Spotlight on Donna Maloy
(Published in 2001)

By Cheryl Bolen

For those of you who think "if I could just publish that first novel I'd be on my way," think again.  Longtime chapter member Donna Maloy published two romance novels in the eighties and is having to start all over again.  In 1984 she published Amethyst Fire with Harlequin Superromance under the pen name Donna Saucier (her maiden name) and four years later published Black Velvet Secrets with Zebra Gothic under the pen name Marie Savory.  Both were romantic suspense. Imagine doing all this while working full time and mothering two young children

Then right in the middle of her brief publishing career she went through a divorce, had her house repossessed, remarried, and her number of children instantly swelled to five. Husband Number 2 (Joe Maloy) said she needed to concentrate on the kids--not the writing. So it wasn't until 1994, with the kids grown, she got active in RWA again, trying to reestablish herself in the romance publishing industry .

For starters, she hooked up with an amazing critique group, none of whom were published when she joined them. Now all of them--Kim Rangel, Nina Bangs and Gerry Bartlett-are published.

"Now that I'm over 50, I'm getting more focused," Donna said.  She expects to have a writing contract by the end of the year. She says now her dynamic critique group has actually been a bit of a hindrance.  They all write humor.  Therefore, she tried it for quite some time--with no success.  Now she's going back to what she does best, romantic suspense.

Donna earned an English degree at Washington University in Kansas.  More recently she added a master's degree from UH-Clear Lake, where she now teaches part-time.  She teaches business communications and desktop publishing.  She also mentors advanced writing students from Clear Lake High School.  "I really like teaching writing."

She is involved in some aspect of writing every day and labels herself a workaholic. She has three proposals out now and two complete projects she hasn't sent out yet, much to the chagrin of her critique group. A natural born teacher, Donna gives many writing workshops, including informative ones to the Bay Area chapter.