Susan Blexrud writes in quite a range of romance subgenres:

-         Paranormal

-         Time travel

-         Inspirational contemporary

Susan’s most recent electronic book, Fang Shui, was an April 2009 release and the second in her four-part vampire series. Her first print release is part of DCL’s anthology, 7 Deadly Sins, and will hit the shelves November 2009.

Susan graciously stopped by the Novel Hearts blog to chat with us about her volunteer experience with Youth OUTright.

Susan, thank you so much for visiting with us. Can you tell us how you learned about Youth OUTright and how you assist the organization?

I learned about Youth OUTright from a fellow writer who I met last year when we took fiction process and critique classes together. Youth OUTright meets every Friday evening and serves an 18-county Western North Carolina demographic. Youth come from as far away as 100 miles to attend the group, which provides an opportunity for them to talk about their lives and their concerns.

I serve as Youth OUTright’s public relations director – purely voluntary – and I donate 100 percent of my book royalties to the organization.

Wow! That’s incredibly generous of you. What first motivated you to volunteer with the group?

I’ve been involved with Youth OUTright for a year, which was when the group began. I was motivated to help these kids find a safe haven and to feel good about themselves.

That’s a wonderful motivation, Susan. Thank you for stepping up that way. Do you have any personal anecdotes from your experience with Youth OUTright that you can share with us?

I spoke to the Friday night youth group for Youth OUTright on June 19. The topic of our discussion was writing and publishing. I was so impressed by the interests of the youth. They had great questions for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.

I’m certain Youth OUTright and its members appreciate your time and generosity. How can readers learn more about Youth OUTright? 

Check out the Web site at www.YouthOUTright.org.

In addition to Youth OUTright, are there other nonprofit organizations you support?

I’m an animal advocate, so I support the Asheville Humane Society, and I also sponsor a child in Honduras through the Christian Children’s Fund.

That’s wonderful, Susan. How can readers get in touch with you?

You can reach me through my Web site, www.SusanBlexrud.com, or through my publisher, www.TheDarkCastleLords.com, or e-mail me at susanblexrud@bellsouth.net.

Susan, thanks again for stopping by Novel Hearts, and for all you do to support the community. Very best wishes for continued writing success!

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com.

Thank you!

Francis Ray made the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists with her 2009 contemporary romance, Nobody But You, Cameron’s story from her Grayson Friends series. That release also earned the Border’s Best-selling Multicultural Book.

And Mistress Makes Three, part of her Invincible Women Series, is available now. One Night With You, Duncan’s story from Francis’s Grayson Friends series, will be available November 2009. Let’s take a moment to mark our calendars.

Even with her incredibly busy schedule, in 2001, Francis found the time to launch The Turning Point Legal Defense Fund, which assists battered women with their legal expenses.

Francis, thank you very much for stopping by the Novel Hearts blog. We appreciate your time. Could you tell us a bit about the Turning Point Legal Defense Fund and what motivated you to start the nonprofit organization?

I started The Turning Point Legal Fund after doing research for The Turning Point, my first mainstream book about a battered woman. I had no idea that, at the time, three out of 10 women were abused or knew someone who was. Now that figure is seven out of 10 women. Divorces are expensive and abusive men control the money. My fund provides legal assistance. Any woman can apply though The Family Place, a women’s shelter in Dallas, or any other agency.

Do you have a ballpark estimate of how many people the fund has helped?

Approximately 10 to 15 women are helped each year. I also try to drop off school supplies in August and toys at Christmas.

How can people learn more about The Turning Point Legal Fund?

They can visit my Web site, www.FrancisRay.com, and search under News.

How can people make donations to the fund?

The Turning Point Legal Defense Fund

c/o The Family Place

P.O. Box 7999

Dallas, Texas 75209

One last question, Francis. How can readers get in touch with you?

www.FrancisRay.com. Thank you.

Thank you, Francis, for everything you do to help victims of domestic abuse. Very best wishes for continued writing success.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com.

Thank you!

According to her bio, Alessia Brio writes “all colors and flavors of erotica.”

Her last two releases were Coming Together titles, Al Fresco and Against the Odds. Her upcoming release is Coming Together: For Her, a collection of “naughty” stories by Laurence Doyen, which Alessia is co-editing with Lisabet Sarai. It’s Coming Together’s first single-author fiction collection.  The first single-poet collection was released in May 2009, Lefty McGee’s Coming Together: Pondering the Indelible.

