Stephanie Cage - Writer

I've just seen the longlist for the Pure Passion award 2011 (the Romantic Novel of the Year award, to be awarded in March) . It seems a bit early in the year to be awarding the annual prize, but that's the way the publishing industry goes. So far, I've read a grand total of one of the books: 'The Queen of New Beginnings' by Erica James, which I picked up on a recommendation from Angela Wren on 'Book It', and absolutely loved. I'd be tempted to say I'm rooting for that one, except that a number of others on the list were (or are now) on my wish list. Other authors on the list whose books I've enjoyed in the past include Katie Fforde, Nora Roberts, Elizabeth Chadwick and Christina Jones, while yet-to-be-discovered treats include 'Amazir' by Tom Gamble, who seems to be the sole male presence on this year's list. You can see the whole list here: http://www.romanticnovelistsassociation.org/index.php/news/entry/pure_passion_2011_roman...

I've just been reliving the delights of the Romantic Novelists' Association Conference by reading the fascinating session reports on the RNA Conference Page . I've reported on the panel discussion 'Writing for the American Market', and you can also find out about all sorts of writerly subjects, from planning and research to submitting to specific publishers, like Samhain. If you didn't make it to the conference in Greenwich, this page is definitely the next best thing.

As always, this year's conference was wonderful. Met old friends, made new ones, and the icing on the cake was that my story, 'Bluebell Day', got an honourable mention in the Elizabeth Goudge Competition, judged by Katie Fforde.