Award-Winning Author Jodi Thomas Inducted Into Romance Writer’s Hall of Fame

Atlanta, Georgia – Friday, August 11, 2006 – The leading group in the 1.2 billion dollar a year romance novel industry inducted award-winning author Jodi Thomas as the latest member in a very select group of writers – the Romance Authors of America Hall of Fame. One of the largest groups of writers in the world, the nearly 10,000 member RWA rarely inducts new members into this select group at its annual conference each year with only ten writers so honored since 1983. The last inductee was well-known author Nora Roberts whose income in 2005 was reported to be 67 million dollars.

Thomas made the RWA Hall of Fame for winning her third RITA in the category of short historical romance for The Texan’s Reward (Berkley Books, 2006, Christine Zika, editor). This is the fourth book in her “Wife Lottery” series. Her other RITA winning titles are To Tame a Texan’s Heart published in 1995 and The Tender Texan, 1992. Thomas also writes contemporary women’s fiction and her book Finding Mary Blaine was honored with the National Reader’s Choice Award in 2005.

Jodi Thomas serves as the Writer-in-Residence for the Texas A&M System of Universities with an office at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas. Jodi said, "Since my first writing conference in 1987, I've dreamed of winning three RITA's and going into the RWA Hall of Fame." Thomas has over twenty-five books in print and also lectures on the art and craft of writing.

Her latest work in print is Easy On The Heart, is a quick read taken from her short story collection and available in bookstores August 29th. A new novel, the first in her Whispering Mountain trilogy, titled Texas Rain will be available in November. A website listing her books, awards and appearances is available at www.JodiThomas.com.

For more information contact Nicole Kennedy, Public Relations Manager; Romance Writers of America, 16000 Stuebner Airline Rd., Suite 140, Spring, TX 77379; tel: (832) 717-5200, ext 28; fax: (832) 717-5201; e-mail: nkennedy@rwanational.org, website: www.rwanational.org.

(Photo of Jodi Thomas receiving the Hall of Fame award available upon request—color, 72 dpi JPEG.)