Alessia, thank you for coming to Novel Hearts blog to tell us about your Coming Together series and the charitable causes it supports. What inspires you to use the series to support various charities?

For a short story writer, publication options — at least in print — are limited and certainly not an adequate source of income, no  matter how prolific the authors. In early 2005, some colleagues at Literotica Authors’ Hangout (a forum) were discussing the possibility of bundling our stories into anthologies in order to get more exposure.  However, when talk turned to money, we realized that splitting the proceeds 15 to 20 ways was never going to result in a lucrative income. Someone — and it may’ve even been me, I don’t recall — suggested donating the revenues to charity, and Coming Together was born. Many of the original participants are still involved with the project. I’m both humbled by and proud of its growth.

How do you identify the organization to support with each release?

These days, it’s usually by suggestion. Lots of folks send me their ideas for themes and causes. I fit as many of them into my schedule as feasible.

Which organizations have you assisted with the series and why do you think their work is important?

Gosh, there are quite a few now, and each has its own significance. Currently, for sale are volumes benefiting:

• Susan G. Komen For the Cure
• AVERT
• American Red Cross
• BLISS
• Amnesty International
• Electronic Frontier Foundation
• First Book
• Autism Speaks
• San Diego Foundation’s After-the-Fires 2007 Fund
• Southern California Wildfire Relief Fund
• Conservation International
• Kaplan Family Hospice Residence of Orange County

In the submissions and/or editing stages are volumes that will benefit:

• V-Day
• Action Against Hunger
• ONE
• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
• Coalition for Positive Sexuality
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
• Sight Savers International
• N.O.W.

How can readers learn more about your Coming Together series?

The best way is to follow the blog or Twitter. Those interested in contributing can visit the site’s submissions page for details.

How can readers get in touch with you?

A comment on Facebook or an @Alessia_Brio note on Twitter are fastest. E-mail gets buried in a hurry these days.

Alessia, thank you for all you do to support nonprofit organizations that support our communities.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com.

Thank you!

Michelle Houston writes erotic romances, short stories and novellas. She also writes not-as-steamy romances. Her recent releases include Unleashing the Jaguar, Embracing the Leopard and Taming the Wolf. Her December 2009 release is Caging the Tiger.

I love the titles, particularly because of Michelle’s dedication to supporting and protecting wildlife.

Pictured below is a red-tailed hawk that was too injured to be released back into the wild. It’s now the second resident red-tailed hawk at the Lakeside Nature Center in Kansas City, Missouri, where Michelle volunteers. The photo was taken by Lakeside Nature Center staffer Ken Hightower.

Michelle was generous enough to stop by Novel Hearts and chat with us about the center and its work.

Hi, Michelle. Thank you so much for visiting with us. Could you tell us how you learned about the Lakeside Nature Center?

Actually, I found out about Lakeside from my husband.  We have an 11-year-old daughter who loves animals, and we often visit zoos.  So when we moved back to the Kansas City, Missour, area, we got a zoo membership and starting spending one Saturday a month there.

During one of our visits, my husband decided we should swing by Lakeside and see how they had changed from what he remembered.  They had changed a lot!

We started visiting the nature center every time we visited the zoo.  During one of our visits, my husband found out about volunteer work that can be done at the center and he signed up for the training classes.  Due to my school load (we’re both non-traditional college students), I wasn’t sure I would be able to commit to the time needed, but he found out that the only commitment is 30 hours a year, and training classes.  So I signed up as well.

Our first 30 hours is mentoring time, where we get to pick who we want to work with based on days of the week we are available and what that person specializes in.  For me it was a no-brainer. I was going to work with whoever worked with the birds.

Since then, I have helped care for baby squirrels, birds, opossum, rabbits (sadly most of them die due to the shock to their systems), owls, geese, a mallard duck, kestrels, hawks and an eagle.

I love getting to actually hold, interact, feed and care for these animals.  What is most rewarding though is when they are able to be released back into the wild.  During my most recent volunteer day, after being out of the country for two weeks and dealing with finals the two weeks before that, I found out that the two red-tailed hawks that I had been helping feed had been released.  I admit, I was sad, because they were the first animals I really got to deal with.  But I was also glad.  It meant that the staff had live feed tested them, and deemed them fit to survive in the wild.

Most of what I do is the messy work. But then again, animal rehab is not glamorous.  Some of the rehabbers that do home rehab spend all their free time caring for small baby mammals, like rabbits, opossums and squirrels.  And here’s a little bit of trivia – most mammal babies need stimulation to urinate.  So the volunteers have to take cloths and wipe them over the animals privates, after they feed them, to get them to clear their bladders.

