Beverly Jenkins
RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
The recipient of the 2017 Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as the 2016 Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for historical romance.
https://beverlyjenkins.net
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RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
Brenda Jackson
RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author of over 140 books and novellas, and 15 million books in print. Her professional writing career began in 1995 with the release of her first book, Tonight and Forever.
https://www.brendajackson.net/
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RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
Shirley Hailstock
RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
The author of thirty novels and novellas, including her electronic editions, Shirley has received numerous awards, including the Waldenbooks Bestselling Romance Award and Romantic Times Magazine’s Career Achievement Award. Shirley’s books have appeared on Blackboard, Essence Magazine and Library Journal Best Seller Lists. She is a past president of Romance Writers of America
http://shirleyhailstock.net/
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RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
Rochelle Alers
RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
Rochelle Alers has been hailed by readers and booksellers alike as one of today’s most prolific and popular African American authors of romance and women’s fiction.
With more than eighty titles and nearly two million copies of her novels in print, Ms. Alers is a regular on the Waldenbooks, Borders and Essence bestseller lists, regularly chosen by Black Expressions Book Club, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Gold Pen Award, the Emma Award, Vivian Stephens Award for Excellence in Romance Writing, the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award and the Zora Neale Hurston Literary Award.
https://rochellealers.org
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RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
Celeste O. Norfleet
RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
National best-selling author of over twenty-five critically acclaimed multicultural romance and young adult novels. Celeste has won several prestigious awards including RSJ 2011 Best Sequel, 2011 Best Hero and 2011 Best Heroine. She has been nominated numerous times for her romance and young adult novels including the 2010 and 2011 RSJ Author of the Year Award, 2009 RT Book Reviews Career Achievement Award, 2009 Urban-Reviews Best Romance Award and the 2009 YALSA “Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers” Award.
https://www.harlequin.com/shop/authors/11943_celeste-o-norfleet.html
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RRAW Honoree
Romance Literary Legend
Kerry Rix
Marketing Director
LUV/Brain Power Studio
Kerry Rix manages Brain Power Studio’s in-house marketing department including developing
on-set assets that can be used to promote and sell their movies. This includes working with the
on-set photographer, running cast interviews and creative directing photoshoots that will
eventually become the movies posters. She also oversees all post -production, working with the
Editing , VFX and Music teams to deliver an entertaining, engaging and compelling movie. Kerry
and her team have worked with clients like Lifetime, Netflix and Hallmark on over 30 full length
romance features and a television series.
About Kerry Rix
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Marketing Director
LUV/Brain Power Studio
Nancy Yeaman
EVP Content Development
LUV/Brain Power Studio
Nancy Yeaman has been developing and producing television series and films for
over twenty years. She is currently EVP, Kids and Original Programming at
Newmarket, Ontario’s Brain Power Studios. She focuses on building audience-
driven enduring and proprietary entertainment content using innovative methods
with the ultimate goal of generating value for her global audiences. Brain Power is
a vertically integrated global media company that develops, produces, finances and
distributes live action and animated television series and movies.
She has executive produced more than thirty movies in the romance, Christmas and
family genres. Highly rated, audience adored films include the Christmas with a
Prince and A Very Country Christmas franchises. From new ideas, books, writers
and scripts to partnerships, guilds and agreements, Nancy works both sides of her
brain every day. She participates in domestic and international conferences and
trade missions, consistently strengthening her creative and business networks.
Nancy’s current content strategy priorities include romance and mystery television
movies, heartwarming series and family films.
With a depth of experience in animation, she was a producer for Luna Petunia, a
Saban Brands and Cirque du Soleil series, helping the characters make the
impossible possible every day. In the same capacity, she worked on Saban Brands’
Julius Jr based on the Paul Frank brand.
Formerly Director of Development at Portfolio Entertainment, as well as at Decode
Entertainment/DHX Media, Nancy has sourced many new projects and driven
them from conception with knowledge and passion.
