When Real Life knocks on your door...

I've been neglecting this blog for these past few weeks due to a bad cold and life in general not giving me a chance to breathe, but in the meantime lots of very exciting things have been happening.

The RNA have announced their shortlist for the Romantic Novel of the Year and although I'm disappointed that some of my favourites didn't make the cut (Jane Jackson, Nora Roberts, Katie Fforde and Lesley Pearse), I'm pleased that on the whole this year's shortlist perfectly illustrates how vast the genre is.

The shortlist includes two sagas - Katie Flynn's Beyond the Blue Hills and Judith Lennox's A Step in the Dark (Not such a big fan of Ms Flynn, but I had read Ms. Lennox's Middlemere and really enjoyed it. I can't wait to read this book!)

Chick lit is represented by the wonderful Carole Matthews with Welcome to the real World and by male writer Matt Dunn, although I think it's fair to say that his novel,
The Ex Boyfriend's Handbook is more lad lit.

Finally, women's fiction is represented by Elizabeth McGregor's Learning by Heart (I'm not familiar with her writing although reviewers on Amazon certainly seem to love her) and Rosie Thomas' Iris and Ruby.

It will be interesting finding out the results as both the Category and Main Prize shortlists are particularly strong this year. Best of luck to all the nominees!

Meanwhile, you can hear an interview about the RNA Romantic Novel of the Year award on the BBC Radio Cambridgeshire website. If you visit the transita blog at transita.blogspot.com, you'll find all the details. I must say, I did find the presenter to be slightly dismissive of the genre (heaving bosoms? Please!), but Jan Jones's infectious enthusiasm for the genre certainly made up for what I thought was the media's typical ignorance on the genre.

I hope to blog soon and in the meantime, I wish all my blog readers a lovely week!

RNA Category Romance Prize

The RNA Category Romance Prize short list was announced last week and although I am slightly disappointed that there are no Medical Romance or Modern Romance Extra short listed, I'm pleased on the whole that many of my favourites are nominated.

The nominees are:
Anne Herries - An Improper Companion
Nicola Cornick - Lord Greville's Captive
Michelle Styles - The Gladiator's Honour
Catherine George - The Millionaire's Runaway Bride
Jessica Hart - Her Ready Made Family
Natasha Oakley - Accepting the Boss's Proposal
Nell Dixon - Marrying Max

I'm pleased to see three historical romances shortlisted by three talented writers. Set in three different eras, these books perfectly demonstrate the storytelling prowess these writers have as well as the wide range of stories and the variety of settings to be found within the line. Anne's Gothic romance was absolutely splending, Michelle Styles' debut Gladiator tale was just fantastic and the always excellent Nicola Cornick wrote one of her best titles when she wrote Lord Greville's Captive.

Catherine George is one of my favourite Modern Romance writers. Her books, often set in rural England, are fantastic page-turner with gorgeous Alpha heroes and fiesty heroines. As a big fan of rural settings, I like how she brings to life these small communities particularly the village of Pennington.

Warmth, wit and charm are three qualities which I associate with previous winner Jessica Hart and I am delighted that she's shortlisted again with Her Ready Made Family.

Natasha Oakley made her M&B debut a few years back and I just fell in love with her books. Whether she's writing a hilarious tale or a heart-tuggingly emotional story, you can rest assured that you'll enjoy everything that has got her name on the front cover.

I've not read the Nell Dixon novel shortlisted, but I was lucky enough to win a pdf of her ebook Things to Do and I really enjoyed her book and loved her writing voice so I'm pleased that she got shortlisted. It's great the the People's Friend Story Collection titles are getting some recognition too. I love the My Weekly and People's Friend Story Collections as they are wonderul sweet romances, both historical and contemporary, which always delight.

All these writers are winners in my book and I am keeping my fingers crossed for all of them. Category romance is just wonderful and I'm pleased that it's getting all this lovely recogniton.