THE RONA'S: And the winners are......

The Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year 2017

Love Song by Sophia Bennett

Sophia Bennett's Love Song was a unanimous choice among the judges, who were impressed by the strength and authenticity of the main character’s voice. They felt the book was well-written with plenty of detail, and great sensitivity in some of the scenes. 

Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year 2017

Summer at the Comfort Food Café – Debbie Johnson

 The judges called The Comfort Food Café "an extremely enjoyable novel, tremendously warm and enveloping, with great characterisation.  It really came from the heart."

Winner Epic Romantic Novel of the Year 2017

Little Girl Lost – Janet Gover

The judges said of Little Girl Lost, "The unusual setting of this novel was well realised and the heroine’s unconventional job made this a fascinating read.  We really liked the world Janet created, and the genuine sense of completion at the end of the novel."

Winner Historical Romance of the Year 2017

It was Only Ever You – Kate Kerrigan

The judges called It Was Only Ever You, "an extremely well-written romance, in which all the threads of the story come together well, with great characters, particularly strong women and a lovely setting, reflecting the contrasting strands of society. The author has really done her research to bring an interesting period of history to life against the backdrops of Ireland and New York."

Winner Paranormal or Speculative Romance of the Year 2017

Max Seventeen – Kate Johnson

The judges said of Max Seventeen, "This novel has great energy and passion and presents a real antidote to traditional romance novels, as well as being enormous fun.  The author has created a vivid world, which was hugely ambitious and imaginative, and a romance with plenty of action, twists and turns."

Winner Romantic Comedy of the Year 2017

Out of Practice – Penny Parkes

The judges described Out of Practice as "a novel with real energy and warmth. The author managed lots of different strands, bringing them together well in an interesting setting."

Winner RoNA Rose 2017

Christmas in the Boss’s Castle – Scarlet Wilson

The judges called Christmas in the Boss's Castle, set in a castle based on the beautiful Culzean Castle in Susan's home area of Ayrshire, "an enjoyable, well-written, affectionate story with some lovely scenes. Very entertaining."

Winner Young Adult Romance of the Year 2017

Love Song – Sophia Bennett

The judges commented "Love Song is an intelligent and thoughtful read which handles the all-consuming emotion of a first crush rather beautifully."

Winners - Outstanding Achievement Awards 2017

Barbara Erskine & Adele Parks

Barbara Erskine is the author of thirteen bestselling novels and three collections of short stories that demonstrate her interest in both history and the supernatural.  It is thirty years since the publication of her first novel, Lady of Hay, which has been in continuous publication since 1986 and sold over three million copies worldwide. 

Adele Parks has sold over three million UK edition copies of her novels and her books have been translated into over 26 languages. Every one of her 15 novels has been a bestseller in the UK. Both Barbara and Adele were presented with outstanding achievement awards for their continued championing of the RNA and romantic fiction.

RoNAs Awards 2017: Young Adult Romance

This year’s shortlisted novels include a Regency romp, boy bands, heart transplants and rock stars.

Love Song by Sophia Bennett tells the story of seventeen-year-old Nina who goes on tour with mega-band The Point and quickly learns how dysfunctional they are behind the scenes. Cut off from the world, recording in a huge, shabby house in Northumberland, she comes to know and understand them. Trouble is, they come to understand her…

Readers commented on the boy band in Sophia’s story and the strong character of Nina, the heroine; we asked her where the idea for the story came from:

I’ve always been a not-so-secret fan of One Direction, and particularly Harry Styles. As I watched the boys relentlessly touring I became convinced their lifestyle must be taking its toll on their lives and friendships and wondered what it must be like behind the scenes. So I found myself writing about a girl who gets to be a part of it.

As I travel to a lot of schools to talk about my writing, I get to meet teenage girls all the time and am struck by how vulnerable they can be under their confident exterior, and how often their interests – pop music, fashion – are disparaged. So I wanted Love Song to be a celebration of the joy of fandom, and the pleasure we can all get from loving music.

