February Competition Monthly

Welcome to yet another competition monthly update from Francesca!

How's the year going so far? I hope you've made a start on this year's competitions.

I know I've mentioned themes before, but something to bear in mind is to make sure you are actually keeping to the theme.

It's tempting, if you have something you've already written that you want to use, to send out

something that has only a weak connection. Or maybe none at all. I have read entries when I've been judging short story competitions which seem to have no relevance to the theme whatsoever. It's as if the writer didn't notice there was a theme, or forgot about it.

And don't make it too subtle. At The Write Place Creative Writing School I once judged a national competition with the theme of 'Ten'. Now perhaps it's down to my lack of sporting interest, but I couldn't see the connection to the theme in a story that was essentially about a man having a bad day and being sent off the football pitch, thus decreasing the number in his team. Perhaps you've already got there. It wasn't until I mentioned it to my husband that he pointed out that eleven team members minus one is ten. Of course. It still didn't make it to the short list!

Good luck to everyone, and don't forget to let me know of any competition success you have.




**Closing Soon**
Brigend Writers' Circle Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, 1,500 – 1,800
Prize: £1200 / £350 / £30
Competition deadline: 1 March 2017
Entry: £5 / £7.50 for 2 Details 



Words for the Wounded Independent Author Book Award
Theme: Self published works of fiction and non-fiction
Prize: Review of book and article about author published in Frost online magazine
Competition deadline: 11 March 2017
Entry: £12.50 Details 



Limnisa Short Story Competition
Theme: Open, up to 3,000 words
Prize: Week's retreat in Greece / 2 x 50% off workshops
Competition deadline: 15 March 2017
Entry: Free, as long as FB page is liked or follow on Twitter Details



MsLexia Women's Short Story Fiction Competition
Theme: Open, 300 – 3,000 words
Prize: £2,000 / 2 x £100 For winner also week's writing retreat and day with Virago Editor.
Competition deadline: 20 March 2017
Entry: £10 Details


MsLexia Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Open, up to 300 words
Prize: £500 / 3 x £50
Competition deadline: 20 March 2017
Entry: £5 Details 



Flash 500 Flash Fiction Competition
Theme: Open, 500 words
Prize: £300 / £200 / £100 Publication on website
Competition deadline: 31 March 2017
Entry: £5 / £8 for 2 Details



Exeter Short Story Prize & Trisha Ashley Award
Theme: Open, up to 10,000 words
Prize: £500 / £150 / £100
Competition deadline: 30 April 2017
Entry: £10 Details




Good luck to anyone who enters!

Francesca Capaldi Burgess has been placed or shortlisted in a number of competitions including Twyford Writers, Winchester Writers' Conference, Chorley and District Writers' Circle, Flash a Famous Phrase, Meridian Writing, Wells Festival and Writing Magazine. Her shortlisted entry for The People's Friend serial competition will be published in May. She's had stories published in magazines worldwide and in three anthologies, including Diamonds and Pearls and 100 Stories for Haiti. She is a member of the RNA New Writers' Scheme and the Society for Women Writers and Journalists.

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If you would like to write for the RNA blog, then please contact us elaineeverest@aol.com

This blog was prepared by blog team member, Louisa Heaton.

The Romantic Novel Awards 2017 - The contenders are...

We are delighted to announce this years’ contenders for the RoNAs (Romantic Novel Awards) 2017 and the overall, most prestigious, award – The Goldsboro Books Romantic Novel of the Year Award.

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

Falling, Julie Cohen, Black Swan                                                                       

The Glittering Art of Falling Apart, Ilana Fox, Orion
Dear Dad, Giselle Green, Yule Press                                                                 

Summer at the Comfort Food Café, Debbie Johnson, HarperImpulse               

The Sunshine and Biscotti Club, Jenny Oliver, HQ                                            

A Family Holiday, Bella Osborne, HarperImpulse                                             

The Second Love of My Life, Victoria Walters, Headline Review                       

We’ll Always Have Paris, Sue Watson, Sphere                                                  

The Epic Romantic Novel, for novels with serious issues or themes, including gritty, multi-generational stories.