As for what I do, since I try to work with the raptors as much as possible, I spend a lot of time cleaning cages and cutting up mice and rats.  I’ve tubed birds, to get food into their stomachs.  I’ve force fed an owl, using tweezers and mice chunks. Kind of gross, but necessary work.  I also get to help hold the birds down for medical care, since the raptors generally come in with some kind of injury.  And occasionally, I am the one who sticks my hands into the cage to grab the birds’ legs and try not to get bit in the process.

All in all, caring for these animals is a lot of hard work, and very messy, but fun and rewarding.  I know there are other volunteer opportunities out there, but as a biology major and a general science geek, this one fits me the best.

What’s more, it’s something I can share with my whole family, since my husband volunteers, and our daughter recently joined the junior keeper program.  She gets to care for some of the education animals, those that cannot be released back into the wild, but still have a full life helping to educate the public.

You do a lot, Michelle. What motivated you to volunteer with the center?

I started working at Lakeside in January 2009, so it’s only been six months, but in that time I have learned a lot and I hope helped out, both the staff and the animals.

I’ve always loved animals, and I strongly believe that the wild should be allowed to be wild.  It drives me nuts that people go out into the woods, catch a critter, and try to make a pet of it.  That’s why we have pet stores, and animals that are domestically bred to be pets.

As for motivation, I admit, I do it because I get to work with animals that I would never be able to get close to otherwise.  But also because I get to help rehab these animals, getting them back into top form so that they can be released into the wild.  I am helping to make sure that these species survive so that my grandchildren can one day enjoy them.

That’s a beautiful motivator. In addition to caring for the animals, what else does the center do?

Lakeside Nature Center focuses on education of the public, conservation of the natural world, and rehabilitation of injured animals.

Their work is so important because they don’t just patch up animals and send them back into the world, although that is a vital aspect, and one that I enjoy taking part in. They are also an education source.

They work hard to educate the public about why wild animals need to be allowed to be wild.  They have staff that does classes for the public on a variety of topics. They do programs out in the schools and other avenues, and they always welcome questions.

One of the biggest heartbreaks for all of the volunteers is the baby rabbits.  All too often, they are brought in when they shouldn’t have been.  Their urine is light colored, meaning mommy rabbit was nearby, but she doesn’t want to impress her scent on her scentless babies.  So she doesn’t hover over them.  Many of these babies are kidnapped, and the volunteers repeat over and over that if possible, the goal is to leave the wild as it is.  Unless they are injured, don’t move the babies.

But all too often, they are moved and brought to the center, and then the volunteers have to try and keep them alive.  Wild baby rabbits are timid as anything, and often die of shock while we are trying to care for them.  Having a baby rabbit die in your hands is heartbreaking, and makes you question why you are doing this to yourself.

But the volunteers keep going. They keep caring. They keep trying to educate the public, and they keep interjecting energy into education, conservation and rehabilitation.

That is why I think they are worth supporting.  They don’t have an easy job. In fact it can be messy and can rip your heart out. But they do it anyways.  Not for the glory, but to make a difference.

And we’re grateful to you for your perseverance and dedication. Thank you, Michelle. Are there other nonprofit organizations you support?

Unfortunately, I am only able to handle donating time to Lakeside, although I do send checks annually to Defenders of Wildlife, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund.

I have donated stories for two of the Coming Together anthologies.  Each anthology benefits a different charity.  All of the Coming Together anthologies are erotic in nature, so they aren’t for everyone.  The URL for more information about the Coming Together anthologies is www.eroticanthology.com

The anthologies I have personally contributed stories to at:

Coming Together: Al Fresco – to benefit Conservation International www.conservation.org

Coming Together: Under Fire – to benefit the victims of the California wildfires

There are also volumes to benefit the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization, Amnesty International, BLISS, AVERT, Autism Speaks and more.  There are also plans for future volumes.

You have a huge heart, Michelle. How can readers learn more about the Lakeside Nature Center?

Lakeside’s URL is http://www.lakesidenaturecenter.org

They also have a donations page, if you are interested in helping out, but don’t live in the Kansas City, Missouri area.   http://www.lakesidenaturecenter.org/donations.html

And, for the month of August, YOU can make a difference in conservation efforts. Visit http://eroticpen.blogspot.com/2009/07/making-difference.html to find out how.

