Shelli Stevens, President
Shelli read her first romance novel when she was eleven. It was a Harlequin that she snuck off her mom's bookshelf, and she was forever hooked on romance novels. It wasn't until many years later that she decided to pursue writing stories of her own. By then she acknowledged the voices in her head didn't make her crazy, they made her a writer.
Shelli currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her young daughter and enjoys serving as President of the GSRWA chapter. She writes various genres of romance for several publishers.
Send an email to Shelli.
Heather Higgins, Vice President
Heather has been reading romance and writing stories since she was in middle school. She joined RWA and GSRWA in 2000, attending her first ECWC within a month of joining the chapter. She has been a conference committee chair for three conferences, serving as the raffle chair, editor/agent chair and registration chair.
Send an email to Heather.
Christine Solberg, Secretary
It all started in the 6th grade when Christine Solberg picked up Caroline by Willo Davis Roberts. From that moment on, Christine turned into a bona fide romance novel junkie. In 2005, she bit the bullet and signed up for NaNoWriMo in which she completed her first manuscript, a contemporary romantic suspense. Since then, she has been typing away. In 2007, Christine joined RWA and currently serves on the Greater Seattle RWA Board.
Send an email to Christine.
Judy Wiebe, Treasurer
Judy Wiebe wrote reports, speeches, presentations, newsletters, and columns for magazines, but never really thought of herself as a “writer” until one day, after reading a poorly-written romance novel, though... “Heck, I bet even I could do better than that!” She sat down at her computer, and began to write. It wasn’t long before she realized that writing romances was even more fun than reading them, although perhaps a bit more complicated than she initially realized. A RWA PRO, and a contest junkie, she writes historical romances with a touch of mystery. She has yet to be published but is hard at work trying to correct that. She and her husband are retired and she loves to travel, play golf, entertain, and cook for her large, extended family. In fact, every Sunday, she and her husband prepare dinner for three of their four children and their spouses, her elderly father, a cousin, eight out of her nine grandchildren and any other family member or friend that happens to be in town. A member of GSRWA for three years, Judy was previously the membership chair.
Send an email to Judy.
Laurie Anderson, Membership Chair
Laurie Anderson has been a member of the GSRWA for one year. She is new to writing fiction. Her efforts run to mystery and contemporary romance. But she's not new to writing, having had various technical writing jobs in the computer industry. Now she teaches technical writing and composition at the University of Washington Bothell. When she's not grading student's papers, she also see clients in her energy healing practice using the shamanic traditions from the high Andes of Peru -- where the smallest unit of measure of people is a community (or, in Quechua, ayllu). As Membership Chair, she invites warmth, authenticity, and community to everyone in the GSRWA.
Send an email to Laurie.
Julie Revell Benjamin, Emerald City Conference Chair
Hi, I'm Julie. I'm fortysomething and married. I've been writing since could hold a pencil, and now concentrate on single title romantic comedies. We live in a small town outside of Seattle, WA, with three felines that are the joy of our existence. Before I joined RWA two years ago, I was a technical writer, and a former city councilperson. My husband is a senior project manager for a sofware company in Bellevue.
When I'm not writing, spending time with Eric or playing with the cats, I blog. I read. I enjoy a wide variety of hobbies and interests. Every moment we spend with family members or friends is precious to us.
Send an email to Julie.
