Monday, July 20, 2009

BREAKING NEWS - RWA Award Winners Announced

ROMANCE WRITERS OF AMERICA: National Contests & Awards

Romance Writer’s of America: 2009 RITA Awards
The purpose of the RITA® contest is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published romance novels and novellas.

The award itself is a golden statuette named after RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and has become the symbol for excellence in published romance fiction.

Best Contemporary Series Romance
A Mother's Wish by Karen Templeton
~ Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Special Edition - Gail Chasan, editor

Best Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure
Danger Signals by Kathleen Creighton
~ Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Special Edition - Gail Chasan, editor

Best Young Adult Romance
Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore
~ Random House Group, Delacorte Press - Krista Marino, editor

Best Historical Romance
The Edge of Impropriety by Pam Rosenthal
~ Penguin Group USA, Signet Eclipse - Laura Cifelli, editor

Best Regency Historical Romance
My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne
~ Penguin Group USA, Berkley Sensation - Wendy McCurdy, editor

Best Inspirational Romance
Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren
~ Tyndale House Publishers - Karen Watson, editor

Best Romance Novella
The Fall of Rogue Gerard by Stephanie Laurens in It Happened One Night
~ HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books - Lucia Macro, editor

Best Paranormal Romance
Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
~ Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books - Megan McKeever, editor

Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements
Tribute by Nora Roberts
~ Penguin Group USA, Putnam - Leslie Gelbman, editor

Best Romantic Suspense
Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard
~ Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books - Maggie Crawford, editor

Best First Book
Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
~ Penguin Group USA, Dutton - Sarah Shumway, editor

Best Contemporary Single Title Romance
Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson
~ HarperCollins, Avon Books - Lucia Macro, editor


Romance Writer’s of America: 2009 Golden Heart Awards
The purpose of the Golden Heart® contest is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding romance manuscripts.

Best Contemporary Romance Series Manuscript
Second Chance for a Family by Kim Law

Best Contemporary Romance Series: Suspense/Adventure Manuscript
Romance or Retribution by Jamie Michele

Best Young Adult Manuscript
Stage Fright by Shoshana Dawn Brown

Best Historical Romance Manuscript
Butterfly Swords by Jeannie Lin

Best Regency Historical Romance Manuscript
An Inconvenient Marriage by Sara Ramsey

Best Inspirational Manuscript
Kitty's Fire by Kelly Ann Riley

Best Paranormal Romance Manuscript
First Grave on the Right by Darynda Jones

Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements Manuscript
Death, Taxes, and a French Manicure by Diane O'Brien Kelly

Best Romantic Suspense Manuscript
Only Fear by Anne Marie Becker

Best Contemporary Single Title Manuscript
Easy Money by Vivi Andrews


Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement AwardOne of the highest honors RWA bestows is the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented to a living author in recognition of significant contributions to the romance genre. To qualify for the award, the recipient's career in romantic fiction must span a minimum of 15 years. Recipients must in some way continue to promote the romance genre, teach romance in fiction, or publish romantic fiction. In 1994 a new requirement was added, that recipients must maintain active RWA membership. Authors are nominated for the award by RWA members and selected by the Board of Directors.

2009 Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient
Jennifer Greene
Jennifer Greene is the RWA Hall of Fame and RITA award-winning author of more than 75 romance novels. Greene sold her first book in l980, and her first professional writing award came from RWA, a Silver Medallion in l984, followed by over 20 nominations and awards. She has been on numerous best-seller lists, has written for Harlequin, Avon, Berkley and Dell, and has sold over the world in more than 20 languages. She has also accumulated a number of pseudonyms, most recognizably Jennifer Greene, but also Alison Hart, Jeanne Grant, and Jessica Massey. http://www.jennifergreene.com/


Emma Merritt Service Award
The RWA Emma Merritt Service Award is presented for the accumulated body of work a member has contributed as a volunteer to RWA. The award is not only for service to individual chapters, but is intended to honor major commitments of service to RWA. A member may receive the RWA Emma Merritt Service Award only once in a lifetime. In the past, the RWA Emma Merritt Service Award has also been known as the Golden Rose and the National Service Award.

2009 Emma Merritt Service Award Recipient
Sherry Lewis
Sherry Lewis is a long-time member of Romance Writers of America, and she served on the Board of Directors for four years and was the association's president from 2007–2008. Lewis sold her first three books to Berkley Prime Crime in 1993, and she sold her first Harlequin Superromance in 1994. She continues to write mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, romances for Harlequin Superromance, and is working on a single-title romantic suspense. http://slbwrites.homestead.com/


RWA Service Award
RWA Service Awards are intended to honor major commitments of service to RWA and are presented for the accumulated body of effort a volunteer may make during a lifetime.

2009 RWA Service Award Recipient
Karen Fox
Karen Fox is the author of 8 romance novels and has been a member of RWA since 1992. She is active on both the local and national RWA levels, having served on the RWA Board of Directors and various committees (such as the Web Site Committee, Membership Committee, Bylaws Committee, and more). http://www.karenafox.com/


Steffie Walker Bookseller of the Year
The RWA Steffie Walker Bookseller of the Year award is given annually to one special bookseller who provides outstanding service to romance readers and demonstrates notable support of romance authors and the romance genre.

2009 Steffie Walker Bookseller of the Year
Rosemary Potter, Rosemary’s Romances (Brisbane, Australia)


Librarian of the Year
The RWA Librarian of the Year is awarded to a librarian who demonstrates outstanding support of romance authors and the romance genre.

2009 Librarian of the Year
Deborah Schneider of the King County Library System (King County, WA)


Vivian Stephens Industry Award
The RWA Vivian Stephens Industry Award is presented to one or more professionals in the romance-publishing industry, who is not a writer, who has contributed to the genre or to RWA in a significant and/or continuing manner.Named for one of RWA's founders, the RWA Vivian Stephens Industry Award is for an accumulated body of work and may not be presented every year if no candidate is clearly identified as meeting the level of excellence established by past recipients of the award.

2009 Vivian Stephens Industry Award Recipient
Tracy Farrell, Acquisitions Editor-at-Large@ Harlequin Enterprises

Tracy Farrell began her career at Harlequin in 1984 working on contemporary women's fiction. She moved to the Harlequin Historical line at its inception in 1986, was made senior editor in 1991, and in 1998 took over the additional responsibility of Steeple Hill's Love Inspired line.

She became an executive editor and moved over to develop and manage Harlequin's mainstream romance imprint, HQN Books, in 2003, and in the fall of 2006 she added the fantasy imprint, LUNA Books, to her list of responsibilities.

Tracy continues to work out of Harlequin’s offices in downtown NYC, and in June of this year, was made an Acquisition Editor-at-Large for the Single Title Department.


Media Award
RWA's Veritas Award may be given annually for the article that appears in print or in another medium that best depicts the romance genre in a positive light.

2009 Veritas Award Recipient
Ron CharlesWashington Post, "Heating Up the Stacks"
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