Rona D. Drinkard (Rona D.) is an African American author of her international award-winning debut novel, “Friendship Matters.” Since its release February 5, 2022, this timeless, relatable and uplifting romcom has won a total of 13 awards in various fiction categories which includes the 2022 Best Book Winner, 2022 Fall BookFest Book Awards 2nd and 3rd place winner, 2022 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal Award winner, 2022 National Indie Excellence Awards Juror’s Choice Award winner, 2021 The BREW Readers’ Choice Award winner, February 2022 BREW Reader Choice winner, and 2021 Firebird Book Award winner. Friendship Matters also received the Finalist Awards with the American Writing Awards, the International Book Awards, 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards, and Indies Today. In addition, “Friendship Matters has been featured in several magazines and continues to receive 5-star reviews from reviewers and readers around the globe. Rona is a native of Buffalo, New York, the setting of this amazing story. She’s an avid reader who was inspired to write by Octavia E. Butler, her favorite author. She currently resides in Maryland with her husband, daughter and granddaughter. Rona has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and master’s in Human Services Administration. She is currently drafting the sequel to Friendship Matters with the hopes of publishing it by the end of 2023