Annette McCleave

Some people are born knowing what they want to be when they grow up. Others have no clue, stumbling around from job to job for years, trying to find the one position that they can truly label as their 'calling'. I'd like to say I was one of the former all-seeing, all-knowing souls, but in truth, I was one of the latter. I tried my hand at banking, financial advising, and high tech marketing before finally figuring out how important writing was to my life. After the death of my brother in 1999, I decided to make the most of every moment and to become a rigorously positive role model for my daughter. I decided to follow my dreams. Buried in the back of my mind--hardly more than an ember after years of focusing on a completely different career--was the dream of being a writer. So, I wrote. And I wrote. In 2005, one of my manuscripts finaled in the Long Historical category of the prestigious RWA® Golden Heart® contest. A huge thrill and just the impetus I needed to keep writing. Three years and several manuscripts later, Soul Provider (now titled Drawn into Darkness) not only finaled in the Golden Heart contest, it won the award for Best Paranormal Romance. Winning that gold, heart-shaped necklace turned my world upside down. Only six days later, to my utter delight, I sold to NAL Signet in a three-book deal ... and made the leap from aspiring author to contracted novelist. Up before dawn to take advantage of the best hours of the day, I write the type of story I've always enjoyed reading--paranormal romances. I live with my biggest fans: my teenage daughter, a black Labrador Retriever and a tuxedo cat, all of whom express empathy at the right moments and dole out tough-love as needed.