Martha Powers

More than anything I wanted to write a mystery novel. After spending many lonely nights trying to write, I discovered that history majors don't know a lot about putting a story together. I joined Chicago-North, a chapter of Romance Writers of America. With the help of the members, I learned how to get my story on paper. As a historian, I was fascinated by the English Regency period and used it as the setting for my first historical novel. PROXY BRIDE won the Golden Heart award presented by Romance Writers of America for best unpublished Regency. One of the judges bought the book, which was published in 1987.

The tongue-in-cheek style of these comedies of manners suited me perfectly. I published nine Regency romances, including two nominated for the Golden Medallion, the Romance Writers of America national award for published authors, now known as the RITA.

Eventually I decided to return to my first love, mysteries. It took me a year to write a manuscript for my first thriller. Once completed, I spent another year trying to find an agent. Increasingly frustrated, I sent a letter to my personal hero, Michael Korda, Editor-in-Chief of Simon & Schuster. Korda asked to see the manuscript. He rejected that book but sent me a ticket to New York and during dinner, bought a proposal for SUNFLOWER, a hardcover suspense thriller published by Simon & Schuster in September, 1998. My second thriller BLEEDING HEART was published in August, 2000. DEATH ANGEL and CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE were the next two thrillers. Now I'm back working on a new mystery which definitely cuts into my golf game.