Roxanne Rustand

Roxanne Rustand discovered romance novels when a friend handed her a Judith McNaught historical and dared her to put it down. She did--but not until four o'clock the next morning. Completely hooked, she devoured all of the romances she could find, and then started writing one herself.

Her first manuscript won the 1995 Romance Writer's of America Golden Heart for Best Long Contemporary. Her second manuscript was a 1998 Golden Heart finalist, and was published as Her Sister's Children by Superromance in August 1999. Her third and fourth manuscripts both won the West Houston Emily. Montana Legacy is a February 2000 release, and The House at Briar Lake is an October 2000 release.

Co-founder and two-term first president of the Heart of Iowa chapter of RWA, she enjoys volunteering at regional and national conferences. At the 1998 RWA Conference in Anaheim she co-presented the workshop "Using Contests to Advance Your Writing Career" with Silhouette editor Karen Taylor Richman and author Tracy Cozzens. Roxanne and Tracy also conducted an extensive survey of past Golden Heart winners and finalists, and their article "The Golden Heart-- 14 Karat or Brass Plate?" appeared in the October, 1998 Romance Writer's Report.

Roxanne has a Master's Degree in Nutrition, and works as a consultant dietitian for hospitals and health care facilities. She and her husband have three children. They live on an acreage with two dogs, three horses, a pony named Michael Jordan, numerous cats...and Sid the Snake, who insisted on appearing in her first book.