Thank you. And how can readers get in touch with you?

I have a Web site at www.michellehouston.com.  I also have a blog where I post about my writings, my adventures at Lakeside, my zoo visits, and generally anything else I can think of that might possibly interest someone. : )  It’s at http://eroticpen.blogspot.com

Thanks for having me today.

And please everyone remember, if it’s isn’t injured, leave it be.  An animal being eaten by another is part of nature. Before you touch a wild animal, call your nearby nature center, your forest department, your state conservation agency, or someone who will be able to help you.  And then listen to what they say.  Trust them when they say let it be.

Michelle, thank you for everything you do to protect and support our wildlife. In part because of your hard work and dedication, our grandchildren will be able to enjoy them.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com.

Thank you!

“I started writing in 1989 after a life-threatening illness,” Jan Scarbrough told me. The multi-published author continued, “When you’re lucky to be alive, you soon decide it’s time to make your dreams come true.”

With just those words, I knew Jan Scarbrough was a very special person, and I was in for a treat with her interview.

Jan has written medieval and contemporary romances. She’s even written a “contemporary reincarnation Gothic.” Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?

Through her career, she’s branded myself as writing “Home, Hearth and Horses.” Her Bluegrass Reunions series is set in Kentucky. The series’ the first three heroines are single mothers. The tag line is: They thought the boys they loved were out of their lives. They were wrong.

Her September novella is part of a Christmas anthology set in the fictional town of Legend, Tennessee. Jan’s novella is “A Groovy Christmas.” It’s set in 1968, and the sweet heroine and hippie hero are the parents of Jan’s hero in the “Reunion Game,” the first novella she wrote for the Legend anthology.

Jan, thank you so much for joining us on the Novel Hearts blog to talk about The Luci Center. Could you tell us how you learned about this therapeutic riding facility and how you assist the nonprofit organization?

I guess it was in 2005 that I interviewed Paula Nieto, the current executive director of The Luci Center, for an article in the Louisville Thoroughbred Club newsletter. After meeting Paula and seeing the facility, I took the next volunteers class and have been volunteering since then.

Today, I participate in one of the lessons. I lead the horse for a riding student. Each student needs a leader and two side-walkers—three volunteers—or the lesson does not happen. The Luci Center depends upon its volunteers.

I also donate my time at events where The Luci Center has an informational booth. I’ve worked at the Kentucky State Fair and the Shelbyville Horse Show. I’ve donated furniture to the center when my mom died, and occasionally I will do barn work on weekends.

My husband has created promotional videos for The Luci Center.

Wow, Jan. You donate a great deal of time and energy to the center. That’s very generous of you. What motivated you to volunteer with The Luci Center, and how long have you done so?

Since 2005. I love horses, as a look at my Web site, www.JanScarbrough.com, will attest.

I’ve always just given money to charities. I’ve never given time. Giving time means you must sacrifice of yourself, and in this day, none of us has enough time to give. But I’ve found volunteering this way is very rewarding and better than just giving money.

I can believe what you’re saying. What exactly does the facility do and why do you think its work is important?

From the Web site: The Luci Center is a nonprofit 501c3 organization located in Shelbyville, Kentucky, providing therapeutic riding and hippotherapy for individuals with disabilities. The mission of The Luci Center is to enrich the minds, bodies and spirits of individuals through horse-related activities. Founded in 1997 by Paula Nieto, the current executive director, an enriched therapeutic environment is offered to clients from a multi-county area in Kentucky and southern Indiana. Housed on a 26-acre farm, The Luci Center offers volunteers and participants a beautiful, peaceful environment where the unique experience of interaction and learning about horses takes place.

Therapeutic Riding

Therapeutic riding uses all that the horse encompasses – riding, care, interaction – to assist the disabled individual in developing skills, both physical and emotional.

The ability to ride and care for the horse and equipment builds self-esteem and confidence, patience and discipline as well as body strength, balance and coordination. Individuals aged three and older with a variety of disabilities can benefit from therapy received in this non-clinical, sensory-rich environment.

Individuals with the following medical conditions could and have benefited from interacting with The Luci Center team – both human and equine.

