Tuesday, February 11, 2019 – 6:00 p.m.
Best-Selling Author, Speaker, Writing Coach, and Course–Creator

Tracee Lydia Garner is a best-selling author, speaker, writing coach, and course–creator. She was born and raised in the DC Area. She holds a degree in Communications from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Before Tracee ever entertained the idea of writing full-length novels, she was a poet contributor to alma mater’s literary magazine. She tremendously enjoys the written and spoken word.

Tracee’s first book came out when she was twenty-three. Published by the, then named, Black Entertainment Books (BET), this book helped launch her career as one of the youngest African-American writers. In its prime, BET Books was the largest publisher of romantic titles featuring people of color as the main characters.

Tracee submitted her novella, Family Affairs, to the BET Books’ contest where it made it to the finals and eventually won the grand prize. She has continued her writing and publishing journey for 20 years now and is set to release her 9th and 10th titles later this year.

Tracee has served as an adjunct professor at the Northern Virginia Community College’s both Loudoun and Annandale campuses teaching How to Write the Novel, Self Publishing Boot Camp, Small Business Marketing, and PR classes. In addition to writing and teaching, Trace enjoys marketing, graphic design, making videos for her books with popular apps, event and conference planning, and reading, of course. She confesses she is a recovering shopaholic.

Tracee is a member of the Washington Romance Writers (DC) Chapter–Faith, Hope and Love, online ONLY chapter of the RWA; the Association of Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW), ACFW Virginia chapter, Sisters In Crime (SinC), and the Alliance for Independent Authors.

Tracee is a staunch advocate and strong voice for people with disabilities. She was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy (MD) at an early age. MD is a muscle disease that causes severe degenerative atrophy of the muscle over time, and she has been a long time wheelchair user. What others see as a stigma and constant hurdle, Tracee sees as an opportunity to educate others on the many things that people with disabilities can do in spite of what others perceive as limitations. Tracee’s deep faith in God, her supportive parents, and her personal desire and determination to do her best despite any circumstances has contributed to her success. In 2017 the Northern Virginia Women’s Business Conference awarded Tracee the Stellar Woman Award for her achievements.

Tracee believes that in a few years her generation of people with disabilities will be the most gainfully employed group than ever before. She believes that more persons with disabilities could be employed and productive if employers would simply let go of the dilapidated thinking, personal bias, and limiting thoughts that cause them to focus on the person’s disability rather than their Ability. She is working hard to change that.

Learn more at https://traceegarner.com