Welcome to our New Faces column, where we take great pleasure in introducing some of the newest authors in the romance genre. This time we're visiting with Tamara Sneed, whose first two releases are Love Undercover and A Royal Vow from BET.

Tamara, welcome to The Romance Reader! Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. My mother is a public high school teacher, and I have one older sister who is now married and has two children. This May, I will graduate from law school in Washington, D.C. and then return to Southern California to begin practicing law.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

I have been a full-time student for the majority of my life. Once I pass the California Bar and become a full-fledged lawyer, it will be interesting - to say the least - to see how I will balance writing and my law career. Since I must write fiction to stay sane, it will have to work out some type of way.

What led you to write romance?

I have been reading romances since I was ten or eleven years old when I had to sneak pass my mother with the romance books that my older cousin, Marlo, would give me. I love the happy endings, the idea that love will conquer all, and that every woman is the queen of her own kingdom. I have also been writing stories since I was little, and because I have always written the type of stories that I want to read, it was natural that my stories were romances.

Tell us about your road to publication.

I submitted manuscripts way before my work was publishable. Even though I probably wasted a lot of editors' time (sorry), I think that early submission process helped me to create a much more polished and business-like query package that got the attention of editors when my work was publishable. Not to mention the encouraging rejections that I received gave me confidence to keep submitting. The year after I graduated from college, I e-mailed one of my favorite authors, Angela Benson, to tell her how much I enjoyed her books. I also told her about my dream of being published. In her response to me, she wrote that the editor of Arabesque (I think the line was still at Kensington before it moved to BET Books) was looking for new work. She really inspired me to polish off the manuscript that had been sitting on my computer and to send it in.

Of course, the road was not easy after that. There were editorial changes, publishing house changes, requested manuscript changes, and a bunch of other stuff that meant I didn't hear a final verdict on my manuscript until about two years after I first sent it in. LOVE UNDERCOVER was published in September 2000, and A ROYAL VOW was published in April 2001. Both were definitely dreams come true.

I've never had critique groups or anyone reading over my work, because I was too nervous and scared - more like petrified - to show anyone. I didn't mind faceless editors in New York reading my work and passing judgment, but that's completely different than my mother or friends reading my work and passing judgment. I'm still not involved in critique groups, but I do allow a few people to read snippets now and I still don't like it.

What kind of research was involved for your first book?

There was no research involved. LOVE UNDERCOVER takes place in San Francisco where I worked for a year and I lived in the area for four years. In that story, the city itself was almost another character. When I wanted to describe the city, I would close my eyes and remember the sights and smells from when I spent time there.

Who are your influences as a writer?

As I already mentioned, I love Angela Benson's work. Her characters are always three-dimensional, like they can exist off the pages of the book, and I try to do the same for my characters. I also admire Eboni Snoe because of the whimsical situations and settings she places her characters in. I played around with setting in A ROYAL VOW, which partially takes place on a few fictional islands. I also admire Susan Elizabeth Phillips, because I like the overall tone of her books that makes you smile the entire time you're reading it, and I try to achieve that. And, lastly, Jude Devereaux, because I think in all of her books there is an element of romanticism that I like to shine through in mine.

What does your family think of having a romance author in their midst?

My family is always supportive of everything I do, but I wasn't certain how they would react when they read my books. To say the least, they are my biggest fans. I call my mother and my sister my publicists. While I'm proud of my accomplishments, I don't have to tell everyone I meet that I'm a romance author. . .those two tell the world, no matter who's listening, where we are, or what we're doing. It can be embarrassing, but I am glad that they are so proud.

Tell us about plans for future books.

I currently am in the process of talking to BET Books for another two-book contract. I already finished the first manuscript, which is about Logan Riley, the main character's brother from LOVE UNDERCOVER. I am told that this process could take a long time, so I have no idea when Logan's story could potentially be published. If things go according to plan, I intend to write the next book about Logan's and Cary's sister, Maggie. Of course, it all depends on which characters want their stories told the most. Believe it or not, but I can not control these things.

How can readers get in touch with you?

I love to hear from readers at sneed01@earthlink.net. I don't have a website, but I am working on it.

Tamara, thanks for joining us, and best of luck with your future releases!

August 6, 2001