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EVP Content Development
LUV/Brain Power Studio
Ashley C. Walter, Esq
Attorney
The Walter Law Group
Attorney Ashley C. Walter, founder of The Walter Law Group, is dedicated to providing high-quality legal services and effective results for her clients. As an Atlanta native, she is committed to offering true southern hospitality, showing patience and compassion for each client, while prioritizing their legal protection. She prides herself on creating a unique and worry free experience for her clientele, while advocating aggressively on their behalf to achieve the most favorable outcome in each case.
Ashley received her Bachelor of Commerce and Business Administration from The University of Alabama (“Bama”) and her Juris Doctorate from The University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”). While in law school, Ashley was honored to represent clients on Death Row through the Innocence Project, and later moved to South Africa where she worked in Human Rights Law representing citizens affected by apartheid. Upon returning home to Atlanta, she served as an extern for a Cobb County Chief Judge and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.
Throughout her career as a licensed attorney, she has represented numerous clients in the areas of Family, Business and Criminal Law.
When she is not in mediations, depositions, trials or advocating for her clients, Ashley enjoys spending her time with family and friends, mentoring aspiring attorneys, traveling, shopping and catering to her dog.
https://thewalterlawgroup.com
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Attorney
The Walter Law Group
Jen Graybeal
AUTHOR COACH * FREELANCE EDITOR * AUTHOR CHEERLEADER
Jen Graybeal Author Services
Let's work together to get your project published.
I am a book coach and freelance editor. I’ve worked with hundreds of romance authors that want to take their books and business to the next level.
We can talk about your book or series concept, identify opportunities to engage the reader so they fall in love with your writing, figure out how to recover from burnout, or figure out the next chapter of your author career. It’s your choice, I’m here to help.
New Clients — I offer a free 30 minute coaching session for new clients. This is a chance to ask your publishing questions, brainstorm a story problem, or learn more about my approach to empowered coaching.
http://www.jengraybeal.com
About Jen Graybeal
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AUTHOR COACH * FREELANCE EDITOR * AUTHOR CHEERLEADER
Jen Graybeal Author Services
Cat Clyne
Editor at Harlequin * HQN & Graydon House
Harlequin
Experienced Editor with a demonstrated history of fostering author growth, particularly in romance fiction and publishing. Skilled in Leadership, Negotiation, Public Speaking, Market Research, Storytelling, Editing, and Social Media. Strong media and communication professional with a Master of Arts from New York University.
graydonhousebooks.com
About Cat Clyne
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Editor at Harlequin * HQN & Graydon House
Harlequin
Iris Bolling
USA Today Bestselling Author
Siri Austin Entertainment
Iris Bolling’s published her first novel, Once You’ve Touched the Heart in 2008. This self-published work was the first of the five additional books to complete the Heart Series. The popular Heart Series has captivated the hearts of readers and awarded Iris the Emma Award as Debut Author of the Year in 2010
In May of 2011, Iris introduced a new cast of characters in her in Night of Seduction Series. The second book in the series, The Pendleton Rule was reviewed in USA Today and received, the 2014 Emma Award for Suspense of The Year.
In 2012, she began the Gems & Gents series with her novel Teach Me, which generated an importune shoe contest on Facebook that spanned the international waters. It continued with the release of the very popular Book of Joshua I and Book of Joshua II. The series has earned Iris several awards including 2014 Hero of The Year and 2015 Heroine of The Year.
The beginning of her third series, The Brooks’ Family Values, was introduced in her novel Sinergy in 2014, followed by book 2 Fatal Mistake and Propensity For Love, both released in 2015. Propensity For Love was awarded the Villain of The Year honor and has been nominated for several 2016 Emma awards.
Iris received the honor of being named Author of The Year twice since the inception of her career, 2012 and 2014.
