WOOTSON, Alice (G.) 1937-

PERSONAL: Born July 14, 1937, in Pittsburgh, PA; daughter of Robert Randolph (a steel worker) and Lorena (a homemaker; maiden name, Fleming) Greenhowe; married Isaiah Wootson (a teacher), September 3, 1960. Education: Cheyney State University, B.S. and M.Ed.; University of Pennsylvania, reading specialist certification; also attended Temple University, Ambler, and Goddard College. Religion: Baptist. Hobbies and other interests: Crafts, sewing, writing poetry, listening to music.

ADDRESSES: Office—P.O. Box 18832, Philadelphia, PA 19119. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: School teacher in Chester and Philadelphia, PA, 1964-92; writer. Also works as a reading specialist. Member of a local dance group.

MEMBER: Romance Writers of America, Pennsylvania Poetry Society, New Jersey Romance Writers, Philadelphia Writers Conference, Mad Poets, Poets' Roundtable, VFRW.

WRITINGS:

ROMANCE NOVELS

Snowbound with Love, BET Books (Washington, DC), 2000.

Dream Wedding, BET Books (Washington, DC), 2001.

Home for Christmas, BET Books (Washington, DC), 2001.

Trust in Me, BET Books (Washington, DC), 2002.

To Love Again, BET Books (Washigton, DC), in press.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Research on the U.S. Civil War era in Fredericksburg, VA.

SIDELIGHTS: Alice Wootson told CA: "My primary motivation for writing is that I have these people in my head prodding me, asserting themselves, making a pure nuisance of themselves. The only way to quiet them is to tell their stories. I am a voracious reader, as were my parents and grandparents. My reading appetite is quite eclectic. I try to emulate excellent writing. There are so many writers whom I admire that I can't name them.

"My writing process is to turn on my computer immediately, make a large cup of tea, and write for three or four hours or as long as I can stay in the story. Often I read about a story that triggers a big 'what if' and sends me off on a new story.

"I write romance because, in a world with so much sadness, I like to write stories with happy endings. I have addressed some social issues within several of my stories. Home for Christmas features a hero, Jeffrey, who starts a program based on one initiated by National Football League star Warrick Dunn to put homeless families into their own homes. Trust in Me has a hero who goes back to his old, impoverished neighborhood and opens a community center for the kids, and Marc in To Love Again gets involved in the Big Brothers program. My overall goal is to tell a story well enough so that the reader considers reading my book time well spent."