Wedding Bells for Nurse Connie, Jean Fullerton, Orion

Little Girl Lost, Janet Gover, Choc Lit                                                               

The War Bride, Pamela Hart, Piatkus                                                                 

Who We Were Before, Leah Mercer, Lake Union Publishing                             

The Judge’s Wife, Ann O’Loughlin, Black & White Publishing                         

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

Incognito, Caitlyn Callery, MuseItUp                                                               

London Calling, Helen Carey, Headline                                                             

It Was Only Ever You, Kate Kerrigan, Head of Zeus                                         

The Reckless Love of an Heir, Jane Lark, HarperImpulse                                 

Map of Stars, Catherine Law, Zaffre Publishing                                                

The Paranormal or Speculative Romance Novel, for romantic novels that include elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, whether paranormal, fantasy, science fiction, time slip or worlds that include ghosts, vampires or creatures of legend.

The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight, Christina Courtenay, Choc Lit                         

Max Seventeen, Kate Johnson, independently published                                   

An Ordinary Gift, Jan Jones, independently published                                      

Beloved Enemy, Hywela Lyn, The Wild Rose Press                                          

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

Girl Having a Ball, Rhoda Baxter, Choc Lit                                                      

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, Joanna Bolouri, Quercus                       

The Plumberry School of Comfort Food, Cathy Bramley, Corgi                       

Letters From Lighthouse Cottage, Ali McNamara, Sphere                                

Out of Practice, Penny Parkes, Simon & Schuster                                             

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.

Billionaire, Boss…Bridegroom?, Kate Hardy, Mills & Boon Cherish              

The Discerning Gentleman’s Guide, Virginia Heath, Mills & Boon Historical 

Seven Nights With Her Ex, Louisa Heaton, Mills & Boon Medical Romance   

Unlocking Her Boss’s Heart, Christy McKellen, Mills & Boon Cherish

Christmas in the Boss’s Castle, Scarlet Wilson, Mills & Boon Cherish            

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

Love Song, Sophia Bennett, Chicken House  
                                                    

Lydia: The Wild Girl of Pride & Prejudice, Natasha Farrant, Chicken House   

New England Dreams, Pia Fenton, independently Published                            

Instructions for A Second-Hand Heart, Tamsyn Murray, Usborne Publishing 

All About the Hype, Paige Toon, Simon & Schuster                                            

This year the numbers of shortlisted books in each category varies, a change made by the committee to create a fairer reflection of the numbers of books being entered into those categories.  In addition, we’re delighted that for the first time four independently published books have been nominated, particularly as the authors are all long-standing RNA members.

For more details on the awards and how to obtain tickets please visit the RNA website and official news page.  

SUE BARNARD: SEEDS OF INSPIRATION

Where do you find your writing ideas? We welcome Sue Barnard to the blog to tell us how she finds hers.

I’ve often said that I get some of my best writing ideas when I’m gardening.  I’m convinced that my

characters like to hide themselves away in the flowerbeds, then leap out and surprise me when my attention is focussed on greenery, grass, or garden pests.

So it was with the idea for my latest novel, Never on Saturday, which is released on 9th February 2017.

A few years ago, whilst on holiday in Western France, I came across an old local legend.  It was the story of a cursed medieval princess who was forced to lock herself away every Saturday, but was unable to tell anyone the reason.

This princess also locked herself firmly in the back my mind, and shortly after I arrived home she reintroduced herself – in the time-honoured tradition of interrupting me when I was mowing the lawn. 

Our encounter was short but sensational.  The princess said just six words to me, but those six words were to go on to inspire an entire book.

Never on Saturday is a time-slip romance novella with a hint of mystery and a touch of the paranormal.  It is set partly in medieval France and partly in present-day North Wales, and incorporates some of the history and folklore from both places.  The original French legend forms the basis of the medieval passages, whilst the modern sections provide a framework which links the legend to the present-day characters.

Researching a story is always a fascinating exercise, but this one was absolutely compelling.  Delving into the history of the paranormal aspect of the tale in general, and the legend itself in particular, were things, which I found especially gripping.  So much so, in fact, that I was moved to include a short article at the end of the book, giving more details of the original legend and its place in history and folklore as a whole.  I hope people will enjoy reading Never on Saturday as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

About Never on Saturday:

Two stories, two heartbreaks: one past, one present…

Leaving her native France and arriving in North Wales as a postgraduate student of History and Folklore, Mel is cautiously optimistic that she can escape from her troubled past and begin a new and happier life. 

She settles into her student accommodation and begins work on her thesis, concentrating particularly on one fascinating manuscript: a compelling and tragic tale of a cursed medieval princess. 

