The RNA Industry Awards 2017 Celebrate those who Champion Romantic Fiction

THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS’ ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCES INDUSTRY AWARD WINNERS

London: 15 November 2017 The Romantic Novelists’ Association’s (RNA) is delighted to announce the winners of its annual industry awards, which this year feature the addition of a new category, Librarian of the Year. This new award recognises the important work that librarians do in supporting the romantic fiction genre, and the Association in particular. Six awards were presented during the RNA’s Winter Party, held in the Library at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London.

Librarian of the Year

Shirley Everall, Librarian of the Year

The inaugural award was presented to Shirley Everall, Audience Development Officer, Hertfordshire Libraries, for hosting a great number of events for RNA members, and promoting romantic fiction in Hertfordshire Libraries.

Runner-up Rachel Gee, from Tiverton Library, was nominated for her continual support and proactivity in promoting romantic fiction.

Romantic Bookseller of the Year

Kearan Ramful, Sainsbury's

This award recognises booksellers promoting and championing romantic fiction in a positive and proactive way throughout the year. This year’s winner, Kearan Ramful, book buyer for Sainsbury’s Plc, was awarded the title for his continuing support for romantic fiction by selecting many romantic titles for Sainsbury’s stores. 

Runner-up was David Headley and team at Goldsboro Books.  

Best Adaptation of a Romantic Novel

Debbie Horsfield

The award for best adaptation of a romantic novel, whether for stage, screen (TV or movie) or radio goes to Debbie Horsfield for Poldark Series 3 (BBC TV).  The adaptation must have been broadcast/screened from September 2016 through to the end of September 2017, at any time and for any duration.  After three series, Poldark remains a fantastic series with stunning scenery, excellent casting, and still stays close to the original text. It is one of those can't-be-missed programmes, with a charismatic but flawed hero and heroine.

Runner-up was Whit Stillman and Jane Austen for Love and Friendship, a film based on Jane Austen’s novella.

Media Star of the Year

Blogger Linda Hill was awarded Media Star of the Year for her continued support for romance novels through retweeting, reviewing and blogging. Friendly and professional, even when her TBR pile is overflowing, she’ll take more books on, going above and beyond the call of duty, and all with a smile. This award recognises those who have helped raise the profile of romance writing and/or the RNA in a positive way.  

Blogger Kaisha Holloway was runner-up and was nominated for her great support for authors and her honest, detailed and reflective reviews which are constructively critical.

Agent of the Year

Broo Doherty, DHH Literary Agency

For the literary agent who has striven to support, mentor, nurture and promote their authors’ careers, the genre in general and the RNA in particular. This year’s winner, Broo Doherty, DHH Literary Agency, was nominated for her championing of romantic fiction and support for the RNA. With a list featuring several authors in the genre, she provides guidance and great support to her clients, being honest and tactful, as well as kind, supportive and savvy about romantic fiction. 

Runner-up Rebecca Ritchie, AM Heath Agency, was nominated for her dedication, warmth and genuine passion for the genre. A great editor and all-round fantastic partner, a great listener, offering wise words and sound advice.

Publisher of the Year

Charlotte Ledger, Publisher of the Year

For the publisher who embraces the genre, mentors writers to produce their best work, and is innovative, creative and visionary in the marketing and promotion of romantic fiction on every level.  This year’s award goes to Charlotte Ledger, HarperImpulse, for her tireless championing of romance novels at Harper Collins, giving many debut novelists their first break. Open and honest, she provides transparent dealings with those authors under her wing and many nominated her, citing that working with Charlotte is a team effort, and she has a real personal touch when it comes to developing writers’ careers.

Runner-up was DC Thompson, a stalwart and steady publisher of a great number of members over the years. Both The People's Friend and My Weekly magazines have pocket novel imprints and their editors have mentored and published RNA members over many years, following a long tradition of nurturing writers of romance.

The RNA Industry Awards are decided by the membership, with every member eligible to nominate within each category. The awards were presented at the RNA’s Winter Party at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Birdcage Walk, London on 15^th November 2017. 

Photos from the event will be available on The Romantic Novelists' Association's website in due course.

For further information please contact:
Pressofficer@romanticnovelistsassociation.org
Or Katrina Power 07 963 962 538 or katrina.power@yahoo.com 

About the Romantic Novelists' Association

The RNA was formed in 1960 to promote romantic fiction and encourage good writing and now represents more than 900 writers, agents, editors and other publishing professionals.

Book Bloggers and Reviewers: Linda Hill – Linda’s Book Bag

Ellie Holmes brings us another in her excellent series, Book Bloggers and Reviewers.

We are delighted to welcome Linda Hill to the RNA Blog’s monthly series where we speak to book bloggers and get an insight into their world. Welcome Linda, tell us a little bit about yourself and your blog.

I'm a blogger over at Linda's Book Bag. I used to be an English teacher and local authority adviser

before I went over to the dark side as an independent consultant and OfSTED inspector but I loved that as my work took me all over the country and to Jersey, Paris and New York to work.

 I live with Steve, my husband of almost 34 years, in the Lincolnshire Fens where it can feel like being in a Tupperware box at times with vast grey skies. I adore cats and used to have four at one time, including a diabetic one we had to inject with insulin twice a day, but have none now as we go away so much.

