Victoria Alexander
New York Times best-selling author Victoria Alexander was an award-winning television reporter until she discovered that fiction is much more fun than real life. She turned to writing full-time and is still shocked it worked out. She’s appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists, and is the author of twenty-five novels or novellas, including time travels and Regencies.
Victoria grew up traveling the world as an Air Force brat. She now lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband, two kids in college (buy her books!), and two bearded collies—Sam and Louie, who think they’re human—in a house under constant renovation and never-ending chaos. She laughs a great deal—it keeps her sane. You can visit Victoria’s web site at www.victoria-alexander.com.
Eloisa James
New York Times best-selling author Eloisa James’s historical Regencies have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa’s very first novel that she “found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar”; later, People magazine raved: “Romance writing does not get much better than this.” Her writing has finaled for the RITA Award, won the National Readers’ Choice Award for Best Long Historical, and has repeatedly been named among the Best Romances of the Year by Amazon and Borders. After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. All her books must have been written in her sleep, because her days are taken up by caring for two children with advanced degrees in whining, a lonely cat, a very plump dog, and a tumbledown house. You can visit Eloisa’s web site at www.eloisajames.com and her blog at www.squawkradio.com.
Cathy Maxwell
Cathy Maxwell loves writing about relationships that pit yin against yang with a lotta zing. This dynamic has kept her books on the New York Times and USA Today best-seller lists and earned her a faithful audience of fans who are just as joyful about life as she is. Cathy lives in beautiful Virginia with kids, a dog, a cat, and some horses. Her take on the writing world, and other bits of advice, can be found on her web site at www.cathymaxwell.com.
Teresa Medeiros
New York Times best-selling author Teresa Medeiros wrote her first novel at the age of twenty-one and has since gone on to win the hearts of readers and critics alike. She is a seven-time RITA finalist, a two-time PRISM winner, and a two-time recipient of the Walden-books Award for Best-Selling Fiction. Her most recent novel, The Vampire Who Loved Me, was released by Avon Books in October 2006. Teresa makes her home in Kentucky with her husband and two cats. You can visit her web site at www.teresamedeiros.com and her blog at www.squawkradio.com.
Julia Quinn
Perennial best-seller Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don’t read (or write) romance, and in 2001 she did so in grand style, competing on the game show The Weakest Link and walking away with the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code. For more on Julia and her books, please visit her on the Web at www.juliaquinn.com.
May Chen
May Chen is an editor with Morrow/Avon who works primarily in romance fiction. In addition to enjoying well-written, lush historical romances, she also loves diving into sexy contemporaries, “chick lit” with a unique angle, and strong women’s fiction with edgy, take-no-guff heroines.
Carrie Feron
Vice President and Editorial Director Carrie Feron spent her adolescence reading romance and now she edits it. She is known for her success in publishing women’s fiction, including best-sellers by Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Elizabeth Lowell, Kathleen Woodiwiss, Laura Lippman, Meg Cabot, Teresa Medeiros, Christina Dodd, Dorothea Benton Frank, Kathleen Tessaro, and Oprah Book Club author Pearl Cleage. She has been at Avon for twelve years, where she has seen the Avon Romance program become the country’s foremost publisher of romantic fiction.
Lyssa Keusch
Senior Editor Lyssa Keusch focuses primarily on commercial fiction, but enjoys editing the occasional nonfiction project as well. Starting her career at Avon Books too many years ago to admit to, she was introduced to the business through romances, and so she’s always had a soft spot in her heart for the category. But because variety is the spice of life, she branched out to add mysteries to her list. In addition to genre fiction and commercial women’s fiction, she also edits thrillers. The authors with whom she’s worked include New York Times best-sellers Julia Quinn, James Rollins, and Kinley MacGregor, as well as Carole Matthews, Karen Hawkins, Samantha James, Mary Daheim, G. M. Ford, and Jerrilyn Farmer. In addition to fiction, she always has an eye out for narrative nonfiction, ranging from popular science to history to memoir; she loves to learn something new through a narrative she can’t put down.
Lucia Macro
Executive Editor Lucia Macro began her career in 1983. She joined Avon in 1996, and since then has made her mark acquiring many leading authors of romance and women’s fiction. Her roster of New York Times best-selling authors includes Stephanie Laurens, Victoria Alexander, Eloisa James, Cathy Maxwell, and Lisa Kleypas. In addition to romance, she acquires women’s commercial hardcover fiction, and was part of the team that developed the Avon trade paperback program. Lucia has a keen interest in anything to do with royals, past and present, and is the editor of the best-selling Sex with Kings. In her “spare” time Lucia can be found watching old movies. She recently spearheaded (with editor May Chen) the launch of Avon Red, the new line of erotica from Avon.
Esi Sogah
Editorial Assistant Esi Sogah joined Avon in the summer of 2005, working with Lucia Macro and Erika Tsang. She has worked with best-selling authors such as Stephanie Laurens and Suzanne Enoch, as well as Karyn Langhorne, Bette Ford, and Lynn Emery, who write contemporary African-American romances. In addition, Esi writes the Avon Romance newsletter From the Heart and sits on the advisory board for the Harlem Book Fair. She is looking to acquire all genres of romance, especially sexy historicals and multicultural contemporaries.
Erika Tsang
Senior Editor Erika Tsang joined Avon Books in 2002 with the intent of expanding the historical romance list. In the four years since, her list has expanded to include paranormals, romantic suspense, contemporary, and multicultural romance. She works with best-selling authors Jacquie D’Alessandro, Suzanne Enoch, Laura Lee Guhrke, Lynsay Sands, and Beverly Jenkins, just to name a few. Some of her newer acquisitions are Marianne Stillings (Sighs Matter) and Terri Garey (Dead Girls Are Easy). She is currently seeking to acquire all subgenres of romance. Her criteria are that the story must have a creative concept and that the hero be fashioned after either Harrison Ford or Ewan MacGregor.
Tessa Woodward
Editorial Assistant Tessa Woodward has been with Avon since September 2005. She works with Carrie Feron on her impressive list of best-selling authors. She is looking to acquire well-written romances—especially Regency and Victorian historicals with strong heroines and sexy heroes.