Romance in the Court

ROMANCE IN THE COURT

Goldsboro' Book's David Headley and RNA President Katie Fforde

What could be more wonderful than sipping wine on a warm summer’s evening and talking romance? On Thursday 25^th May romance arrives in London with the Goldsboro Books ‘Romance in the Court’ event.

Readers will be able to meet many of the country’s best-known authors, purchase books and have them signed by their favourite author.

To purchase your ticket – a bargain at just £5.00 - follow this link to the Goldsboro Books site.

Authors and RNA members, why not join in the fun and tweet about romance #RomanceInTheCourt

Participating Authors:

Jenny Ashcroft • Phillipa Ashley • Fanny Blake • Isabelle Broom • Hilary Boyd • Tracy Buchanan • Elizabeth Chadwick • Julie Cohen Rowan • Coleman • Domenica de Rosa • Harriet Evans • Elaine Everest • Rachael Featherstone • Liz Fenwick • Katie Fforde • Caro Fraser  • Jean Fullerton • Janet Gover  • Vanessa Greene • Emylia Hall • Katie Khan • Sarah Long • Jodi Ellen Malpas • Chrissie Manby • Nadia Marks • Katie Marsh • Holly Martin • Carole Matthews • Sue Moorcroft • Gill Paul • Tasmina Perry • Talulah Riley • Jo Thomas • Jules Wake • Juliet West • Sue Watson • Eva Woods

See you there!

2016 RNA INDUSTRY AWARDS SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED

The Romantic Novelists’ Association has announced the shortlist for its second annual Industry Awards, which recognises those people who have made a significant contribution in 2016 to the success and sales of romantic fiction. The awards will be presented on 16th November at a ceremony in London in front of an audience of romance writers, publishers and agents.

This year sees the addition of two new awards, Agent of the Year and Publisher of the Year. However, the awards were judged prior to the very sad and sudden death of legendary Literary Agent Carole Blake, who had been informed she was shortlisted and was delighted and determined to come along. In light of this, the committee has taken the decision to announce that Carole Blake had won The Agent of the Year Award, which will be awarded posthumously on the night. There will also be a tribute to her in recognition of her professional contribution and the high personal regard in which she was held by all.

The shortlist comprises:
Agent of the Year (new award)
Winner: Carole Blake, agent and co-founder of Blake Friedmann Literary Agency
Runner Up: Lizzy Kremer, Director and Head of the Books Department, David Higham Associates

Bookseller of the Year
Blackwells Bookshop, Lancaster University
Goldsboro Books, David Headley, Managing Director

Media Star of the Year
Jo Good, Presenter, BBC Radio London
Kim Nash, Publicity and Social Media Manager, Bookouture

Best Adaptation of a Romantic Novel
Diana Gabaldon and Ronald D. Moore for Outlander
Jojo Moyes for Me Before You

Publisher of the Year (new award)
Oliver Rhodes, Managing Director and Publisher, Bookouture
Kimberley Young, Publisher, HarperFiction

David Headley: Romance in the Court

With so many RNA members looking forward to the first Romance in the Court event on 26^th May the RNA blog took the opportunity to chat with David Headley, owner of Goldsboro Books.

Thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. Our members are excited about the first

David Headley & Katie Fforde

‘Romance in the Court’. What made you decide to hold this event?

We wanted to hold an event that would compliment our existing events such as Crime in the Court and History in the Court. Romance in the Court is borne out of our desire to support women’s fiction and to raise the profile of the brilliant authors who write in this genre. It’s also a way of saying thanks to both the wonderful writers who support Goldsboro and our loyal customers. 

Can you tell us what ticket holders can expect from the event?

Anyone who has been to a party at Goldsboro will know that we love hosting parties. We make the evening a relaxed and fun event where writers can meet readers in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere whilst sipping lovely wine. It really is an evening of celebration.

You have a wonderful list of authors in attendance. Will attendees be able to purchase their books?

Yes, all of the featured authors will have their most recently published books for sale.

How did you select the listed authors?

Their publishers invited authors who are attending. We asked each publisher to recommend a handful of authors that they felt most suited to the event.

Have you held reader events for other genres?

