Bio: Karen Syed aka Alexis Hart resides in Memphis, TN. SHe is the president and co-founder of Echelon Press. In a former life, when she owned an Independent bookstore and garnered a nomination for the Publishers Weekly 2000 Bookseller of the Year. Karen has had eight full-length romance novels published, is a featured author in three anthologies and has five more books scheduled for release. Her stories run from straight contemporary to paranormal/ghost/time travels. Her latest title, DARK SHINES MY LOVE was a featured title in the Mr. Romance Cover Model Pageant at the RT Booklover's Convention in Kansas City, MO in October 2003. She is also the Education Coordinator for the RT Convention. In addition to everything else, Karen is the founding Director of the IP Directive (Independent Publishers Directive), a promising organization committed to increasing the success and productivity of independent publishers worldwide.