Ronda Thompson (1956- July 11, 2007)

[reviews_and_ramblings]

The news of Ronda Thompson's death was given from Sue Grimshaw, National Romance Buyer for BGI Corporation, at the RWA Convention on July 12, 2007. Thompson was well known for her books on the Wulfs of London series, also translated into Italian by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore Publisher.

From Tina Gray's blog: "Today I lost a dear friend.

Bestselling author Ronda Thompson (1956- July 11, 2007), after being diagnosed with pancreatic and ovarian cancer only a week ago, died this morning. I met her only six months ago. But we connected immediately. We would email one another every week, meet once a month to have lunch and talk about our families or our current WIPs. She was always so encouraging and upbeat. It didn't take long for her to become one of my best friends.

My heart breaks for her family, grieves for the many fans she leaves behind. Anyone who has read her books knows that she was a master at characterization. But on a personal level, what impressed me most about her was her tenacity and grit. Through her example, she taught me to never give up on my dream of being published.

Ronda had dyslexia, a disability that has been described by some doctors as “word blindness.” Dyslexia can cause a person to see text appearing to jump around on a page, or to not be able to differentiate between letters that have similar shape. Sometimes, the words appear completely backwards (bird can look like drib) or the affected reader might be able to read the words but not make sense or remember what they read, so that they have to read the same passage over and again.

How frustrating to a reader to wrestle with such problems. But for a writer? This would be beyond mere annoyance. Ronda had to work twice as hard as other authors out there, writing and rewriting just to get a sentence on the paper, not to mention proof-reading. To think that she overcame such a debilitating handicap, all to follow a dream. And she kept her charming humor intact throughout.

Next time I catch myself whining about a deadline, or whimpering over a revision, I’m going to remember Ronda. Her struggle over each and every word.

And to think, she went on to be a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. How she must have savored that taste of success — the earning makes it all the more sweet. The reward of all those painstaking hours spent writing resulted in a gift to her readership, and a legacy to her family.

Ronda will be missed. But her stories will live on, and her courage and tenacity will continue to inspire. She won’t be forgotten. All of us who knew and loved her, will see to that.

"He who has gone, so we but cherish his memory, abides with us, more potent, nay, more present than the living man." ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Source: http://krysta-3.livejournal.com/4682.html

Ronda Thompson's Books on Amazon: Ronda Thompson