News Release

Contact: Patricia Sargeant-Matthews
booksbypatricia@yahoo.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 2006

LOCAL AUTHOR DEBUTS DURING NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH

November, long known for Thanksgiving and pre-holiday shopping, was designated National Novel Writing Month in 2000. But it is this November that holds a special meaning for local author of romantic suspense, Patricia Sargeant-Matthews. It's the month her first novel hits the shelves.

"I've known I wanted to be a fiction writer since I was 9 years old," Sargeant-Matthews says. "My sister used to drag me to the library every weekend. She cultivated my love of books."

Decades later, the Columbus resident has fulfilled her dream. Her debut novel, You Belong To Me (Kensington), written under the pseudonym Patricia Sargeant, will be available in bookstores and online November 2006.

You Belong To Me is a romantic suspense featuring a divorced couple who reunite to unmask a serial killer. The author is pleased the release date coincides with National Novel Writing Month.

"The novel's heroine is a successful author of a science-fiction series," she explains. "There are several scenes in which she's working on her next book. It ties in nicely with a month celebrating fiction writing."

National Novel Writing Month - known as NaNoWriMo - is an annual novel-writing program that brings together professional and amateur writers from all over the world. Participants begin writing Nov. 1 with the goal of completing 50,000 words of their manuscript by midnight Nov. 30.

"I've participated in similar writing challenges and have found them very beneficial," Sargeant-Matthews says. "It helps you jump-start your manuscript."

The author has been writing book-length fiction since 1991, but the craft and the business of novel writing didn't click for her until she joined Romance Writers of America® (RWA®) in 1998. In addition to the national organization, she is a member of two RWA affiliates, the Central Ohio Fiction Writers and the Futuristic, Fantasy & Paranormal chapters. She's also a member of Shades of Romance.

Sargeant-Matthews encourages aspiring authors to join a writing group. "The knowledge and support you gain from these groups are invaluable," she says. "I met my friend and critique partner, Marcia Anderson, through Central Ohio Fiction Writers. Her support and friendship are priceless."

For more information on National Novel Writing Month, log on to www.nanowrimo.org. To learn more about Patricia Sargeant-Matthews and her debut novel, You Belong To Me, visit www.patriciasargeant.com.