Once in a Lifetime

With a young daughter to support, recently divorced Alexis Stevenson jumps at the chance to become household manager for wealthy businessman Telford Harrington and his two brothers. Though she knows it won't be easy turning their bachelor-pad mansion into a home, she is determined to handle any obstacles, while maintaining a separate life for herself and her daughter. But Alexis isn't at all ready for the red-hot chemistry crackling between her and Telford—or the fact that she's suddenly caught in a maze of unexpected secrets and deep mistrust. But if she and Telford find their way through it—together—can they both embrace the love they so deeply desire?

With a young daughter to support, recently divorced Alexis Stevenson jumps at the chance to become household manager for wealthy businessman Telford Harrington and his two brothers. Though she knows it won't be easy turning their bachelor-pad mansion into a home, she is determined to handle any obstacles, while maintaining a separate life for herself and her daughter. But Alexis isn't at all ready for the red-hot chemistry crackling between her and Telford—or the fact that she's suddenly caught in a maze of unexpected secrets and deep mistrust. But if she and Telford find their way through it—together—can they both embrace the love they so deeply desire?

Gwynne Forster was born in North Carolina, grew up in Washington, D.C., and has lived, studied and worked in New York City ever since she became voting age. She considers herself a humanitarian, a perspective that she inherited from her mother, a high school principal, and which she also attributes to her work and education in the social sciences, more specifically, demography. Her fiction writing reflects her training in the sociology of the family and her understanding of interpersonal relations. It should not be surprising, then, that quite a few of Gwynne's novels and novellas are set within the context of the family.

Gwynne Forster is a national bestselling and award-winning author of six novels of general fiction, twenty-eight romance novels and six novellas. All of her mainstream novels and several of her romance novels have been featured in Black Expressions magazine. When Twilight Comes,her first mainstream novel, was featured on the magazine's cover, and it also remained on the Essence magazine list of bestsellers for several months. Her mainstream novel, Getting Some of Her Own, was published in August 2007 to excellent reviews, and Romantic Times magazine nominated the book for an award as best African American romance 2007. eHarlequin.com's weekly newsletter listed Gwynne's romance, Forbidden Temptation, as one of Harlequin's ten best books of 2007. She receives fan letters daily, praising her Kimani Press romance, Drive Me Wild. The highly acclaimed mainstream novel, When You Dance With the Devil, published in August 2006, attracted media attention.

Among her many awards and forms of recognition, Gwynne is most proud of her election in 2006 to the Affaire de Coeur magazine Hall of Fame, the Lifetime Achievement Award given to her by Romantic Times magazine in 2007 and her selection by Harlequin to participate in their Warm Hands, Warm Hearts project with the St. June Children's Research Hospital.

The following novels were nominated by Affaire de Coeur magazine for "best romance novel of the year with an African American hero and heroine:" Ecstasy, Obsession, Naked Soul, Against the Wind, Fools Rush In, Swept Away, Secret Desire, and Scarlet Woman. Winners of the award were: Ecstasy, Naked Soul, Fools Rush In, Swept Away, and Against the Wind.

Readers of Affaire de Coeur magazine named Gwynne one of Top Ten Favorite Authors for the years 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2006, and one of five outstanding achievers in 1998.

Rendezvous magazine voted Secret Desire "Rose Bud of the month" for November 2003.

The 2001 Gold Pin Award from Black Writers Reunion and Conference went to Beyond Desire, one of Gwynne's most celebrated books. Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild selected Beyond Desire and used the book to start the Black Expressions Book Club.

Romance in Color Web site gave its 1999 Award of Excellence to Against the Wind and voted Gwynne author of the year. The site voted Flying High runner-up to best romance of the year, 2003, and gave it honorable mention.

Romance Slam Jam 2000 nominated Gwynne for the Vivian Stephens Lifetime Achievement Award. Romance Slam Jam 2001 gave Gwynne an Emma Award for her novella, "Learning to Love," in the anthology Going to the Chapel. Romance Slam Jam 2003 nominated Blues From Down Deep for an Emma Award as best mainstream novel.

Fiction writing is Gwynne Forster's second career. She holds bachelors and masters degrees in sociology, a masters degree in economics/demography and has additional graduate credits in journalism. As a demographer, she is widely published. She is formerly chief of (non-medical) research in fertility and family planning in the Population Division of the United Nations in New York and served for four years as chairperson of the International Programme Committee of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (London, England). These positions took her on official business to sixty-three developed and developing countries. Gwynne sings in her church choir, loves to entertain and is a museum hopper, gourmet cook and avid gardener. She enjoys classical music, opera, jazz and blues with her husband with whom she lives in New York City.

She is represented by the Steel-Perkins Literary Agency.