 I'm mad about Bryan Ferry, having met him twice and been to 21 of his concerts and you won't find me more than a few feet away from chocolate, fudge or toffee and preferably all three.

When I'm not blogging or reading I'll be planning a holiday! Thanks so much for inviting me to appear on this wonderful blog.

What made you start to review/blog?

 I've always been a bookworm - or rather, I was once I got glasses at the age of almost 8 and realised those strange smudges on a piece of paper were actually magical words that could transport me somewhere else. I loved inspiring youngsters to read for pleasure when I taught English and then when I left teaching and became an Educational Consultant I was asked by Hodder to read and review KS3 aged children's books with a view to them being used as class readers. Imaging my delight at being paid to read!

After that I looked for online reading groups and found Love Reading who were looking for review panel members so I applied and was taken on as one of their reviewers. At the same time, I retired (life is too short to work!) and joined my local University of the Third Age (U3A) reading group where the members encouraged me to share my thoughts. It suddenly dawned on me in 2015 that I could actually blog and so Linda's Book Bag was born.

What’s your review policy?

I don't have one! I've thought long and hard about it and whether I ought to have one and although I avoid anything offensively sexual, racist, homophobic etc, I'll consider most things for review. I don't much like horror as I'm a wimp and don't like being scared. If an author would like me to consider a book for review I'll always do a bit of research and see if I think it's for me.

 Trouble is, the TBR is now huge so my current 'review policy' is that I have to decline an awful lot as I know I'll never get to the books.

I saw on your blog that you won the Best Book Review Blog Award 2016. Congratulations!  Tell us a little bit about how you came to be nominated and what it was like to receive the award.

I'm not sure how I came to be nominated and it was a complete shock to me and even more that I actually won! A few people since have told me that they nominated me and I'm so grateful. I was in a field at Burghley House waiting for Bryan Ferry to perform (which is why I wasn't at the award ceremony) when I got a Facebook message from fellow blogger Shell Baker telling me I'd won. I was so thrilled.

How many times a month do you blog?

 It varies. I'm trying to cut back as I spend too much time blogging and not enough time reading. Last year which was so awful for me personally meant I didn't have as much time as I would have liked, but I still blogged most days.

 Unless I'm on holiday, or taking a break as I did in April this year I rarely have a day when I don't blog and many days have two posts.

What’s the best and worst thing about running a blog?

 After the sheer joy of reading, the best thing has to be the people. I have made real and virtual friends including other bloggers, authors and publicists. We all try to support one another and it is a delight when I get to go to events and meet these people face to face.

The worse thing is the time it takes up and the occasional lack of understanding about what goes in to setting up a blog post that some people seem to have. I wrote a bit about that when I explained my reasons for going AWOL in April and I'll be doing the same and being absent in August too.

This week, for example, I didn't receive the extract I was supposed to have for a blog tour on the Monday, even though I'd reminded the publisher to send it. I really didn't have time to read the book but I didn't want to let down the author so I got up at 5 on Sunday morning and read solidly for five hours to be able to write a review so that I had something to post. If I'm honest, I was very annoyed and could just have posted a spotlight but I felt it wasn't the author's fault and they still deserved as much coverage as possible.

You are a Netgalley member – can you tell us a little about that.

 Honestly? I try to avoid Netgalley if I can. Partly it's because I always seem to get in a pickle when posting reviews and feedback but mostly because I tend to forget I have e-books. I have over 900 physical books that have been sent to me unsolicited and awaiting review so I rarely request a Netgalley book unless I have been sent a specific widget for a blog tour.

What do you like to do in your spare time when not reading?

I love to be outside. I love walking and I garden as much as I can and have an allotment so I can grow our own fruit and veg. I run a local U3A gardening group. I write a little bit and have a novel lurking in the background. However, my biggest passion is travel, especially if it combines with wildlife. One of the most exciting things I've ever done was snorkeling with sharks in the Galapagos. My husband and I have been all over the place from Antarctica and Australia to Zambia and Zanzibar. We are going to Uganda in the hope of seeing gorillas and India to look for tigers in 2018 and I haven't quite decided what we're doing this year although we've already been to Wales (very exotic), Lapland and Spain.

We often ask agents and publishers what they consider to be the next 'big thing' - what do you hope to see in 2017?

I'd like to see some of the quiet books that get overlooked picked up more. One of the books I've really enjoyed this year so far is The Words in My Hand by Guinevere Glasfurd as it is exquisite but I've hardly seen it mentioned.

Thanks for having me Ellie. I've really enjoyed taking part.

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About Ellie

Ellie Holmes writes commercial women’s fiction with her heart in the town and her soul in the

country. Ellie’s debut release was The Flower Seller. A member of the RNA and the Alliance of Independent Authors, Ellie’s latest book The Tregelian Hoard, set in Cornwall, is the first novella in her Jonquil Jones Mystery Series

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Thank you, Ellie and Linda for such an informative interview.

Would you like to write for the RNA Blog? Do you have a book about to be published and want to tell members of your journey? Contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com