Yes, every year for the last five years we have hosted Crime in the Court; History in the Court & Fantasy in the Court. They are hugely popular events with up to 500 people descending on Cecil Court. Both authors and readers love these evenings of celebration.

Can you tell us something about your bookshop?

Goldsboro Books is 17 years old. Daniel and I established Goldsboro Books in 1999 in our sitting room in Newbury, originally as an online bookseller. This soon grew and within 18 months we opened our first shop in Cecil Court. We now have three shops in Cecil Court and are one of the leading independent booksellers in the UK. We specialize in signed first editions and nearly every day we have an author visiting to sign their books.

What is your working day like? How do you split yourself between being a literary agent and owner of a well-known bookshop?

I am a bookseller. That is how I see myself. I run both companies but the two go hand in hand. I am very organised and manage my time effectively so that each company gets the very best time from me. My colleagues are very talented people and all of them help enormously and without them I couldn’t do it. I have also established a third company, Bookman and Black, which will launch in Autumn this year. It is an online bookshop that will provide readers with an alternative online shopping experience with all the joy and magic of browsing a physical bookshop, offering the

An earlier event

knowledge and expertise of the professional bookseller. It is a very different model to any online bookshop currently operating.

When you aren’t working how do you enjoy your leisure time? Do you have any hobbies?

I love reading in my spare time, obviously. It is a way I relax as well as keeping up-to-date with what books are being published. I also love going to the gym and walking with my partner and our dogs.

Thank you, David. We hope that Romance in the Court will be the first of many events our members can attend to meet fellow authors.

Romance in the Court will be held on 26^th May 6 – 9 PM.

For further details visit the Romance in the Court website

Featured authors include:

Veronica Henry,  Katie Fforde,  Janie Millman,  Judy Astley, Jules Wake, Jo Thomas, 

Vanessa Greene, Virginia Macgregor, Sarra Manning, Lisa Dickenson, Emma Fraser, 

Sue Watson, Fiona Field, Tasmina Perry, Carole Matthews, Hilary Boyd, Adele Geras, 

Cate Woods, Natalie Meg Evans, Stella Newman, Rowan Coleman, Cathy Bramley, 

Fanny Blake, Liz Fenwick, Victoria Walters, Stephanie Butland, Catherine Law, 

Sarah Long, Holly Martin, Eileen Ramsey, Madeleine Reiss, Julie Cohen, Lucy Foley, 

Sareeta Domingo, Fionnuala Kearney, Sarah Vaughan, Freya North, Isabelle Broom, 

Rachael Lucas, Alex Brown, Eva Rice, Nicola Cornick, Jodi Ellen Malpas, 

Cathy Woodman, Harriet Evans, Louise Lee, Gill Paul

Indy Goldsboro Books hosts first 'Romance in the Court'

		'ROMANCE IN THE COURT'

 

Independent bookseller Goldsboro Books is delighted to confirm Katie Fforde and Veronica Henry 

among the participants in the first Romance in the Court, to be held on 26^th May in historic Cecil Court, near London’s Trafalgar Square.

David Headley, Managing Director of Goldsboro Books, said, “Following the overwhelming success of our regular events, History in the Court and Crime in the Court, both incredibly well-supported by readers, a celebration of romantic fiction was the natural next step. Our customers love romance as much as history and crime, and this event gives readers the opportunity to meet some of the writers who continue to bring them so much enjoyment.” 

Authors confirmed to participate alongside Veronica Henry and Katie Fforde include  Judy Astley, Nicola Cornick, Janie Millman, Jules Wake, Jo Thomas, Vanessa Greene, Virginia Macgregor, Sarra Manning, Lisa Dickenson, Emma Fraser, Sue Watson, Catherine Jones, Tasmina Perry and Carole Matthews, with more to be confirmed.

A number of the participating authors are members of the Romantic Novelists' Association, which is proud to support the event. The RNA was formed in 1960 to promote romantic fiction and to encourage good writing, and now represents more than 800 writers, agents, editors and other publishing professionals. Also supporting the event are publishers Headline and Sphere’s Little Book Café.

Eileen Ramsay, Chairman of the RNA, commented, "Romantic fiction brings pleasure to many people. Meeting readers who love our books and the stories we create can bring just as much delight to the writers.”

