Meggie Tolkland

As a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist, author Meggie Tolkland has read millions of words, so she knew she had a great idea for a book series when she imagined a tribe of demons who steal and worship their wives. When she gave birth to the first of her four children, she realized how easily motherhood can swamp a woman's self, so she started writing.

Meggie's goal was no less than redefining the romance genre. All the bad boys she'd encountered in romance books weren't really bad, only misunderstood. Meggie decided her bad boys would be truly dangerous characters, though they'd die for their women. Besides, Meggie wanted to write a book that was fun, but had deeper messages. Asteria Books loved the idea, and THE MAYHEM: ROAN'S STORY was born. It was nominated for Best Fiction in the 2012 Goodreads' Readers' Choice Awards. Reviewers praised it for delivering an emotionally fulfilling love story AND a gentle feminist message: The world's women are doing all they can. It's guys' turn to step up.

Meggie is writing ROAN'S sequel, THE MAYHEM: THORN'S STORY. When she's not walking her dog, working out, or keeping house, she's cooking and keeping up with her kids' extracurricular activities (trying to, anyway). She's a popular lecturer in the Chicago area, where she lives, and book clubs love when she visits: She's funny AND perky. Her mentor, Kate Collins, told her ""Writers always help each other,"" so she's happy to help other writers, and she welcomes e–mails from fans.