8/2009 Chapter News
Welcome to August, and the fact that fall is right around the corner. Eke? Where did summer go? Although for WHRWA members, July was a very hot month and filled with tons of great news.
First, congrats to Tera Lynn Childs who is still on cloud nine after OH. MY. GODS. won the RITA for Best First Book.
WHRWA members also won or finaled in other contests as well. Donna Maloy is thrilled to announce she won second place in the Beau Monde chapter of RWA’s Royal Ascot contest, “sweet and mild” category. The cool thing is that this was for a YA book in a category that was not specifically YA. The ms. was actually labeled Middle Grade, though it did have a “sweet and mild” attraction between a girl and a boy (or should she say between a shapeshifter and a werewolf?)! Donna did get a recommendation from the final judge for a full to be sent to the YA editor at Source books—and a subsequent rejection. Not for the writing, characters or plot (which were praised), but because their list is overfull with fantasies that have girl protagonists. They want boy-book fantasies—which is why her next book is probably going to be a Victorian steampunk boy-book!
Jo Anne Banker’s THIS CHILD IS MINE finaled in the Orange Rose Contest! She’s excited about this one, since the Orange Rose is a heavy hitter contest, in which there are no categories. The top ten best scores are finalists. So Jo Anne’s contemporary series romance was the only category manuscript to final along with historicals, paranormals, and even a mainstream with romantic elements. They do not announce their final judges, but two ‘genre specific’ editors will be looking at it.
And there is sale news! Long distance member Kathryn Kelly is pleased to report she has sold HEARTS UNDER SIEGE to The Wild Rose Press. Her release date is March 12, 2010. It’s a historical romance and will be available in print format. Congrats Kathryn!
Kimberly Frost’s first novel in the Southern Witch series, WOULD-BE WITCH, was a May 2009 Recommended Read at PNR Reviews and was named a Blue Ribbon Favorite of 2009 by Romance Junkies. Also, Kimberly just accepted an offer from Berkley to write a third book in the Southern Witch series that is tentatively-titled, HALFWAY HEXED. Way to go!
In other sale news, Vicky Dreiling sold her debut Regency historical CONFESSIONS OF A DUCHESS: A MATCHMAKERS MISADVENTURES in a three-book deal to Grand Central. She is officially jazzed. Congrats Vicky! You deserve to be.
Colleen Thompson is also celebrating another sale, this one foreign. Her Rita-nominated TRIPLE EXPOSURE will be published in Norway.
