AlTonya Washington is a South Carolina native. She released her first contemporary romance with BET Books in 2003. In April, her third novel “Finding Love Again” won the Romantic Times Magazine Award for Best Multicultural Romance of 2004. January 2006 marked the release of her sixth novel “A Lover’s Dream” for the Harlequin/Kimani Press label. She has just been offered her third writing contract with Kensington Book’s Dafina imprint and will release her next novel “Passionate Encounters” in August 2006. AlTonya currently resides in North Carolina where she raises her 5 year old son and works as a Senior Library Assistant.