• Autism
• Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Cerebral Palsy
• Developmental Delay
• Down Syndrome
• Functional Spinal Curvature
• Learning Disabilities
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Traumatic Brain Injury

For the past three years, my “student” has been a woman with Multiple Sclerosis. This year, we have three women riders in one class (nine volunteers). All have Multiple Sclerosis. At the beginning of the class, they do stretching exercises on top of the horse. By the end of class, if they do the same stretching exercises, their range of motion has increased. These women have trouble walking. On horseback, they feel empowered, and they are getting beneficial exercise. They all three enjoy their lessons and seem appreciative of the experience, and the volunteers and instructors.

I take riding lessons once a week. There’s nothing for clearing your head after a hard day at work like taking a riding lesson. I’m sure these women experience the same rush of feeling that I do once I dismount after a good lesson.

The example you’ve shared of your student is beautiful, Jan. Through that example, I can really understand the benefit The Luci Center provides to the community it serves. I’m sure our readers can understand the benefits, too. How can we find out more about The Luci Center.

The center’s Web site is http://www.thelucicenter.org. And my husband created this video for a 2007 The Luci Center fund raiser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY0xAwK9T2Y

I can’t wait to watch the video. Jan, how can readers get in touch with you?

My Web site address is www.JanScarbrough.com, and my e-mail address is Jan@JanScarbrough.com.

Jan, thanks again for joining us at the Novel Hearts blog to share information about The Luci Center.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com.

Thank you!

Beverly Jenkins began her publishing career writing historical romances. Avon released her debut novel, Night Song, in 1994. This year, Night Song celebrates its 25^th anniversary. Why don’t you pick up a copy and join the celebration? I can assure you it’s a great read.

Since Beverly’s debut, she’s branched into other genres – young adult, romance suspense and women’s fiction.

Her next highly anticipated release, Captured, is a historical romance scheduled to hit the shelves October 2009. Let’s mark the date.

Between deadlines and other responsibilities, Beverly was kind enough to grant Novel Hearts an interview about one of the nonprofit organizations she supports.

Beverly, thank you very much for joining us this week on Novel Hearts blog. We appreciate your time. Could you please tell us how you learned about Doctors Without Borders?

I first learned about them through a CNN report many years ago.

I’ve heard great things about Doctors Without Borders. For those of us who may not be as familiar with the organization, could you tell us a bit about them?

They are a worldwide organization of doctors. They began as a group that went into war zones and treated people in need on both sides of the conflict. They do a lot in Africa and with Africa’s children.

What motivated you to get involved with Doctors Without Borders?

This is not an organization I have ever volunteered with but that I support monetarily as much and as often as I can because of the great work that they do.

Thanks again for your time, Ms. Bev.

For readers who’d like to learn even more about Doctors Without Borders, please visit the organization’s Web site, www.DoctorsWithoutBorders.org.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com.

Thank you!

Deatri King-Bey realized her dream of becoming a published author in 2006 with her debut release, Caught Up. Now, Deatri also helps talented aspiring authors realize their publishing dreams through her position as developmental editor with Third World Press.

This award-winning, multi-published author’s passions are her family, writing and editing. Is it any wonder she’s one of my favorite people?

Please join me in warmly welcoming Deatri to our Novel Hearts community.

Deatri, thank you very much for joining us. Could you please tell us a bit about your writing and your releases?

I write in several genres, romance, sci-fi, fantasy, mainstream, suspense…but my novels always have strong romantic elements in them. I’ve been writing even longer than I could read. My scribbles as a toddler were stories. Now, I am published in romantic fiction – four books thus far. My last was Whisper Something Sweet, which came out May 2008 and won the Emma Award for Best Steamy Romance of the year.

I don’t have any novels scheduled to come out any time soon, but have several completed manuscripts that my mother and a few others are hounding me to submit. If I don’t get on that soon, she’ll probably disown me.

May I add my voice to the chorus of people clamoring for another Deatri King-Bey release?

How did you learn about the WriteWay2Freedom?

I’m dyslexic and always looking out for programs that I can contribute to in some way that will increase literacy and/or help authors grow their skills.

I met the Executive Director, Paula Edwards, a few years back when she interviewed me on her radio show…Oh man, I’ve forgotten the name of it. Sheeeesh. I’m getting old. I also know the President of the organization, Curtis Alcutt, who happens to be my writing partner on a Top Secret series we are putting together. When he told me he and Paula were creating this organization, I said if they ever needed help, call me up. They made the call about a year ago.

What does the WriteWay2Freedom do?