In 2014, Iris stepped into a new venture geared towards bringing books to film. She produced The Heart, a television series based on her popular novels. Season two aired in the spring of 2016 and is now available on Amazon Video. Iris is now producing and directing Deadly Sexy, a novel written by the USA Today best selling author, Beverly Jenkins. The movie is tentatively scheduled for release in 2018. Next up will be Unfinished Business with NY Times bestselling author Brenda Jackson.
https://irisbolling.com
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USA Today Bestselling Author
Siri Austin Entertainment
Joshua T. Shipman
Actor|Model
imdb.me/JoshuaT.Shipman
Actor/Model AKA Nate Reigns from The AfterMath by USA Today Bestselling Author Iris Bolling
About Joshua T. Shipman
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Actor|Model
imdb.me/JoshuaT.Shipman
Jose Barreiro
Retired Army SGM & Professional MMA fighter; turned cover & fitness model, tactical advisor/trainer & martial arts instructor/coach.
LunchTime Chronicles
About Jose Barreiro
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Retired Army SGM & Professional MMA fighter; turned cover & fitness model, tactical advisor/trainer & martial arts instructor/coach.
LunchTime Chronicles
Regina Belle
Grammy Award Winning Artist
Regina Belle
http://www.iamreginabelle.com
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Grammy Award Winning Artist
Regina Belle
CoCo Brown
Coco Brown of the Phat Cat Players
CoCo Brown
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Coco Brown of the Phat Cat Players
CoCo Brown
Midnight Ace
Influencer/Speaker/Moderator
Midnight Ace BookBar
An award winning, book talking, reading, wine pairing, book loving connoisseur who lives by the principle of reading being a lifestyle, not a hobby. With an eclectic reading palette, my genre of choice includes a vast range from romance to thrillers. Unbeknownst to me, this uncontrollable energy granted the blessing of winning several awards and the title of Award-Winning Book Ambassador.
As founder and CEO of MidnightAce Book Bar, I created this space to provide a comfortable, lounge type of environment to enjoy literary adventures, virtual wine tasting, book pairings, and more.
Over the years this virtual space and outlets has advanced to include a Books & Booze live segment where author interviews and live chats takes place. This exciting crossover adds to my list of skills to include that of host, speaker, and moderator.
www.midnightacebookbar.com
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Influencer/Speaker/Moderator
Midnight Ace BookBar
Shay Baby
Media Personality
Host of Brown Book Series
Excitement, energy and versatility are just a few of the characteristics you can anticipate from Shay (Shay Baby) Bohannon; a well-known Atlanta, Georgia entertainment personality, whose professional career attributes consist of affiliations with many of the top radio shows throughout the greater Metropolitan Georgia area. Shay Baby began her career as a crew member and board operator on the popular Si-Man Morning Show (Classic Soul 102.5-Radio One of Atlanta). Thriving in popularity within the industry and a natural talent for production, Shay Baby’s growth and career progression was instantly propelled to the next level. Audience demand, a vivacious personality, poise and charm, earned Shay Baby the reputation of one of Atlanta’s most accomplished radio producers.
Shay Baby’s radio persona eventually parlayed to greater ventures, which included television, acting (stage plays and commercials) and hosting. Shay Baby’s list of credits includes numerous concerts, comedy, gospel and country music shows, all of which demonstrate the diversity of her professional achievements. Dubbed the first lady of Xtreme entertainment (one of the most recognized entertainment company in the LGBT community) Shay Baby has hosted multi-city Gay Pride Parades, Sizzle Miami, Tempted to Touch Las Vegas.
The overall success of her career, notoriety, and community sponsorship was formally acknowledged during a commendation ceremony sponsored by the NAACP, where Shay Baby received the prestigious Humanitarian Award for Broadcasting. Shay Baby embarked on a new adventure by mixing her experience in broadcast radio and special event hosting with her love for romance books, and The Brown Book Series was born. The Brown Book Series features high energy interviews and events with award-winning USA Today and New York Times best-selling authors.
www.shaybaby.com
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Media Personality
Host of Brown Book Series
