As many of you know, this year the RWA National Conference is in TN. This year we will pay tribute to the brightest in romantic fiction and on March 25th we in the romance community discovered who those would be. First, I’d like to congratulate ALL the RITA and Golden Heart Finalists.

I’m happy to say that I know several of the finalists, and today I’m sending out an extra special congratulations to Sherry Thomas, Margaret Mallory, Tessa Dare, Courtney Milan and Gillian Layne for making that very competitive cut. These are uber-talented authors, and except for Sherry, who was nominated 3 times last year for her first book, Private Arrangements and her second book, Delicious, this is the first RITA nod for Margaret, Tessa and Courtney who all debuted last year.  It is also Gillian’s first Golden Heart nod. Stay tuned, because Tessa, Margaret and Sherry all have books coming out within the next 3 months and they’re all going to be on my next ‘Anticipated’ post.

Historical Romance Finalists

Regency Historical Finalist

Romance Novella Finalist

Golden Heart Finalist – Regency Historical Romance

To Seduce A Proper Rogue – Gillian Layne

To celebrate their RITA nods, I’ll be giving away their books to  4 lucky commenters. You’ll have to wait until Gillian’s book is in a bookstore near you!