Announcing the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Award

The Romantic Novelists' Association is proud to announce the contenders for its prestigious Joan Hessayon Award for new writers.

The 2017 list is made up of authors whose debut novels have been accepted for publication after passing through the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers Scheme. Each year 250 places are offered to unpublished writers writing in the romantic fiction genre. As part of the scheme, they can submit a complete manuscript for critique by one of the Association’s published authors as well as attend RNA events which offer opportunities to meet and network with publishers, agents and other published authors.

This year’s contending novels include historical romance, paranormal romance, contemporary romance and romantic comedy, and explore a variety of themes, which include family, secrets and loss.

Commenting on the list for 2017, Eileen Ramsay, current RNA Chairman, said, "This year's list of contenders demonstrates an amazing depth and breadth of work from our debut RNA authors, and includes everything from historical regency romance through to funny, witty rom-coms. I am absolutely thrilled that we have another superb group of graduates from our New Writers’ Scheme, which is unique to our association. It’s fantastic to see this new talent being nurtured through to publication. Congratulations to everyone on the list!”

Immi Howson, who runs the New Writers Scheme, commented, “It is wonderful to see debut authors graduating from the New Writers Scheme. The scheme is a real testament to the support given to new authors by the RNA and the Joan Hessayon Awards is a great illustration of its value and success.”

The Award will be presented at the RNA Summer Party on Thursday 18th May at the Royal Over-Seas League, Park Place, London SW1A 1LR at 19.15.

The Joan Hessayon Award is generously sponsored by gardening expert Dr. David Hessayon OBE, in honour of his late wife Joan, who was a longstanding member of the RNA and a great supporter of its New Writers' Scheme.

The full list for 2017 is:

Victoria Cornwall     

The Thief’s Daughter - Choc Lit

Kate Field 

  

                

The Magic of Ramblings - Accent Press

Terri Fleming

              

Perception - Orion

Jen Gilroy                 

The Cottage at Firefly Lake - Forever, Grand Central, Hachette

Morton Gray  

           

The Girl on the Beach -  Choc Lit

Vivien Hampshire      

How to Win Back Your Husband -  HQ Digital

April Hardy 

              

Sitting Pretty - Accent Press

Emily Kerr

 

               

Who Does He Think He Is? - Crooked Cat

Abbey Macmunn       

Touched  - Tirgearr Publishing   

                           

Arabella Sheen

                                               

                                                 Castell’s Passion - Beachwalk Press Inc

    

Lynda Stacey            

House of Secrets  - Choc Lit

The New Writers' Scheme has been run by the RNA since 1962 and is unique among professional writing associations. It aims to encourage fresh talent in the writing of romantic novels that reflect all aspects of love and life, contemporary or historical.

Manuscripts submitted under the scheme are from unpublished authors and are read by an experienced writer or editor who provides invaluable feedback. Any manuscript that is subsequently published as a debut novel is eligible for the Joan Hessayon Award. All eligible books are judged by a panel of experienced RNA members who are already published authors.

Each of the authors will be interviewed on the RNA blog in coming days.

           

Media: For further information please contact:

Pressofficer@romanticnovelistsassociation.org

Or, katrina.power@yahoo.com

RNA Tribute to Carole Blake

Literary agent Caroline Sheldon writes:

Carole Blake is no longer with us.  None of us expected to read those words.  Carole was just always there and everyone one of us was so glad to see her.  Something about her exuberance and solidity, her enthusiastic welcoming of the challenges of the world of books lifted all our hearts.   Now she is gone and so many of us who have known her for so long and benefitted from her warmth, acuity and

sense of fun will feel a terrible gap.

Carole’s relationship with the Romantic Novelist’s Association summed up many of her qualities.  The organisation in a very practical and pragmatic way has as a top priority helping writers, including those on the stepladder to publication; make a success of their careers in their chosen field.

The New Writer’s Scheme is I believe a unique author-to-author mentoring scheme that has been running for years – long before the term mentoring was current parlance.  Carole applauded that practicality and pragmatism and was an enthusiastic member and supporter of the Society for many years. I remember her wearing hats to the grand lunches in The Dorchester or Hilton thirty years ago. She embraced the way the association helped authors as well as its collegiate fun.   She attended conferences, parties and sat on panels and   put her shoulder to the wheel on occasions too frequent to mention. 

In 2014 the Romantic Novelist’s Association recognised Carole's outstanding contribution by making her an Associate Vice-President. The RNA as an association has lost a true friend and tirelessly energetic supporter who was herself at the peak of success in the publishing industry. We will all feel her loss.

