RNA Awards shortlists announced

Public vote for PASSION in the RNA’s 50th anniversary year

The Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) is pleased to announce the creation of the RNA‘s Pure Passion Awards, in celebration of the Golden Anniversary of the founding of the Association.

Each year, the very finest romantic fiction has been recognised by the long-standing and hotly-contested Romantic Novel of the Year and Love Story of the Year awards. The Romantic Novelists’ Association is proud to offer more chances to salute the best writers and best stories through a number of new awards and a major national promotion in retail outlets and in libraries.

The initiative has the support of leading publishers and high street retailers and will see posters and stickered books in shops and supermarkets and coverage in the press, reinforcing the RNA Pure Passion Awards as a major industry event.

RNA Chair Katie Fforde said, “In our 50th year we are celebrating with more awards and more opportunities which provide a wonderful opportunity for readers to be introduced to writers they may not yet have heard of.

“We are proud to showcase contemporary women’s fiction, chic lit, sagas, and historical fiction. Some are written by newcomers and some by more established authors. What links them all is that they have been selected by discerning readers to be loved by everyone.”

The 50th Anniversary celebration will include the presentation of the much-loved Romantic Novel of the Year and Love Story of the Year awards. The new awards introduced this year are The People’s Choice Award, The Rom Com Award, and the Romantic Film of the Year. The RNA is pleased to include The Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing as part of its celebration. Two RNA Lifetime Achievement Awards will also be presented at the Anniversary event.

The Romantic Novel of the Year
The Romantic Novel of the Year is chosen from a shortlist of six titles which have been selected by the reading public from more than 150 nominated books. The winner is selected by three independent judges. The shortlist, in alphabetical order by author name, is:

Passion, Louise Bagshawe, Headline Review
Fairytale of New York, Miranda Dickinson, Avon (Harper Collins
Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts, Lucy Dillon, Hodder & Stoughton
A Glimpse at Happiness, Jean Fullerton, Orion
The Glass Painter’s Daughter, Rachel Hore, Pocket (Simon & Schuster)
The Italian Matchmaker, Santa Montefiore, Hodder & Stoughton

The Love Story of the Year
The Love Story of the Year is for a shorter romance where there is a strong emphasis on the developing central relationship. A shortlist of six is again chosen by the reading public, with the winner selected by three judges. The shortlist is:

The Notorious Mr Hurst, Louise Allen, Harlequin Mills & Boon
Animal Instincts, Nell Dixon, Little Black Dress
Always the Bridesmaid, Nina Harrington, Harlequin Mills & Boon
Fair Deception, Jan Jones, Robert Hale
The Wedding Party, Sophie King, Hodder
Claimed for the Italian’s Revenge, Natalie Rivers, Harlequin Mills & Boon

The People’s Choice Award
To celebrate the modern nature of the Pure Passion Awards, the RNA has created a special ‘current award’ to recognise key new or developing authors in the romantic genre with paperbacks out in the spring.

In keeping with the RNA‘s desire to help good new romantic writers achieve prominence, publishers were invited to submit books by authors in whom they believe passionately and who would benefit from being part of the 50th Anniversary Awards event. Expert romantic writing buyers at key retailers were then asked to select their favourite six for the shortlist.

The winner of this award is chosen by the public. Readers are invited to read as many of the new paperbacks as possible and vote for their favourite at the poll website www.lovereading.co.uk/purepassion. The shortlist is:

Missing You, Louise Douglas, Pan
Remembrance Day, Leah Fleming, Avon
I Heart Hollywood, Lindsey Kelk, Harper
Rich Girl Poor Girl, Lesley Lokko, Orion
Heiresses, Lulu Taylor, Arrow

The Romantic Comedy Award
The Rom Com Award is organised and administered in the same way as the Romantic Novel of the Year. To reach the shortlist, the books must really tickle readers’ funny-bones. The winner is chosen by a panel of writers and readers selected by the RNA. The shortlist is:

Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend, Jenny Colgan, Sphere
The Nearly-Weds, Jane Costello, Simon & Schuster
50 Ways to Find a Lover, Lucy-Anne Holmes, Pan
Rumour Has It, Jill Mansell, Headline Review


RNA Romantic Film of the Year
Romance is a theme that moves easily from the printed page to film. The RNA celebrates this shared love of romance by selecting the finest romantic adaptations released as a film in the UK during 2009.

