On the Board: Advisors


We'd like to help you get to know more about the members you've elected to guide our organization! Each week, we'll feature different board members answering some fun questions and talking about what service to the membership means for them. In our final installment, learn more about our Advisors! 

Donna Alward
Denny S. Bryce
Mellanie Szereto



Donna Alward

Donna Alward


What does RWA Board service mean to you?

I strongly believe in service, and giving back. RWA has given me so much over the years, and after serving on the PAN committee I knew I wanted to serve by sitting on the board. It’s been a big learning experience and incredibly rewarding. Around the table, our focus is on how to keep RWA strong and vital and how to make the organization be of service to our membership. The amount of thought that goes into each decision is staggering, but gratifying. It’s humbling and awesome being a part of a group who is trying very hard to help every author be successful, no matter where they are in their career.
 
I also gained a bigger respect for RWA staff and everything they do that we don’t always see. The board might make policy, but it’s up to the staff to make it all work and they’re the rock stars. 

What's the best place you've traveled?

This career has given me my greatest opportunities to travel, and my favourite two cities have been London and Washington DC. I’m a country girl from Canada, but I adored London – so much history and green spaces and the tube was way easier than I anticipated. And DC was nothing like I expected. I visited during the 2009 conference and did some sightseeing. It’s beautiful, and yet there’s this vibe of restrained power that surprised me – I expected it to be much more “in your face.” And the Metro was also super easy. So far it’s my favourite US city. I want to go back to both because I feel like my visits barely scratched the surface.
 

If you were auditioning for a play/movie, what famous monologue would you read?

It would depend on the role, but my favourite monologue ever is Jeff Daniels as Will MacAvoy and the monologue from the first episode of The Newsroom.
 

Do you participate in any fandoms? 

Not so much anymore, but for a long time I was a BSG geek and had a real thing for Jamie Bamber (Apollo). I have every season on DVD, wrote fanfic, and was a regular on a fan board for a very long time. I still think it’s one of the best written shows on TV. It has everything – battles, sex, and opens up questions about AI, religion, and political and economic structures. Um… I think I might still be a fan….


Denny S. Bryce

Denny S. Bryce


What does RWA Board service mean to you? 

My board service is rooted in my desire to help ensure that unpublished authors are consistently a part of the larger discussion in RWA. I think that’s also the job description of the PRO Advisor. But as a former marketing and PR professional, I enjoy having a hand in planning and execution, which last year included the 2018 PRO Retreat at the RWA annual conference. Board service is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the organization by sharing ideas and perspectives that keep all members top of mind. I am also a huge fan of long-range plans, and a key purpose of any board is looking ahead to the future, anticipating challenges and being responsive to issues as they arise. In the current romance marketplace, this is a critical board function—and I am accustomed to being in the mix. The PRO Advisor may not have a vote, but we have a voice, and when working with a board like the RWA that strives to do its best for its membership, I am excited to serve. Also, I love ROMANCE!

What's the best place you've traveled?

I love to travel. Some of my favorites spots are Maui, Paris, and South Beach. But I’m a city girl at heart, so give me Los Angeles, London, and New York City, too. Okay, see how I am? I can’t decide!!!!
 

What's the most unusual food you've eaten?

Alligator, ants, blue fish, some entertaining types of sushi. I am an adventurer when it comes to food (and travel, see above:). 
 

If you could have one of your characters' professions, which would it be?

My protagonist in my historical fiction is a showgirl in 1920s Chicago. In one of my other lives (okay, when I was younger:), I was a professional dancer. It will always be the profession I would want to do again:)!


Mellanie Szereto

Mellanie Szereto


What does RWA Board service mean to you?

My time on the Board has been so rewarding. I’ve met many chapter leaders and I enjoy working with them to develop stronger chapters, one of the most essential elements of RWA. This creates a stronger organization and a more welcoming environment for new members. I’m proud to be part of such an intelligent and thoughtful Board, whose goals are focused on what’s best for RWA and the membership it represents.

What trope do you adore?

I love writing enemies-to-lovers stories because the conflict creates opportunities for lots of snappy dialogue and sexual tension. It’s also an outlet for venting my own frustrations!

If you could have one of your characters’ professions, which would it be?

That’s a tough question. My heroines have been carpenters, plumbers, librarians, egg farmers, and many other occupations, but I think I’d prefer to own a gelato shop like my current WIP’s main character. Yum!

What song that gets stuck in your head?

I’m a Star Trek fan and regularly re-watch each series. Right now, the theme from Star Trek: Voyager is stuck in my head from watching an episode each day!

Read our previous On the Board posts! 

On the Board 2019: Officers  
On the Board 2019: Directors Volume 1  
On the Board 2019: Directors Volume 2  
On the Board 2019: Directors Volume 3