2013 Novelists, Inc. Board of Directors

President, Laura Parker Castoro

Best-selling and multi-award winning author Laura Parker Castoro has a published writing career that has spanned thirty-one years – so far. She has published thirty-nine (39) books with major publishing houses. Her current publisher is Harper Collins. She has published in genres such as Historical and Contemporary Romance, Romantic Suspense, Westerns, Sagas, contemporary African American fiction, and most recently Women’s Fiction. In addition, she has published numerous magazine articles and book reviews, a non-fiction book for YA, and one short story published by “Good Housekeeping.”

Job description:

The President is the chief executive officer of Novelists, Inc. It is his/her duty to coordinate and oversee the activities of the organization, including the national conference, Ninc's various committees, and the organization's special projects. The President leads the monthly Board meetings and sets the agenda; writes a monthly column for Nink; and presides over the Annual Business Meeting. After serving a complete term in office, the Ninc President becomes a member of the Advisory Council.

President-elect, Meredith Efken

Author of the critically acclaimed SAHM I Am series that traces the friendship of a group of stay-at-home mothers through their emails to each other and finalist for the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award and the ACFW Book of the Year award. In addition to writing, Meredith is also owner of the Fiction Fix-It Shop, which offers freelance fiction editing and writing coaching. In her “spare” time, she and her husband enjoy learning Argentine tango and hanging out at the local bookstore. She studies Chinese and Welsh on a semi-random basis.

Job description:

When a current President completes his/her term, the President-Elect shall become the next President. S/he shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the President in the events of the latter's absence and shall perform such other duties as the Board of Directors shall from time to time determine, including overall charge of the next annual conference. The President-Elect also serves as Ninc's Public Relations Coordinator.

Treasurer, Ashley McConnell

Ashley McConnell is the author of two horror novels, the Demon Wars fantasy trilogy, and numerous tie-ins for the television series Quantum Leap, Stargate SG-1, Highlander, Angel, and (with Dori Koogler) Buffy the Vampire Slayer; assorted short fiction; and nonfiction about writing, science, and various other things. After many years working in the brown and sere desert Southwest, Ashley moved herself, her cats, horses, and the ever-patient Isis to the Southern US.

Job description:

The Ninc Treasurer works with the Central Coordinator to pay monthly bills. The Treasurer receives monthly profit and loss reports from the Central Coordinator and deals with Ninc’s bank accounts, CDs and money market account. S/he prepares the Ninc budget and conference budget in consultation with the Board and gets the Ninc financial records ready for the yearly audit.

Secretary, Sylvie Kurtz

Flying an eight-hour solo cross-country in a Piper Arrow with only the airplane's crackling radio and a large bag of M&Ms for company, Sylvie Kurtz realized a pilot's life wasn't for her. The stories zooming in and out of her head proved more entertaining than the flight. Not a quitter, she completed her pilot's course, earning her commercial license and instrument rating. Since then, she's traded in her wings for a keyboard, where she lets her imagination soar to create fictional adventures that explore the complexity of the human mind and the thrill of suspense. She believes organic dark chocolate is an essential nutrient, likes to knit with soft wool, and justifies watching sappy movies by knitting baby blankets. She has written 21 novels. Visit www.sylviekurtz.com for more information.

Job description:

The Ninc Secretary keeps the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and all business meetings of the organization. S/he sends material and updates to the Ninc archives and also performs such other duties as the Board of Directors determines from time to time.

Nink Editor, Laura Phillips

Laura Phillips always knew she'd be a writer, but took her time deciding what kind. She began her career as a newspaper reporter in the 1980s and later moved up to the editor's desk.  After taking a few years off for motherhood, she  resumed her career as a freelancer and has since written for major newspapers, regional and professional magazines, websites, businesses, and clients in the corporate security and intelligence worlds. She now lives on a farm in the Midwest with her family, writes full-time, and occasionally teaches classes on writing, fiber crafts, and herbal lore.

Job Description:

The Newsletter Editor is responsible for compiling each month's edition of Nink. This includes choosing appropriate content, assigning articles to writers, editing submissions, and working with columnists. The editor works closely with Nink's publisher each month to produce the print and electronic versions of Nink.

Advisory Council Representative, Patricia McLinn

Patricia is the author of more than 26 published novels, past president of Novelists, Inc., and instigator of AWritersWork.com, where published authors sell e-books directly to readers. Her latest release is the nonfiction e-book WORD WATCH: A Writer’s Guide to the Slippery, Sneaky and Otherwise Tricky.

Her novels -- cited by reviewers for warmth, wit and vivid characterization – have topped best-seller lists and won numerous awards. They are widely available as e-books, including topping bestseller lists for Amazon’s Kindle. A new release in summer 2012 will open a mystery series set in Wyoming.

Patricia received BA and MSJ degrees from Northwestern University. She was a sports writer (Rockford, Ill.), assistant sports editor (Charlotte, N.C.) and -- for 20-plus years -- an editor at the Washington Post. She has spoken about writing from Honolulu to Washington, D.C., including being a guest-speaker at the Smithsonian Institute.

She is now living in Northern Kentucky, teaching writing classes, and writing full-time.

Job description:

The Advisory Council Representative’s primary responsibility to the Board of Directors is to help to preserve the continuity and maintain the smooth operation of the organization, in particular with regard to outgoing and incoming Boards, serving as the official link between the organization’s past and its future.