Natasha Farrant’s Lydia: The Wild Girl of Pride and Prejudice is a feminist Regency romp, which takes a fresh look at Austen’s much-loved Pride and Prejudice, focusing on the ambitions and aspirations of the youngest, and wildest, of the Bennet sisters.

There have been several rewritings of Austen; we asked Natasha what drew her to Lydia’s character:

Lydia was a suggestion from my publishers, which I accepted because I thought it would be fun. And it was. I spent a happy year immersed in all things Austen, and had the most fun I have ever had writing any book, ever. But it also surprised me, because as soon as I started to plan her story, Lydia’s voice took complete hold of me. Even though she did not start life as my creation, I felt a connection with her that I have never had with any other character I have written. At first I attributed it to the genius of Austen. Quite soon I realised something quite different: in writing Lydia, I was writing myself. Lydia is me as a teenager – a funny mixture of awkward and confident, passionate and selfish, longing to be in love and desperate for “real life” to start. I didn’t like myself much as a teenager, but I love her – all the more so because she has made me realise that maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as bad as I have always thought.  It ended up being the most cathartic of books, a happy experience but also one which left me somewhat dazed for months, like I’d been taken over by a whirlwind.

New England Dreams by Pia Fenton tells the story of Sienna who takes time out from family problems in the UK and ends up kissing a guy she meets on a flight to the US. She doubts she’ll ever see him again but fate has other ideas. When they end up attending the same school, neither admits to having met before. The chemistry is still there though – should they let it have free rein or should the attraction stay in their dreams?

We asked Pia how she manages to capture the American high school setting so well:

My YA stories are all based on memories from my own teenage years – I attended an American high school in Tokyo, Japan, (ASIJ) where I had a fantastic time.  Those years were some of the best in my life and a high-school reunion brought it all back.  That’s when I began to write YA and it’s such fun!

In Instructions for a Second Hand Heart by Tamsyn Murray, Jonny needs a new heart and his time is running out. Niamh has just lost her twin brother in a tragic accident. As Jonny gets better, he becomes obsessed with the first owner of his heart and meets a grieving Niamh. Neither of them expects to fall in love...

The subject matter of this book was an emotive one but sensitively dealt with, we asked Tamsyn what inspired her to write the book:

The novel was inspired by a link Jojo Moyes shared on Facebook back in September 2012, to a blog by a mother who had just donated her own son’s organs after a tragic accident. The comfort that mother felt from knowing her son’s heart was out there somewhere, still beating, never left me – I’ve been on the organ donor register since I was sixteen and I knew right away that I wanted to write a story inspired by the blog I’d read. It is the hardest book I have ever written and I cried so many tears as I wrote – for the children I learned about during my research as well as for my own characters – but four years later, here it is and I am incredibly proud to have written it.

Paige Toon’s All About the Hype focuses on Jessie Jefferson getting used to being the daughter of one of the world’s most famous rock­ stars. With her own music career on the rise and a gorgeous love interest, Jessie’s glamorous LA life couldn’t get any better…  But things are about to get really com­plicated. Is her celebrity status all it’s cracked up to be?

We asked Paige what stirred her to write Jessie’s story:

I was inspired during my time at Heat by real-life rock stars who have children with multiple women. What must it be like for these kids, who don’t have much of a relationship with their dad – or even their half-siblings? What must it be like to barely know more about their famous dad than the rest of the population? I found the idea of forming a relationship with a famous parent at a later stage in life interesting, and that’s the direction I took when writing about fifteen-year-old Jessie.

RoNA Awards 2017: Romantic Comedy Shortlist

There’s a common thread among this year’s shortlisted Romantic Comedy novels, with the themes of family and close-knit communities being explored against a variety of delightful backdrops from the spires of Oxford through to seaside towns and country villages. 

