Romance Writers of America Honors Excellence in Romance Fiction
Houston, TX (PRWEB) July 21, 2013 -- Romance Writers of America (RWA), the trade association for published and aspiring romance fiction authors, announced the winners of the 2013 RITA® Awards on Saturday, July 20, at black-tie awards ceremony at its 33rd Annual Conference in Atlanta, GA. The RITA — the highest award of distinction in romance fiction — recognizes outstanding published romance novels and novellas.
Up to 1,200 romance novels and novellas from 11 different categories are judged each year in the RITA competition. After the first round of judging by fellow published romance authors, the competition narrows to approximately 100 finalists. Then, final round judges (published romance authors) select 11 RITA winners (one in each category) from amongst the finalists.
The 2013 RITA winners are:
Best First Book
The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
Contemporary Single Title Romance
The Way Back Home by Barbara Freethy
Historical Romance
A Rogue by Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean
Inspirational Romance
Against the Tide by Elizabeth Camden
Long Contemporary Series Romance
A Gift for All Seasons by Karen Templeton
*This win gained Templeton entrance into the RWA Hall of Fame
Novel with Strong Romantic Elements
The Haunting of Maddy Clare by Simone St. James
Paranormal Romance
Shadow's Claim by Kresley Cole
*This win gained Cole entrance into the RWA Hall of Fame
Romance Novella
Seduced by a Pirate by Eloisa James
Romantic Suspense
Scorched by Laura Griffin
Short Contemporary Series Romance
A Night of No Return by Sarah Morgan
Young Adult Romance
The Farm by Emily McKay
The list of winners (complete with author and book photos) can be found on the RWA website at http://www.rwa.org.
Romance Writers of America’s mission is to advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy. Romance fiction is a $1 billion industry, and it’s a consistent, top-performing category on the best-seller lists. To learn more about romance fiction and RWA, visit http://www.rwa.org or call 832-717-5200, Ext. 122.
Erin Fry, Romance Writers of America, http://www.rwa.org/RITAchat, 832-717-5200 122, [email protected]
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