Once again the public will help select their favourite adaptation on the partner website www.lovereading.co.uk/purepassion. These votes will be added to the views of the RNA expert panel to select the winner. The shortlist is:

Confessions of a Shopaholic, Sophie Kinsella, Black Swan (Transworld)
An Education, Lyn Barber, Penguin
The Time Traveller’s Wife, Audrey Niffenegger, Vintage (Random House)
Twilight: New Moon, Stephanie Meyer, Atom, Little Brown


The Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing
Awarded every two years, and now for the first time included in the RNA Awards, this prize is given to the best first chapter and synopsis submitted by an author who has not yet had an adult novel published. The setting must be urban, and the book should contain a strong romantic element. The prize, organised and administered by the MBA Literary Agency in conjunction with the RNA, offers a great opportunity for a budding writer. Please visit the Harry Bowling Prize website for more details.

Lifetime Achievement
Two awards will be presented at the Pure Passion Awards to two people who have made outstanding contributions to romantic fiction and the Romantic Novelists’ Association.

Awards presentation
The winners of all awards will be announced on Tuesday 16 March 2010 at the Award lunch at the Royal Garden Hotel, in Kensington, London.

And the winners are

The results from yesterday's awards lunch are that Julia Gregson won the Romantic Novel of the Year award with East of the Sun



Chair of the judges Alice O'Keeffe, books editor at The Bookseller, said East of the Sun was about "lots of different kinds of love". "There's the true love they're looking for, the love they develop for India the country, and the deep friendships they establish."


And - appropriately enough after that mention of India - the winner of the Romance Prize for 2009 was lovely India Grey with her book Mistress, Hired for The Billionaire's Pleasure.

I'm thrilled for India as she is a dear friend and this book is a great read. USA readers may want to know that Mistress, Hired For The Billionaire's Pleasure is on sales in Presents Extra this month.

The judges said that they were impressed by the "sheer verve and style" of the book which they described as "a model of romance, well-written and memorable with a clever plot featuring a lovely heroine and a gorgeous hero."

Congratulations, India!

And if you want to go and offer India your congratulations personally, you can visit her blog here

No one got both winners right but Jane did pick India's book so Jane if you get in touch with me (kate AT kate-walker.com) I'll send you a little something to celebrate too

Romantic Novel of the Year

Tomorrow the winner of the Romantic Novel of the Year award given by the Romantic Novelists' Association will be announced at the posh lunch in The Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington, London

This year's short list is

Before the Storm by Judith Lennox (Headline)

East of the Sun by Julia Gregson (Orion)

Sophia's Secret by Susanna Kearsley (Allison & Busby)

Stargazing by Linda Gillard (Little Brown)

Thanks for the Memories by Cecelia Aherne (Harper Collins)

The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer (Transworld)

At the same event, the special Romance Prize will be awarded to one of these authors:

Mistress, Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure by India Grey (M&B)

Promoted to Wife and Mother by Jessica Hart (M&B)

Saying Yes to The Millionaire by Fiona Harper (M&B)

Sold to the Highest Bidder by Kate Hardy (M&B)

The Wild Card by Beth Elliott (Robert Hale)

What's Love Got to Do With It? by Lucy Broadbent (Little Black Dress)

Congratulations to all the shortlist nominees and good luck for tomorrow

For the past couple of years I've run a little challenge for people to try and guess who will win - so why should this year be any different.

So pick the winner for each prize - one for the Romantic Novel of the Year and one for the Romance Prize. Post your selections in the comments section before midday (UK time) tomorrow and when I know who has won, I'll give a small prize to whoever got it right.

RNA Romance Prize

Romance Prize celebrates shorter fiction alongside the Romantic Novel Of The Year

The Romantic Novelists’ Association, who will announce the shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the Year award on 13th January, is also honouring writers of shorter romances such as those published by Harlequin Mills and Boon.