Girl Having a Ball by Rhoda Baxter is the story of Stevie who, determined to prove her independence, takes an assignment organising a charity ball in Oxford. As if organising canapés with no budget isn’t hard enough, Stevie’s teenage crush, Tom, resurfaces to confuse things even further.

Stevie won’t let a man get in the way of her dreams – will she?

We asked Rhoda to tell us more about the setting and ideas behind the book:

I was a student in Oxford and I lived in a house in Norham Gardens, very much like the one described in the book. We once organised a party there, so writing the book allowed me to revisit my student days. There is a scene in the book where they put up the old wartime blackout blinds and turn a room into a disco. This is based on something that actually happened.

The charity that Stevie is raising funds for is a real one too. I wrote the book not long after Sri Lanka was devastated by a tsunami and it seemed fitting to include reference to some of the issues faced by the people rebuilding the towns and villages (including the one my mother grew up in) which were wiped out by the disaster. It meant that I got to make lots of Sri Lankan snacks as part of my ‘research’ – which was a win-win all round.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Joanna Bolouri tells the tale of Emily who has great friends and a wonderful life, far from her interfering family. She also has a wonderful boyfriend who she’s planning to take home for Christmas. So when they break up, Emily is gutted. Enlisting the help of her neighbour Evan, she’s determined to bring Robert home for Christmas – even if it isn’t the real one…

We asked Joanna where the idea for this for this story came from:

Inspiration for TMWTOTY came from being asked repeatedly by my mother if I’d ‘met anyone yet?’ I could have only been to Tesco but she’d still ask. I thought for a moment that lying through my teeth and saying yes might take the pressure off. Families seem to be far more concerned about your love life than you are. 

Cathy Bramley’s The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is the story of Verity Bloom who hasn’t been interested in cooking anything more complicated than the perfect fish finger sandwich, ever since she lost her best friend and baking companion two years ago.

But an opportunity to help a friend lands her right back in the heart of the kitchen. The Plumberry School of Comfort Food is due to open in a few weeks’ time and needs the kind of great ideas that only Verity could cook up. And with new friendships bubbling and a sprinkling of romance in the mix, Verity finally begins to feel like she’s home.

But when tragedy strikes at the very heart of the cookery school, can Verity find the magic ingredient for Plumberry while still writing her own recipe for happiness?

We asked Cathy what made her choose to write about a cookery school:

I was inspired by my friend Lucy, who runs a cookery school in the Lake District. She believes that everyone can learn to cook and that families who cook together stay together. I wanted to explore what constitutes family and also how love and food go hand in hand. The result is a love story about food, friendship, family and finding the key to our own hearts.

In Letters from Lighthouse Cottage by Ali McNamara, Grace has returned to the seaside resort where she grew up.  But why is Grace back in Sandybridge, the tiny town she’d long left behind, hanging out with the boy who became her best friend when they were teenagers?

And just who is Remy, and what is he to do with the letters of advice Grace has been receiving anonymously for over thirty years?

We loved the idea of the typewriter and its influence on Grace’s life. Where did the idea for this come from?

I collect vintage typewriters and one of these – a 1930s Remington model 1 – was the inspiration for the story.

In Penny Parkes’ Out of Practice by we meet married mum of two and successful GP Holly Graham as she relocates her family to join the team at The Practice at Larkford, hoping to find the peaceful life she craves, despite the chaos that comes with her two-year-old twins and the troublesome state of her marriage. It will certainly be a challenge to keep her private and professional lives separate in such a tight-knit community.

There’s a lot of detail about the day-to-day lives of doctors in Penny’s novel: we asked her why she chose a country practice as her setting:

 

I often joke that my family is a multigenerational drain on the NHS, but when it comes to seeing our wonderful doctors in action and the responsibility they carry every day, it was a natural step for me to write about what might go on behind the scenes in a country practice – to explore the light and the dark, and of course the humour that sustains our medical teams within our communities.