Michal Scott, I published steamy historical novellas with (1) The Wild Rose Press in 2016, 2018, (2) in three Passionate Ink charity anthologies in 2018, 2021 with the next novella coming out this year, (3) published steamy short stories in Delilah Devlin's Boys Behaving Badly anthologies in 2019, 2020, 2021 with the next one coming out this May 2023. As Anna M. Taylor, I self-published two second chance romance lite paranormal novellas in 2020 in a series I entitled Haunted Harlem. Presently I belong to these RWA chapters: Futuristic, Fantasy, Paranormal, Land of Enchantment, Kiss of Death, NYC, Hearts Through History. My non-RWA writing groups are Historical Novel Society and Passionate Ink.
Danica Winters is a bestselling romance author with more than one-million books sold. Her works have earned her bestseller's recognition from Publishers Weekly, Neilson Bookscan, Walmart, and Amazon. Beyond her writing career, Danica wears multiple hats in the literary world.
Jason Wrench writes. He writes a lot. He’s the author of 12 Days of Murder (November 2021) and Till Death Do Us Wed (February 2022), and the Up on the Farm series: Finding a Farmer (August, 2022), Bewitched by the Barista (September, 2022), and Sanctuary for the Surgeon (January, 2023), Catching the Composer (May 2023), Wolf Island (October, 2022), and the Love and Liquidation Series: Boy Bands and Bullets (November 2023), A Choreographed Coup (April 2024), and Rhythmic Reclamation (June 2024) all with Pride Publishing.
I am a bisexual woman and write sapphic-centered fiction. I live in Orlando, Florida, with my husband of 30+ years. My first novel TURNING POINT received the 2007 Lesbian Fiction Readers Choice Award. I was also a finalist for the 2008 Debut Author award from the Golden Crown Literary Society. Several short stories have appeared in invitational anthologies, including Ultimate Lesbian Erotica 2009 and Swing! I post book reviews to Goodreads and have written articles for the Boston Bisexual Women's Network newsletter as well as a Canadian bisexuals' newsletter. I continued to write and publish my own stories while working full-time until 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic I transformed my college and certificate training into a full-time business editing fiction. DBA LZ Edits.