Renee Bess is a former high school teacher who has been writing for many years. After her story "At the Beauty Parlor" won first place in a short fiction writing contest, she began exploring the possibility of creating longer pieces of fiction. The result of her exploration was "Leave of Absence," published in 2005 by Borders Personal Publishing/Xlibris. Buoyed by the success of that first book, Renee wrote three others, "Breaking Jaie," "RE:Building Sasha," and "The Butterfly Moments," all published by Regal Crest Enterprises. Renee enjoys creating characters who lead her to stories about African American lesbians, their families and their communities. Her novels are filled with rich language and memorable imagery. They mix intrigue with romance while they explore complex human relationships. Although one of Renee's goals was to create literature for an underserved audience, her books have cross-over appeal and they attract a wide variety of readers. Currently, Renee is working on a fifth novel.