Then she meets Ray – charming, down-to-earth and devastatingly handsome. Within days, Mel’s entire world has transformed from lonely and frustrated to loving and fulfilled. Despite her failure with previous relationships, she allows herself to hope that this time, at last, she can make it work. 

But Mel’s dreams of happiness are under constant threat. She is hiding a dark and terrible secret, which Ray – or indeed anybody else – must never ever discover…

As for those six words which sowed the seeds of inspiration for Never on Saturday…  Well, unfortunately I can’t reveal them here, because that would give too much away.  But if you read the book, all will become clear…

About Sue:

Sue Barnard is a British novelist, editor and award-winning poet whose family background is far stranger than any work of fiction. She would write a book about it if she thought anybody would believe her.

Sue was born in North Wales but has spent most of her life in and around Manchester. She speaks French like a Belgian, German like a schoolgirl, and Italian and Portuguese like an Englishwoman abroad.

Her mind is so warped that she has appeared on BBC TV’s Only Connect quiz show, and she has also compiled questions for BBC Radio 4's fiendishly difficult Round Britain Quiz. This once caused one of her sons to describe her as "professionally weird." The label has stuck.

Sue joined the editorial team of Crooked Cat Publishing in 2013. Her first novel, The Ghostly Father (a new take on the traditional story of Romeo & Juliet) was officially released on St Valentine's Day 2014.  Since then she has produced three more novels: Nice Girls Don’t (2014), The Unkindest Cut of All (2015) and Never on Saturday (2017).

Sue now lives in Cheshire with her extremely patient husband and a large collection of unfinished scribblings.  You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus,  Amazon, her Crooked Cat author page, or follow her blog here.

Book links:

Never on Saturday (paperback):

Never on Saturday (Kindle): 

Thank you Sue and good luck with your book.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com

Ask the Industry Expert: Literary Agent, Madeleine Milburn

Literary agent Madeleine Milburn is our agent in the spotlight this month and has kindly dropped in to chat to Helena Fairfax. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, Madeleine!

Please tell us a little about the Madeleine Milburn Agency, how long it’s been established, and how you came to set it up.

Madeleine Milburn. Photo credit: Libi Pedder

I started MMLA at the beginning of 2012 because I wanted to run my own ship. 

What do enjoy most about your job? And least?

I love finding new talent, looking after authors and negotiating deals. My least favourite part is rejecting someone’s work.  

What is it you are looking for when a manuscript lands on your desk? Are there any specific plots or themes you’d like to see?

I like emotional stories.  I’m really looking for the strongest love story of all time... I loved One Day, by David Nicholls, because it was basically a love story but told in a different way. 

Do you ever find authors outside the slush pile? If so, how?

99% of my authors come from the slush pile! But I do go to writing events to let writers know what I’m looking for. 

What advice would you give someone submitting to you?

 Do your research, find out what I like reading and make it clear that you have personally submitted to MMLA because you want to be represented by us!  

Do you think these days aspiring romance writers have a better chance of being published if they are planning a series? Are stand-alone novels more likely to be rejected by publishers and agents?

It depends what platform you are writing for. I think series work really well as ebooks because they tend to be published with short gaps between publications.  I love stand-alone novels but when I fall in love with a character it’s wonderful to know that they might make it into the next book.  

Aspiring writers are often advised to build a social media platform. How important do you think this is? As an agent, do you check out a writer’s online presence when you receive an interesting submission?

For fiction, I think this is far more important in the run up to publication when you have a publisher.  At the outset, all I’m concerned with is your voice.  We can teach everything else!  

What’s your favourite romance novel of all time?

One Day, by David Nicholls

Apart from your own authors, which book have you enjoyed the most in the past twelve months, and why?

I really liked The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett because it felt like a modern Sliding Doors, and I liked the overall message.  I really devoured some of the popular suspense titles like The Couple Next Door and The Ice Twins.  

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My only hobby is reading!  

If you could describe your working-day in just three words, what would they be?

Deals, deals, deals

Thanks so much for taking the time to speak to us today, Madeleine. Reading is the best hobby!

If you've enjoyed Madeleine's interview, or have any questions at all, please let us know. We'd love to hear from you!

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Helena Fairfax's engaging contemporary romances have been shortlisted for The Exeter Novel Prize,the Global Ebook Awards and the I Heart Indie Awards. Her latest release is a romantic suspense called A Year of Light and Shadows, available on Amazon in ebook and print, and from other e-book retailers.

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Thank you, Helena and Madeleine for a most interesting interview. If you would like to write for the blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com