Biographical Information
About the 2012 Lavender Certificate Winners

Regina Hanel (2012 Certificate Winner for Love Another Day) was born in Germany and obtained her U.S. citizenship as soon as she was of legal age. She grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in the mountainous suburbs of Northern New Jersey with her partner of ten years and their dog Scrapper, a sweet pit bull terrier. Regina earned her Bachelors' degrees majoring in accounting and biology, with a minor in German. She's also a Certified Public Accountant and works for the Federal Government protecting the taxpayer's interests. She loves the outdoors and enjoys hiking, kayaking, reading, watching football, and trying out new vegetarian recipes. You can find out more about Regina's work at her website.

Cari Hunter (2012 Certificate Winner for Snowbound) Cari Hunter lives in the Northwest of England with her partner, two cats, and a pond full of frogs. She works full-time as a paramedic and dreams up stories in her spare time. Snowbound was originally written as a Christmas present for her partner before it accidentally became a novel after a successful submission to Bold Strokes Books. Cari enjoys long, wind-swept, muddy walks in her beloved Peak District and forces herself to go jogging and swimming regularly. In the summer she can usually be found sitting in the garden with her feet up, scribbling in her writing pad. She also loves hiking in the Swiss Alps and hanging out in various television fandoms. Although she doesn't like to boast, she will admit that she makes a very fine Bakewell Tart. Cari is a recent addition to Facebook and you can find out more about Cari's work at her website.

Ann McMan (2012 Certificate Winner for Jericho) Ann McMan is a writer by day, and a closet librarian by night. She was born in the mountains of Pennsylvania, but spent much of her childhood below sea level in northern Delaware. She now lives halfway between the mountains and the sea in central North Carolina, but dreams of one day relocating to Vermont-where the colder climate might help her keep better. When she isn't working, writing, or rereading Pride and Prejudice, she's cruising the circulation desk of her local public library-hoping to be discovered. Ann is the author of two novels, Jericho and Dust, both published by Bedazzled Ink. Aftermath, the much-anticipated sequel to Jericho, will be published in the summer of 2012. For a complete list of her stories and essays and more about Ann's work, visit her website.

AJ Quinn (2012 Certificate Winner for Hostage Moon) AJ Quinn is a transplanted Cuban who moved to Canada at an early age. After living in numerous places, she now calls Toronto the place where she lives, works, and plays. In other words, home. When not working as a consultant, she can be found indulging in her passions for travel, photography, and most of all, writing. Hostage Moon is her first published novel. You can find out more about AJ's work at her website (which is currently under construction, but we'll get the link up as soon as it's available).

Pol Robinson (2012 Certificate Winner for Open Water) Pol is a writer cleverly disguised as a college professor in Southern California. A Wisconsin native and a fan of rowing, Pol was stunned to be recruited to the USC Rowing squad, an opportunity she hated to turn down, but one that served to rekindle her sporting spirit. From that and her participation in Master's rowing events was born her first novel, Open Water. Her second novel, Thin Ice, focuses on another of Pol's sports, short-track speed skating, and is scheduled for future release by Bella Books. Pol's published work includes several scholarly articles written about fanfiction and its impact on popular culture. Her Master's thesis examined the storytelling aspect of fanfiction and how the genre fills a need in the homosexual community for representation of our stories in popular culture. You can connect with Pol on Facebook or find out more about her work at her website.