Nann Dunne

Although I’ve been a professional editor for many years and have always enjoyed words, I never attempted to write fiction until about eight years ago. I started out by writing fan fiction in the now famous "Xenaverse," a huge online world of writers, artists, and fans who came together because of the Xena: Warrior Princess TV show. First I read about 200 stories by some really good writers who were posting their stories online just for the fun of it. The idea of making up adventures for people who would then do exactly what I wrote intrigued me, and by posting the stories "anonymously" (as PruferBlue), there was no pressure to be perfect, other than what I put on myself. (That’s a whole other story. Editors ALWAYS want to be perfect…at least in their writing. )

Then a friend, Karen Surtees, challenged me to write an uber with her. For those who aren’t familiar with the term, ubers are stories with characters similar to those on a particular TV show, but the people have different names and live in different times. This change, of course, results in characters and stories that are original to the authors. Karen and I wrote and posted True Colours online (Karen wrote at that time as Karen King.) Then Renaissance Alliance Publishing, Inc. (RAP—now RCE) contacted us, and the book was published! What a great thrill that was. Karen and I wrote a sequel, Many Roads to Travel, and then I wrote a book alone, a mystery entitled Staying in the Game. All were published by RAP. My latest book is a novel of romantic adventure set in the Civil War called The War Between The Hearts, published by Intaglio Publications and available at StarCrossed Productions. Two other novels are waiting their turn for my attention.

Now writing has become a passion for me. I bought a second-hand laptop, and on many beautiful mornings, I sit out in the poolside patio tapping away. I recently retired as a consulting communications editor with a multinational financial services firm. In an effort to inform other writers of ways to improve their craft, I started an online newsletter called, Just About Write (JAW). Now in its fourth year, the newsletter also provides an opportunity for lesbian authors to showcase their work. Noted author Lori L. Lake is co-editor of JAW and Patty Schramm is managing editor of “The L Files,” an ezine division of JAW aimed at producing articles of broad interest to the lesbian community.

Married and divorced eons ago, I have six children, fifteen grandchildren, and one great-grandson. (I was married when I was about three years old, of course. ) My youngest granddaughter is diabetic, and I’m her emergency caretaker.

My southeastern Pennsylvania home is shared with a daughter, her husband, and four grandchildren. I do have my own "apartment" and can hibernate there in peace and quiet and attend to my writing as well as the editing of Just About Write.

I wish my muse had appeared earlier, but I’m having loads of fun trying to squeeze in everything I want to accomplish. Fiction writing has opened a whole new world for me, peopled with many wonderful and encouraging authors and a host of supportive fans. I've met a number of them at conventions, and I hope to meet many more.

When you see me, please feel free to say hello. I’m the friendly sort.

Nann can be reached at PruferBlue@aol.com

The War Between The Hearts by Nann Dunne   ISBN: 1-933113-27-8 Price: $16.95 Release Date: February 2005       Intent on serving the Union Army as a spy, Sarah-Bren Coulter disguises herself as a man and becomes a courier-scout for the Confederate Army. Soon the savagery of war shakes her to the core. She stifles her emotions so she can bear the guilt of sending men, and sometimes boys, into paths of destruction. When Sarah is wounded and in danger of dying, her life is saved by a woman who stirs desire in Sarah for the first time. But Faith Pruitt is Sarah’s enemy and betrays her into a hell worse than Sarah has ever known. Sometimes hearts are killed instead of bodies. Can Faith save Sarah’s heart and awaken her to love? Do they even want to try? Or are the women destined to be at war with each other forever?

The Clash Between the Minds By Nann Dunne ISBN: 978-1-935216-10-0 Price: $16.95 Release Date November 2009

In the sequel to The War Between the Hearts, The Clash Between the Minds finds Sarah-Bren Coulter, her partner, Faith Pruitt, and Faith’s son, Benjamin, dealing with the Ku Klux Klan’s rising influence in their community. When Sarah and Benjamin become involved in the violence, Faith is appalled by Sarah’s actions and staggered by the obvious danger those actions pose for her family. In an unexpected consequence, Faith is given the ultimatum to forsake her relationship with Sarah and move back to the schoolteacher’s house provided by the town council or lose her position at the school. Faith’s overwhelming fear for Benjamin’s safety and her commitment to the children she has contracted to teach compel her to agree. She intends the parting from Sarah to continue only until the end of the school year, but Sarah is devastated by Faith’s decision. Subsequent events cast serious doubts on the certainty of their reunion. Will Sarah regain her family? Can the two women overcome the clash between their minds and prevent a permanent separation?