Romance in the Court will be held on Thursday 26th May, 6pm till 9pm at 23 - 27 Cecil Court, London, WC2N 4EZ. Tickets are £5, which cost will be deducted from the purchase of books on the night. 

Tickets can be purchased online

Further information: www.romanceinthecourt.com  

Twitter: #RomanceInTheCourt

RNA Romantic Novel Awards: Shortlisted authors.

The contenders have been announced for the RoNAs (Romantic Novel Awards) 2016 and the overall, most prestigious, award – The Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Fern Britton, television presenter and author, will present the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Awards for 2016 during a glittering ceremony in the Gladstone Library, One Whitehall Place, London SW1 on 7th March.

The awards comprise six categories – Contemporary Romantic Novel, Epic Romantic Novel, Historical Romantic Novel, Romantic Comedy Novel, the RoNA Rose Award (for shorter and category romance) and Young Adult Romantic Novel – with five authors shortlisted for each one.

The winners of the six categories will be announced during the evening and those six authors will then go forward to compete for the overall prize of The Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Fern Britton will then reveal the author whose book has won the RNA's most prestigious and coveted award, along with a cheque for £5,000 (five thousand pounds).

Since its inception in 1960 the RNA has promoted excellence in romantic fiction and its Chairman, Eileen Ramsay, commented, “The announcement of the shortlist is always an occasion for celebration, when we reveal the best in romantic fiction from the last year.”

David Headley, Managing Director of Goldsboro Books, commented, “The success of Goldsboro Books has come from the very close relationships that we’ve built with publishers and authors over the years. It’s therefore rather fitting that we sponsor an award that celebrates the best in one of the most popular genres of fiction.” 

In previous years winners have included such well known and much loved names as  Joanna Trollope, Freya North, Rosie Thomas, JoJo Moyes and Rosamunde Pilcher.

The Category Shortlists

The Contemporary Romantic Novel category is for mainstream romantic novels set post-1960 and includes genres such as chick lit, paranormal and romantic suspense.

Under a Cornish Sky, Liz Fenwick, Orion
High Tide, Veronica Henry, Orion
The Wedding Cake Tree, Melanie Hudson, Choc Lit
It Started at Sunset Cottage, Bella Osborne, HarperImpulse
A Jersey Kiss, Georgina Troy, Accent Press

The Epic Romantic Novel category contains serious issues or themes, including gritty, multi-generational stories.

The Book of Lost and Found, Lucy Foley, Harper Collins
The Secrets We Share, Emma Hannigan, Headline Review
The Years of Loving You, Ella Harper, Avon
After the Last Dance, Sarra Manning, Sphere
If You Go Away, Adele Parks, Headline Review

The Historical Romantic Novel category is for novels set in a period before 1960.

The Secret Kiss of Darkness, Christina Courtenay, Choc Lit
Dangerous Entrapment, Lesley Field, MuseItUp
Letters to the Lost, Iona Grey, Simon & Schuster
At the Water’s Edge, Sara Gruen, Two Roads
The Consul's Daughter, Jane Jackson, Accent Press

The Romantic Comedy Novel is for consistently humorous or amusing novels.

One Wish In Manhattan, Mandy Baggot, Bookouture
The Royal We, Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan, Head of Zeus
Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Café, Milly Johnson, Simon & Schuster
How To Get Ahead in Television, Sophie Cousens, Corvus
Love From Paris, Alexandra Potter, Hodder & Stoughton

The RoNA Rose Award recognises the best in category/series and shorter romance that focus on developing a love affair between the hero and heroine.

The Wedding Reject Table, Angela Britnell, Choc Lit
From Wallflower to Countess, Janice Preston, Mills & Boon Historical
Doctor... To Duchess?, Annie O'Neil, Mills & Boon Medical Romance
Cora's Christmas Kiss, Alison May, Choc Lit
His Lost-and-Found Bride, Scarlet Wilson, Mills & Boon Cherish

The Young Adult Romantic Novel features protagonists who are teenagers or young adults.

Crow Mountain, Lucy Inglis, Chicken House
Did I Mention I Love You?, Estelle Maskame, Black & White Publishing
Angel Dares, Joss Stirling, Oxford University Press
Lainey's Lot, Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, Accent Press
Anya and the Shy Guy, Suze Winegardner, Entangled Teen