I was already looking forward to the Festival of Romance awards immensely but now I've got another reason to be excited because Perhaps Tomorrow is in the last five of the Best Historical Award.
I'm particularly thrilled because it's against some pretty tough competition.
As Jenny Barden, Romance Reader Awards Moderator said. “The quality of the submissions received for the inaugural Reader Awards has been exceptionally high,” said “That has made the task of arriving at a shortlist extremely difficult but everyone on the Reader Award Panel is now looking forward to the conclusion of the selection process and the prospect of finding worthy winners from amongst some of the best good reads now available in both contemporary and historical romantic fiction.”
The winners will be announced at the Festival of Romance Have A Heart Ball and Awards on Saturday 22 October, along with the Festival of Romance New Talent Award to recognise writers of great talent who have not yet been commercially published.
As I know from having my last book, A Glimpse of Happiness, short-listed for the 2010 Romantic Novel of the year, being in the last few is as good as winning so no matter who's name is pulled out of the envelope on the 22nd I'll still be smiling.
For the Choc Lit Best Historical Read Award:
Charlotte Betts – The Apothecary’s Daughter (Piatkus)
Annie Burrows – Captain Corcoran’s Hoyden Bride (Mills & Boon, Historical Regency)
Christina Courtenay – The Scarlet Kimono (Choc Lit)
Jean Fullerton – Perhaps Tomorrow (Orion)
Jan Jones – The Kydd Inheritance (Robert Hale)
For the Total-E-Bound Best Romantic Read Award:
Juliet Archer – Persuade Me (Choc Lit)
Fiona Harper – Swept off her Stilettos (Mills & Boon, Riva)
Carole Matthews – Wrapped up in You (Sphere)
Sue Moorcroft – Love and Freedom (Choc Lit)
Talli Roland – The Hating Game (Prospera Publishing)
The Romance Reader Awards are judged by a panel of real readers who considered the submissions on readability and enjoyment.
The Festival of Romance takes place on 21st and 22nd October at Hunton Park in Hertfordshire. Supported by over 30 authors and six publishers, the literary event is a celebration of the romantic fiction genre for readers, with chocolate and cupcakes alongside literary debate.