In a nutshell, we have so many issues in our community it isn’t funny. With WriteWay2Freedom, we give our youth an avenue other than guns and violence to express their frustration, their pain, their disappointment. We help liberate these children through reading and writing. We haven’t forgotten about the adults in the community. So many of us express ourselves in writing, but don’t know what to do with it. We also conduct workshops for aspiring authors.

Why do you think this work is important?

I’m not into writing off a generation. I believe investing in our children is investing in our future. I also believe that, as the adults, we teach the craft and they can carry this knowledge into other aspects of their lives.

That’s wonderful, Deatri. What motivated you to get involved with the WriteWay2Freedom?

The founders of the organization truly care about helping.

I can tell. How long have you participated with the WriteWay2Freedom and in what way do you support it?

I’d say about a year now. I’m the Secretary of the organization, but we all pitch in together to organize events.

I know you’re also on the leadership board of the Romance Slam Jam. Could you tell us a bit about the Romance Slam Jam?

The Romance Slam Jam started out as a conference for readers and authors of Black romance in 1995. I don’t remember how I learned about the conference, but I started attending around the year 2000.

Each year, the conference was held in a different city by a different group of people who literally had to start from scratch. In 2006, I spoke with Miss Emma Rodgers, one of the founders, and asked if Chicago could host the Slam Jam for 2008. She gave her blessing. During the course of organizing the conference, I asked Miss Emma and Francis Ray, another of the founders, if I could begin the process of making the Romance Slam Jam a non-profit organization that focuses on using Black romance and Black women’s fiction to increase literacy in the Black community. Our main event would be the Romance Slam Jam Conference, to be given annually. They gave their blessings, and last March, we officially became a non-profit organization. Whew, I talk (type) too much. LOL!

You definitely do not talk or type too much.

I know first hand that the Romance Slam Jam is a remarkable organization, and you’re a vital part of it. But for our readers who may not be familiar with the Romance Slam Jam. Could you share a bit of what the organization does?

The annual conference celebrates readers and authors of Black romance and women’s fiction. We also give writer workshops, reader workshops, host an online book club, conduct an aspiring author contest. This year’s winners’ works were considered for publication by Avon, Kensington, and Red Rose Publishing.

Why do you think this work is important?

Black romance is the one place where our Black men are always the hero. Where you see our women in strong roles, having that great career and still getting the great guy. If we can increase literacy through a common love of romance, I’m all for it.

Beautifully put, Deatri. Thank you.

What motivated you to get involved with the Romance Slam Jam?

I see romance and women’s fiction as a tool to bring in more readers. Once we get them to reading romance, they will expand their horizons and bring in additional readers.

How long have you participated with the Romance Slam Jam and in what way do you support it?

I’ve taught workshops at the conference since around 2005. Presently, I am the Chair of the Romance Slam Jam Organization and I’m basically also the face of the organization. There are folks working in the background besides myself, but they are a little shy sooooo … I have to be out there.

Could you tell us a bit about why you decided to apply for nonprofit status for the Romance Slam Jam?

The main reason I wanted to create the Romance Slam Jam Organization was every year the host city and authors would have to start from scratch and many didn’t know how to organize such a large event and ended up owing thousands of dollars. By having an organization as the middle man, we can put procedures in place and maintain consistency.

Also, our community is growing and our readers and authors have needs. The organization will try to meet those needs. Each year, we raise funds for a non-profit organization, usually one dealing with literacy. I thought we should expand our wings and also try to increase literacy in our community.

It took about a year for the entire process. First, I had to incorporate, then after becoming a corporation I did the paperwork to become a federally recognized non-profit organization and that is one LONG form. I had to literally write out eight pages – single spaced – of answers to the questions contained in the form.

Wow. That’s a testament to your commitment to the Romance Slam Jam.

How can readers find out more about these organizations?

Please visit http://www.WriteWay2Freedom.com. I’ll be honest, the Web site needs updating, but you’ll get an idea of what we are up to.http://www.RomanceSlamJamConference.com, and be sure to sign up for the monthly newsletter.

For the Romance Slam Jam, go to

How can readers contact you?

I can be reached at Deatri@DeeWrites.com, or you can visit my Web site at http://www.DeeWrites.com.

Thanks for this opportunity to talk about WriteWay2Freedom and the Romance Slam Jam. I truly appreciate it and you.

Deatri, I’m honored and inspired by this interview with you about the WriteWay2Freedom and the Romance Slam Jam. I appreciate you and everything you do for the community.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com. Thank you!

I don’t know when Dyanne Davis finds the time to sleep.

