Shortlists Announced for the RoNAs

Judy Finnigan and Richard Madeley will announce the winners from a shortlist of thirty authors vying to be named the winner of their category in the Romantic Novel Awards (RoNA) 2013 presented by the Romantic Novelists' Association. They will also reveal the winner of the RoNA Rose Award.  These announcements will be made on 26 February at 6.00 p.m. during a glittering reception to be held at the RAF Club, 128 Piccadilly, London, W1.

Each category winner will receive an elegant crystal trophy as a mark of their success. They then go forward to contest the RNA's most coveted award, the Romantic Novel of the Year (RoNA), which will be announced on 16th May.

The categories for which the 30 shortlisted authors are competing are:

Contemporary Romantic Novel, Epic Romantic Novel, Historical Romantic Novel, Romantic Comedy Novel and Young Adult Romantic Novel. Additionally, shorter fiction authors - known as category/series and magazine serial authors - will learn who has won the RoNA Rose award.

The full shortlists are:

The Contemporary Romantic Novel category:

Katie Fforde, Recipe for Love, Arrow
Veronica Henry, The Long Weekend, Orion
Mhairi McFarlane, You Had Me At Hello, Avon
Monica McInerny, The House of Memories, Pan Macmillan
Sue Moorcroft, Dream a Little Dream, Choc Lit
Polly Williams, The Angel at No. 33, Headline

The Epic Romantic Novel category:

Rowan Coleman, Dearest Rose, Arrow
Dilly Court, The Lady's Maid, Arrow
Madeline Miller, The Song of Achilles, Bloomsbury
Kate Morton, The Secret Keeper, Pan Macmillan
Gill Paul, Women and Children First, Avon
Liz Trenow, The Last Telegram, Avon

The Historical Romantic Novel category:

Charlotte Betts, The Apothecary's Daughter, Piatkus (Little, Brown)
Christina Courtenay, The Silent Touch of Shadows, Choc Lit
Kate Furnivall, The White Pearl, Sphere (Little, Brown)
Pamela Hartshorne, Time's Echo, Pan Macmillan
Susanna Kearsley, The Rose Garden, Allison & Busby
Mary Nichols, The Kirilov Star, Allison & Busby

The Romantic Comedy Novel:

Jenny Colgan, Welcome to Rosie Hopkin's Sweetshop of Dreams, Sphere (Little, Brown)
Victoria Connelly, The Runaway Actress, Avon
Jane Costello, All the Single Ladies, Simon & Schuster UK
Nicola Doherty, The Out of Office Girl, Headline
Belinda Jones, Winter Wonderland, Hodder & Stoughton
Jane Wenham-Jones, Prime Time, Accent Press Ltd.

The Young Adult Romantic Novel:

Jo Cotterill, Sweet Hearts: Model Behaviour, Red Fox (RHCP)
Laura Jarratt, Skin Deep, Electric Monkey/Egmont
Marie-Louise Jensen, The Girl in the Mask, OUP
Victoria Lamb, Witchstruck, Corgi (RHCP)
Sarra Manning, Adorkable, Atom (Little, Brown)
Susan Waggoner, Neptune's Tears, Piccadilly Press

The RoNA Rose Award:

Fiona Harper, Always the Best Man, Harlequin Mills & Boon Riva
Sarah Mallory, Beneath the Major's Scars, Harlequin Historical
Heidi Rice, The Good, the Bad and the Wild, Harlequin Mills & Boon Riva
Carol Townend, Betrothed to the Barbarian, Harlequin Historical
Scarlet Wilson, West Wing to Maternity Wing, Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical
Scarlet Wilson, Her Christmas Eve Diamond, Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical