Career
Other awards include the Grand Prize in the "Minute Maid Sensational Romance Writer" contest, judged by Nora Roberts, which gave her a trip to Paris, the Laurel Wreath and the Winter Rose, and multiple finalists in the Bookseller"s Best, Orange Rose, Holt Medallion, Colorado American Council on Exercise, Wisconsin Write Touch Award, Golden Quill, and Beacon contests. Her work has repeatedly earned 4½ Star Top Pick reviews from Romantic Times magazine, as well as praise from Booklist and other reviewers, who note: "simply superb".."wonderfully uplifting".. and "beautifully written." In addition to her many published romance novels, Donnelly was an early pioneer in the field of interactive fiction, expressed in the form of video games and internet websites. Her writing and interactive design skills were instrumental in the creation of the 1983 Space Ace, a LaserDisc videogame created as a follow-up to the highly successful Dragon"s Lair—which was also LaserDisc-based—on whose creating she had also been involved.
Next came Thayer"s Quest, another LaserDisc medium but this time targeted at home using Halcyon (console) home game system created by RDI Video Systems.
She regularly teaches online workshops, including a class for University of California, Los Angeles, and has spoken at RWA"s National Conference, as well as at chapter meetings and other conferences.
