Spotlight on Marilyn Amann
(Amanda Stevens)

(Published in 2007)

By Cheryl Bolen

When long-time chapter member Marilyn Amann, who writes as Amanda Stevens, sold her first book to Silhouette Intimate Moments in 1985, she had never heard of RWA or of Romantic Times, which gave her debut book 4 ½ stars. She soon rectified those deficiencies.

About a year after the 1986 publication of her first book, Killing Moon, she joined the West Houston chapter. "I'd sold two books fairly quickly," she said, "but was struggling to sell a third. It took four years before I finally sold again, and by then the whole chapter was familiar with my story, and everyone celebrated with me."

Arnette Lamb was chapter president when Marilyn/Amanda joined the group, and the two of them did some book signings together. "It seemed as if we were all more or less writing by the seat of our pants, which made the meetings fun and spontaneous and exciting," Marilyn/Amanda said.

Highlights of those earlier years included Pat Kay and Carla Luan's first sales, Heather MacAllister's golden hearts that led to her first sale, and Alaina Richardson's Rita for best first book.

Though it may have taken Marilyn four years to make that third sale, she has more than made up for the lull. To date, she has sold 50 books to Silhouette Desire, Shadows and Intimate Moments, to Harlequin Intrigue (where most of her books were published) and has just seen her first MIRA, The Dollmaker, published.

Along the way she has also picked up two prestigious Rita nominations in the highly competitive romantic suspense category. In 1999, her His Brother's Wife finaled, and in 2005 her Just Past Midnight received a Rita nomination.

She attributes much of her success to her long-time Intrigue editor, Denise Zaza, who also edits her MIRA thrillers. Both her editor and her agent, Helen Breitwieser, have been extremely encouraging and supportive of the new direction her career has taken.

Since 1985, Amanda has written full time. Just as she was launching her publishing career, she became the mother of twins (a boy and a girl), so she's been one busy woman.

Her English degree was sacrificed when she was offered a nice publishing contract during her junior year of college at the University of Houston.

In recent years, Marilyn's chapter membership lapsed. Her first meeting back was January, 2007. "My first meeting in January was like coming home again," Marilyn said. "It made me realize how much I'd missed the camaraderie and how disconnected I'd become from the writing community. . .The pressure of deadlines can sometimes convince you that even taking a few hours a month to attend a meeting is a luxury you can no longer afford."

She said she is "very happy" to be back. 

This article was first published in Happily Ever After in 2007.