Dyanne’s been writing full-time for about 11 years. She’s an award-winning author published in a multitude of genres and subgenres: contemporary romance, paranormal romance, mainstream women’s fiction, literary fiction and short stories.

Whew! That’s a lot.

But there’s more.

Make a note: Dyanne’s novella, “The Good Side of Evil,” written as F.D. Davis, will be released in the August 2009 anthology, Carnivale Diabolique.

I first met Dyanne at the 2008 Romance Slam Jam in Chicago. She’s smart, sweet and a lot of fun. And she’s great at karaoke.

Dyanne, thank you from stepping away from your keyboard and your karaoke mic to chat with us at Novel Hearts. Could you tell us about one of the charities you support?

There are many nonprofit organizations that I support, but the one I’ve been financially supporting consistently is the Bolingbrook Police Department. The department provides protective gear to the officers and aid to their families when their need’s not covered by the department, their insurance or the union.

Dyanne, what a wonderful cause to support. What motivated you to assist the Bolingbrook Police Department?

At the time, I was donating money to several police organizations. One year, I told the contact person – who has been the same person every year – that I needed money myself and that I didn’t have money to give. He asked me what I needed and said that, since I’d been helping the organization, they would help me. I couldn’t believe it. I doubled my amount and have continued with that.

We had a long talk and I told him about all the other police organizations I was giving money to. It was then he told me where the money was going for each and that the money for Bolingbrook only went to help the officers who live in and work for Bolingbrook. I live in Bolingbrook.

How do you support the department?

I’ve been supporting them now for 10 years financially. They have not asked for anything else but I would be willing to help in any manner that they needed. The drive for funds is held once a year.

Are there other nonprofit organizations you support?

Yes, I support organizations for victims of abuse, heart, cancer and diabetes. As a nurse, I’ve had many patients that I referred to these organizations. Now, with family members falling into each of the disease categories, it’s also a personal thing.

My most recent organization that I support is the Romance Slam Jam. It’s a nonprofit organization that promotes literacy and supports African America romance authors. Each year, the Romance Slam Jam has a conference that brings readers and writers together. There is a Web site that features articles and blogs to keep the readers informed on what their favorite African American authors are doing. It’s family. I’m very proud to be a part of it. I’m the secretary.

I know first-hand what a wonderful, dynamic organization the Romance Slam Jam is.

How can readers find out more about the Bolingbrook Police Department and the Romance Slam Jam?

They can find the Romance Slam Jam at http://www.RomanceSlamJam.org.

The Bolingbrook Police Department can be found at http://www.Bolingbrook.com.

Thanks, Dyanne. And how can readers contact you?

Readers can reach me at DavisDyanne@aol.com. They can visit my Web site where I have excerpts of most of my books at www.DyanneDavis.com or, for information on my vampire Adam Omega series, they can go to www.AdamOmega.com.

Dyanne, thank you so much for chatting with us on Novel Hearts, and for everything you do to support our community. Very best wishes for continued writing success!

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com. Thank you!

Award-winning, multi-published author Karen McCullough writes for several publishers in a variety of romance subgenres: suspense, mystery, fantasy and paranormal. Her releases include “A Vampire’s Christmas Carol” in the paranormal Christmas anthology Beneath a Christmas Moon, Shadow of a Doubt and Wizard’s Bridge.

Still Karen makes time for a number of nonprofit organizations, including Covenant House, which she has been supporting for 15 to 20 years now.

Hi, Karen. Thank you so much for taking time from your busy schedule to join us at Novel Hearts. Could you please tell us exactly what Covenant House does?

Covenant House provides a variety of services to homeless and runaway youth to provide safe shelter from gangs, pimps, drug traffickers, and others who would exploit and abuse them.

From its Web site: “In addition to food, shelter, clothing and immediate crisis care, Covenant House provides a variety of services to homeless, runaway and throwaway youth including medical care, educational and vocational programs, drug abuse treatment and prevention programs, legal aid services, recreation programs, mother/child programs, transitional living programs, life-skills training and street outreach.”

What an incredible organization. I already know the answer to this question but, in your words, why is this work important?

The easy answer to why the work of Covenant House is important is that our youth are our future. Without intervention many of these young people would end up dead or in prison. Covenant House helps them find a different path to a happy and productive life.