Below are tributes from just a few of the members.

I first met Carole at the Cheltenham conference in 2001. I remember being amazed that such a high profile agent should be such fun with us all.  We had serious conversations about men and shoes.  She felt the fact I’d only brought 4 pairs with me meant I wasn’t a serious shoe-lover.

Katie Fforde – President RNA

I met Carole about twenty years ago when I chaired her at the Edinburgh Book Festival. We became and remained friends. She has always been a staunch supporter of the RNA and its members, encouraging and inspirational to us all, and we will miss her terribly.

Eileen Ramsay – RNA Chairman

As with everything, Carole Blake joined in enthusiastically with the RNA Conference for many years and thoroughly enjoyed spending the full long weekend in the company of writers. She was always willing to impart her immense industry knowledge by leading and participating in panels, and she frequently

Carole chairing a panel discussion
at our 2015 conference.

delivered her own talks too. From ‘How to Pitch’ to ‘What Agents Want’ to ‘Working Together’ (with Elizabeth Chadwick), all were eye-opening, but the one I will always remember as being typically Carole was at Sheffield in 2013. The air conditioning had broken down, a heat wave was compressing everyone into limp rags, the bar wouldn’t be open for another couple of hours, so she efficiently assembled her audience and marched them outside to deliver her session (on ‘50 Years in Publishing’) on the steps. Formidable, energetic, irreplaceable.

Jan Jones – Conference Organiser

Carole always rocked up in fabulous jewelry and a killer pair of shoes. She had almost four hundred pairs, and was very organised about how she “filed” them.

Actually I don’t think I ever saw her arrive - she was always there already, in the middle of a smiling group, exuding joie de vivre and with a glass in her hand - she was the one to stick to if you wanted to make sure yours wasn’t empty - I’ve been to dozens of the same book launches, parties, award ceremonies with Carole and she was always adept at making sure our drinks kept coming. She was always kind and charming when would-be authors approached her with their pitches - which they did often - although she had a “look” I teased her about if anyone pushed too far beyond the boundaries of good manners. I put a clip of it, taken from a TV pilot we made together, up on YouTube when she was celebrating fifty years in publishing and she did laugh. 

Jane Wenham-Jones – Friend and presenter of many RNA events

RNA Parties: The Season to be Jolly…

We are delighted to be able to introduce Anne Stenhouse to followers of the RNA blog. If you want to know more about  our RNA parties and events please read on…

Members of the Romantic Novelists’ Association like a good party.

Timetabled ones are held three times a year in central London using either The Hall of India and Pakistan in the Royal Over-Seas League or The Gladstone Library in Whitehall. Others are arranged by individuals and by Chapters around the country. Yet others take place in Conference venues and might be dubbed Kitchen Parties, but the champagne cocktails can still be awesome!

The London ones are currently my remit as a member of the RNA committee. Last year I ‘met’ many of you through helping Nicola Cornick organise the Awards’ scheme. This year, I’m ‘meeting’ others as I receive your forms and cheques for tickets. It’s shaping up to be an interesting gathering with a great mix of folk from the writing world.

Writers like our distinguished Chair, Eileen Ramsay, will be mingling with editors, agents, book sellers and publishers. There’s still room for you, but don’t wait too long, will you?

Where  - The Royal Over-Seas League, Park Place
When -   Wednesday 16^th November 2016
At –         6.30 – 9.30
Price -     £35 members - £40 guests
How –     click here

In addition to meeting old friends and making new, there’s going to be the presentation of our annual Industry Awards. Inaugurated last year, these were immediately popular and so we bring them again. Who will be the best Romantic Bookseller of the Year, or have written the Best Adaptation of a Romantic Novel, or is the Media Star of the Year, the Agent of the Year or the Publisher of the Year for 2016? Be the first to find out by being there.     

About Anne:

Anne Stenhouse, a graduate of the NWS, writes historical romance set in Regency and early nineteenth century Edinburgh and London. Her most recent title, Courting the Countess, is currently available for a mere 99p from amazon. Anne lives in Edinburgh with her husband and dancing partner of many years. They travel a bit and enjoyed a trip to Chile last year where they were guided round forests of endangered species by an expert from Edinburgh’s Royal Botanic Garden. Anne blogs at Novels Now (she used to write plays) which you may find here.

Thank you so much for visiting the RNA blog, Anne. See you at the Winter Party!

If you would like to be featured on the RNA blog please contact us on: elaineeverest@aol.com