Welcome to new Faces, where we are pleased to introduce the newest authors in the romance arena! In this column, we welcome Virginia Kantra, who has not one, but two new books coming from Silhouette: The Reforming of Matthew Dunn, a SIM for October, and The Passion of Patrick MacNeil, a January SIM.

Hello, Virginia! Tell us about yourself.

Once upon a time, there was this English professor's daughter who used to bribe her cousins to go to bed by telling them fairy tales. That was me. I grew up and went on to get my bachelor's degree in English, too - I wrote an honors thesis on William Blake - but I never got over the thrill of making up my own stories. I'll read just about anything, but I'm a sucker for strong heroes, courageous heroines and happy endings.

Are you coming to romance writing from another job?

I worked as a department assistant at Northwestern while my husband was in business school, but I was happy to have the chance to stay at home with our three kids. I'm a storyteller at their school. Sharing my own love of books is very important to me. On Valentine's Day, I deck myself out in a purple hoopskirt - it was a bridesmaid's dress, okay? - and visit classrooms dressed as the Queen of Hearts. I do Mother Goose for the little kids and Alice Through the Looking Glass ("Off with their heads!") for the older ones.

What led you to write romance?

You know that old advice to writers, "Write what you know"? Well, I'm happily married now for almost twenty years to my college sweetheart.

With three kids and two cats and a dog and a really messy house, I've learned all the little truths that women know about the importance of family and relationships. I believe in the power of love to shape the world. While my heroes can't exactly battle monsters and my heroines don't ride dragons, they are people to like and admire, people faced with life's hard choices, people I want to read and write about.

Of course, one of the joys about writing contemporary romance, particularly romantic suspense, is that I have an excuse to talk with people I don't necessarily meet on the sidelines of my sons' soccer games. I've pestered cops, doctors, detectives...for my latest project, I got to hang out in the kitchen of my favorite restaurant.

Tell us about your unusual road to publication.

I've always wanted to be a writer, even when it was a "when I grow up" kind of thing. As it happens, it was more like when my children grew old enough to be in school all day!

Joining Romance Writers of America was a huge first step. In four years, I've been an RWA Golden Heart finalist four times, with different manuscripts in different categories. I've won Georgia Romance Writers' Maggie Award for Excellence, Orange County's Orange Rose, Colorado West's Motherlode, Midwest Fiction Writers' first chapter contest...well, a lot of contests.

I'm also fortunate enough to work with a very wonderful critique partner, Judith Stanton. We've sort of bullied, badgered and encouraged one another into publication. Last fall, when she sold her first book to Harper, I was delighted for her...and very, very anxious about my own career. I was still plugging away and entering contests.

At my first editor appointment three years before, I'd met this one editor who wrote me long, personal, encouraging rejection letters. I couldn't believe it when she actually called to buy Matthew Dunn for Silhouette Intimate Moments! And then she called about two months after that and bought Patrick MacNeill's book.

When I learned that both stories had also made the finals of the Golden Heart, I practically had to do that little trick with the paper bag to keep from hyperventilating. THE PASSION OF PATRICK MACNEILL was a finalist in Contemporary Single Title. THE REFORMING OF MATTHEW DUNN won the Golden Heart award for Best Romatic Suspense. I think I'm responsible for the most gushing acceptance speech ever videotaped, except for maybe Sally Fields.

Who are your influences as a writer?

Even if I don't count the fairy tales, I have to go outside the genre for some of my favorites. I definitely read to learn. I'll go back and read poetry if I feel my vocabulary getting stale: the Song of Solomon, John Donne, Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac (that balcony scene still gives me shivers). There are a couple of contemporary writers that just tap these little details and make them resonate like crystal. Anna Quindlen is one. Sharyn McCrumb is another. And for really economical character sketches and great opening hooks, I'd say Dick Francis and Janet Evanovich.

A roommate in college used to get these big care packages of romance novels from her mother. In those days, that meant mostly doctor/nurse, boss/secretary stories. I devoured them, but I didn't see much connection between those and the sort of stories I wanted to tell. It wasn't until later when I stumbled on writers like Kathleen Korbel (Eileen Dreyer) and LaVyrle Spencer and Kathleen Eagle and, of course, Nora Roberts, that the light bulb finally went on over my head.

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

My husband's faith in me is the greatest constant in my life. He's also a wonderful in-house source for "guy speak."

Initially, the kids had to learn to share Mom with the computer, but they've adjusted. The boys think some of the research is pretty cool. My daughter, who's in high school, is very supportive, and everyone tries to be understanding when dinner doesn't happen the way it used to. I think my parents are pretty tickled. Even my professor dad is going to read my book when it comes out. Fortunately, we're years past the time when he could go after my husband with a shotgun!

Tell us about plans for future books.

I've already mentioned THE PASSION OF PATRICK MACNEILL, which will be a Silhouette Intimate Moments January 1999 release. It's my version of those hospital romances, with a devoted single dad and a surgeon heroine. I'm delighted and grateful to have the chance to share this very emotional story. It was hard to let go of those characters, but Patrick, thank goodness, has two sexy brothers. I'm busy working on their stories right now.

How can readers contact you?

Readers, please feel free to write to me at VKantraSIM@aol.com. I would love to hear from you!

Readers, you can read a review of The Reforming of Matthew Dunn.

Thanks, Virginia!

October 7, 1998