But I think the real reason its work is important goes deeper than that. Covenant House puts in practice the principle that all people have value in the sight of God. Even those who seem to be at the bottom of the barrel are important to God and, therefore, should be important to all of us. Teenagers often fall through the cracks of society. They’re not as attractively innocent as small children. They’re too close to being adult for that. And yet those who end up on the street aren’t really ready to cope with an adult society on their own. Often they’ve been victimized or abandoned by the people who should’ve protected them. To a society that values people by what they can do or what they can produce, the youth Covenant House serves appear to offer little. The gospel tells us we’re using the wrong criteria.

Those are beautiful words indeed, Karen. Thank you.

In addition to Covenant House, are there other nonprofit organizations you support?

Another of my favorite charities is Food for the Poor, which provides food, housing, health care, education, water projects, emergency relief and micro-enterprise assistance for the poorest of the poor in the Caribbean and Latin American countries. I also support my local Catholic Church, Our Lady of Grace.

Thank you for everything you do to support the community, Karen.

How can readers get in touch with you to learn more about you and your books?

My Web site is at http://www.kmccullough.com and my e-mail is karen@kmccullough.com.

And how can readers learn more about Covenant House and Food for the Poor?

The Web site for Covenant House is at http://www.covenanthouse.com. Food for the Poor is at http://www.foodforthepoor.org.

Karen, thanks again for stopping by Novel Hearts to tell us about Covenant House and Food for the Poor. Very best wishes to you, and thank you again for everything you do to support these nonprofits.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization he or she supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com. Thank you!

Next year – 2010 – Donna Hill will celebrate 20 years in publishing. She’s had at least one book on the shelf every year since her first book, Rooms of the Heart, debuted in 1990. What an absolutely spectacular accomplishment.

Donna writes primarily romantic suspense, but her stories often have a women’s fiction edge to them. Her most recent releases include books in her Ladies Cartel Series – Sex and Lies, Seduction and Lies, and Temptation and Lies.

Look for her next original title, Prize of a Lifetime, Sept. 29, 2009. In addition, Harlequin will reissue two of Donna’s favorite books – A Private Affair (June 29, 2009) and Pieces of Dreams (September 2009). Later in 2009, the third book of that trilogy will hit the shelves.

A very busy lady, indeed. That makes me doubly grateful that Donna made time to chat with us about one of the nonprofit organizations she supports, Poets & Writers Inc.

Donna, welcome to Novel Hearts. We’re thrilled to have you here. Could you tell us please how you learned about the Poets & Writers Inc. memoir writing workshops for seniors?

I was invited to be the instructor for Shalom Presbyterian Church through Dr. Brenda Greene, Director of the Center for Black Literature at Medgar Evers College.

What motivated you to teach these workshops and how long have you done so?

This will be my second year. My class is working on producing their book. I was intrigued by the idea of working with seniors and hearing their stories. It has taught me so much and made me realize how much we all have in common.

I’m certain it’s been a wonderful experience. What does Poets & Writers do and why do you think its work is important?

Poets & Writers Inc. is the primary source of information, support and guidance for creative writers.

Founded in 1970, it is the nation’s largest nonprofit literary organization serving poets, fiction writers and creative nonfiction writers. Our national office is located in New York City. Our California branch office is based in Los Angeles. They provide grants, resources, funding programs, etc. It also produces a monthly magazine, Poets & Writers Magazine.

Poets & Writers is so important to writers everywhere, both established and aspiring as a major resource of information on what is available to writers from numerous disciplines.

It sounds like a very valuable organization. Thank you for telling us about it. How can readers learn more about Poets & Writers?

They can visit Poets & Writers’ Web site, http://pw.org.

Thank you, Donna. By the way, in addition to Poets & Writers, are there other nonprofit organizations you support? 

I recently joined Organize for America, and I’m in the process of working toward setting up a literary mentoring program for young adults. Keeping my fingers crossed.

You’re doing wonderful work, Donna. Good luck with the mentoring program. In the meantime, how can readers get in touch with you?

Readers can find me all over the Web, DonnaHill.com, DHFanClub.ning.com. I’m on Twitter and Facebook.

Donna, thank you very much for taking the time to chat with us about Poets & Writers. Best wishes for continued success with all of your endeavors.

Novel Hearts is a forum to raise awareness of the charitable causes some of our favorite authors support. Each month, we’ll chat with one or two authors about the nonprofit organizations they help, either with time, money and/or materials.

If there’s an author you’d like to see featured on the blog, please send me the author’s e-mail address and the name of the nonprofit organization she or he supports. You can reach me at BooksByPatricia@Yahoo.com. Thank you!