Jo Ann Ferguson

Jo Ann Ferguson is the best-selling lead author of Regencies and historicals for Kensington, paranormals for ImaJinn (writing as J.A. Ferguson), and historicals for Berkley (writing as Joanna Hampton), Harper, New Concepts Publishing, and Tudor. She also has written inspirational contemporaries for MountainView Publishing (writing as Jo Ann Brown). She contributed to an encyclopedia published by Garland on the English Regency period. Her work has been honored with award nominations by Pearl, ROMY, Romantic Times, Rom/Con, and Affaire de Coeur, and has been showcased on Amazon.com. The Counterfeit Count, May 1997 Zebra Regency, won the 1998 ARTemis Award for Regency from Romance Writers of America. She is the editor of Now That You've Sold Your Book ... What Next? and wrote the clause by clause explanation of publishing contracts included in it.

She served as national president of Romance Writers of America from 1998-2000 and is the recipient of the Emma Merritt National Service Award, the highest honor for volunteer work from Romance Writers of America, and has previously served RWA as a director, Vice President, Professional Relations chairperson, conference and workshops chairperson, and literacy autographing chairperson. She also received the first Goldrick Service Award from the New England Chapter/Romance Writers of America. The service award of the Rhode Island Romance Writers is named in her honor. She was awarded a Massachusetts Art Grant to teach creative writing, and she established the romance writing course at Brown University.