I know that Mondays are normally my day but for the rest of September I'm having guest bloggers fill in for me while I'm off taking care of my mum in Florida. So today, please welcome my friend MG BRADEN who's kind enough to step in this first week of my hiatus....

Thanks, Jax, for having me on Hooked on Romance today.

My name is MG Braden, but you can call me Michelle. Or MG. Or Ms. Braden if you're nasty. :-) I am the author of five contemporary romances and one erotic paranormal in varying lengths. But, I'm not here to talk about my writing today, although I will be giving away an ebook of Snowbound to one lucky commenter.

I'm here as a candidate for the 2009/2010 RWA Board of Directors. I am running for Regional Director, Region 4. Even though I am running for Region 4, all voting members vote for all regions, so it is important you get to know every candidate in each region. This is a member organization, make sure you (if you are a member) have a say and an interest in who is representing you on the BOD.

I heard recently that it was considered distasteful for the candidates to campaign for office in the RWA. I'm not sure who started this rumour or even why, because we (and by that I mean myself and several other candidates that have discussed this) have never received any official word that this is not ok. Why would it be in bad form? Why distasteful? If you don't know the people you are voting for, how can you choose? Again, this is your organization, it will only be what you help to make it.

Therefore, so you can get to know me a little, I present you with my official RWA bio (as opposed to the more whimsical one on my website http://www.mgbraden.com):

Michelle (MG) Braden has been writing for over twenty years, but only decided to pursue publication in 2006. A RWA PRO member, Michelle is an epublished author who is presently seeking representation for a single title manuscript. She has volunteered at both the National conference and the Emerald City Writers' Conference. Michelle is the Vice-President of the ESPAN Chapter and also belongs to the GSRWA, Chick Lit and Kiss of Death (where she previously served as the Murder One Coordinator) chapters. A business owner and entrepreneur, she has spent a good number of years in business administration and management.

You can see my list of the official RWA Member Questions and Answers on my blog and you can go to the RWA National website and see how all of the candidates answered these questions.

So here's the thing. I am not any better or worse than my opponents. I just have a different perspective (as we all do). We all bring different things to the table, so what you need to do is review what you know, what you need to know, what you want to know and weigh it when you cast your vote. If you have questions, I urge you to email the candidate and ask.

Bottom line for me: I am not a politician and I am not good at playing games. What I am good at is working hard and persevering. I do not give up easily and I do not think that there is only one solution for any given problem. If elected I can promise you that I will work hard to address the needs of all members, to the very best of my abilities, within the context and constraints of the position.

I am actually out of town and away from the internet (unbelievable as that may sound, but I'm really going to try) as this posts, I am returning on September 7th and look forward to reading any and all responses upon my return. Every eligible comment (which means not spam and more than a Hello or hi or enter me) will be entered for a chance to win a copy of my ebook, Snowbound.

To find out more about MG BRADEN, visit:

www.mgbraden.com or her BLOG