Jean Brashear

A letter to Rod Stewart resulting in a Cinderella birthday for her daughter sowed the seeds of New York Times and USAToday bestselling author Jean Brashear's writing career. A lifelong avid reader, at the age of forty-five with no experience and no training, she decided to see if she could write a book. It was a wild leap that turned her whole life upside down, but she would tell you that though she's never been more terrified, she's never felt more exhilarated or more alive. She's an ardent proponent of not putting off your dreams until that elusive 'someday'—take that leap now.

More than thirty books later, the five-time RITA finalist and Romantic Times BOOKReviews Career Achievement Award winner has accumulated a whole passel of war stories to swap and loves nothing better than talking writing and books with readers and fellow writers.

And she'd still take that leap, war wounds and all.

Website: http://www.jeanbrashear.com
Twitter: @JeanBrashear
Facebook: Facebook profile

• Forever After on Aug. 07, 2011
  
  A tender, engaging tale rich in heartfelt emotions centering around a very difficult subject, the rights of fathers in custody cases. Ms. Smith skillfully draws out the pain and sweetness, the agony of childhood scars, the difficulty encountered by so many couples when divorce cannot be easily resolved because children are involved. Her hero, a take-no-prisoners attorney specializing in fathers' rights, could so easily have been unsympathetic, but his is a complicated psyche, and she plays on that beautifully. There's a reason Ms Smith has been a very successful romance author for a long time, and you have a chance to see exactly why here.