“Although both awards celebrate novels with a high romantic content,” explains Catherine Jones, Chairman of the RNA, “the Romance Prize honours the most memorable stories set around a single theme that concentrates on the developing love affair.”

The Romance Prize will be presented at the RNA’s Awards Lunch on 10th February 2009 at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington.

The winner will be selected from the following books:

What's Love Got to Do With It? - Lucy Broadbent (Little Black Dress, Headline)

The Wild Card - Beth Elliott (Robert Hale)

Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure - India Grey (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Sold to the Highest Bidder - Kate Hardy (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Saying Yes to the Millionaire - Fiona Harper (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Promoted to Wife and Mother - Jessica Hart (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Fiona Harper has been short-listed before, and both Jessica Hart and Kate Hardy are past winners. Kate Hardy, who won in 2008 with Breakfast at Giovanni’s, had this to say: "Winning the Romance Prize has been the highlight of my career to date, and it's certainly opened up opportunities. I'm very proud to have won the award and to be part of the RNA - and have been delighted by messages of support over the year. I even had a personal letter of congratulations from the chancellor of the University of Leicester!"

The shortlist will be judged by Margaret James, creative writing teacher for the London School of Journalism and regular columnist with Writing Magazine; Paul Reizin, writer, producer and journalist; and Linda Leatherbarrow, prize-winning short story writer, reviewer and MA lecturer at Middlesex.

Many congratulations to all the authors shortlisted

And the winner is . . .

Many many congratulations are due today to a lovely and very special friend of mine - someone who already scares me stupid with just her work rate and her ability to do so many things, her knowledge of history and her ability to write emotional and warm romances for two different lines.

Have you guessed yet? I'm really happy to be able to say that the RNA Romance Prize for 2008 went to Scary Kate aka Kate Hardy for her Modern Extra (well they were Modern Extra when it was published - Breakfast at Giovanni's .

For American readers, this book will be released in Presents Extra as In Bed With Her Italian Boss so look out for that.

I'm really really pleased for her. I just wish I could have been there at the lunch to share her very special moment with her. And Kate - I told you the black pearls would look great with that lovely outfit. You looked fabulous.

Interestingly, this was not one of the books that anyone picked as a potential winner. But someone - Chris, I think - got the winner of the main award right - and that was Freya North with her novel Pillow Talk. Chris - contact me and we'll talk prize books!

Many congratulations go to Freya too . The blurb of her book sounds intriguing - I suspect that on my visit to London I'm going to have to visit a bookshop . . . but then I would also need the time to read it and as my TBR pile is already toppling over . .. But I can resists everything but temptation.

And the temptation to add to my TBR is going to get even worse because today is definitely a great day to celebrate with friends.

I'd like to congratulate another friend - Karen Maitland - on the publication of her book Company of Liars. Here's another book that has a truly intriguing back 'blurb' . Here's what The Mail Books section says about it:

The year is 1348. As the Black Death spreads inexorably across southern England, nine people fleeing north meet on the road. Comprising a seller of fake religious relics, a conjuror, two wandering minstrels, a storyteller, a teenage couple on the run, a herbalist and a beautiful but sinister soothsaying child, it's a motley crew.
But its members have one thing in common: each is not what he or she seems, and as their journey progresses, so the various lies they have told begin to unravel with deadly consequences. For it's not just the pestilence snapping at their heels, but also a mysterious unseen beast — perhaps wolf, perhaps werewolf — which begins to pick them off one by one.
Karen Maitland has dug into some obscure corners of medieval history to produce an almost parallel universe; a place where myth, magic and superstition take over as the established order breaks down, but a world that nevertheless rings true. On top of that, she has fashioned a compelling mystery story that should appeal to a much wider readership than historical fiction fans; indeed, anyone looking for an engrossing, bulky fireside read.

Congratulations, Karen! And enjoy every moment of your launch party! I just can't wait till I finish with my deadline and can get a little extra uninterrupted reading time.

Finally, I have to let you know that I'm sharing in Nicola Marsh's special Be My Valentine Celebration today. There's a copy of my March book Spanish Billionaire, Innocent Wife on offer for you to win - and don't forget that Nicola is also offering that wonderful major prize of a goody bag of 14 novels at the end of the celebration - that's on Valentine's Day of course.

RNA Awards

Today is the day that the RNA holds its awards lunch at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington. This is the first time in some years that I haven't been able to attend, but pressure of work and the fact that I have to be in London for the party to launch the start of Mills & Boon's Centenary Celebrations, sadly mean that I can't make it this year.

There are two awards presented today - firstly the one for Romantic Novel of the Year

The titles on the shortlist for this award are these:

One Last Summer
by Catrin Collier
(Orion)

Pillow Talk
by Freya North
(Harper Collins)

Silk and Steel
by Catherine King
(Little Brown)

Silver Bay
by Jojo Moyes
(Hodder & Stoughton)

The Leaving of Liverpool
by Maureen Lee
(Orion)

Young Wives' Tales
by Adele Parks
(Penguin)

As I said when I first talked about this list, lack of time has meant that I haven't (sadly) read a single one of these so I have no hope at all of being able to say who might win. But I'll be interested to see who does.

And then there is the Romance Prize which is for the shorter 'category romances' and this is the shortlist for this award.

Breakfast at Giovanni's
by Kate Hardy

Driving Him Wild
by Julie Cohen


English Lord, Ordinary Lady
by Fiona Harper

Her Parenthood Assignment
by Fiona Harper


The Mediterranean Rebel's Bride
by Lucy Gordon

The Secret Life of Lady Gabriella
by Liz Fielding

I'm not even going to try to predict a winner - or to choose a favourite of these because I know every one of the authors and they are all excellent writers. So it would be impossible to choose - and wrong to declare any sort of paritality. Except to say that they're all winners already, just to be nominated in this special Centenary Year.

And to send everyone on the list Congratulations for being there - and good luck wishes for the awards ceremony today.

In past years I've run a small contest on this award and this year is no exception. If you'd like to pick the two books you think will win - one from the Romantic Novel of the Year Award list, and one from the Romance Prize - the post your selections in the Comments section, if someone picks the right two then I'll send them their choice of a signed book as a prize.

And if more than one person gets it right - or no one - then I'll get Sid on the job and let him pick a winner from all the entries.

Awards

No, not me - but this week the UK Romantic Novelists' Association announced the short lists for their two awards for 2008. So here they are

Shortlist for RNA Romance Prize 2008

Breakfast at Giovanni's
by Kate Hardy
(Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Driving Him Wild
by Julie Cohen
(Harlequin Mills & Boon)

English Lord, Ordinary Lady
by Fiona Harper
(Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Her Parenthood Assignment
by Fiona Harper
(Harlequin Mills & Boon)

The Mediterranean Rebel's Bride
by Lucy Gordon
(Harlequin Mills & Boon)

The Secret Life of Lady Gabriella
by Liz Fielding
(Harlequin Mills & Boon)



Shortlist for Romantic Novel of the Year Award 2008


One Last Summer
by Catrin Collier
(Orion)

Pillow Talk
by Freya North
(Harper Collins)

Silk and Steel
by Catherine King
(Little Brown)

Silver Bay
by Jojo Moyes
(Hodder & Stoughton)

The Leaving of Liverpool
by Maureen Lee
(Orion)

Young Wives' Tales
by Adele Parks
(Penguin)

I have read all the books and friends in the Romance list - in fact, all of them! - so I'm not going to express any preference for any title. I'm just going to say Good Luck to each and every author nominated and I shall be fascinated to see who wins. Sadly I won;t be a ble to be at the RNA Awards lunch this year - as it's held in February, not April, and in the same week as the important lanuch of the Mills & Boon Centenary Celebrations, going to both would mean having to be in London for a week - which is time I just can't afford away from writing with this dreadline looming. But I shall be keeping my fingers crossed for everyone and cheering loudly from my desk when I find out who wins.

I'll have to admit that I haven't actually read any of the shortlisted Romantic Novels but I shall be fascinated to hear who wins that too - and I shall try to fiond time to read that one too . . .dreadlines permitting.