Winners will be announced at the Let Your Imagination Take Flight Conference Awards Breakfast

EROTIC                                                             

Christina James – Desire Me

VL Locey – Clean Sweep

Renea Mason – Cursing Doctor Vincent

Lauren Smith – The Gilded Cage

Lauren Smith – The Gilded Cuff

SHORT CONTEMPORARY

Heidi Hormel – The Surgeon and the Cowgirl

Tanya Michaels – Falling for the Sheriff

Kathy Lyons – The Player Next Door

1^st BOOK

Brooke Newton – Letting Myself Go

Joanna Shupe – The Courtesan Duchess

Nancy Raven Smith – Land Sharks: a Swindle in Sumatra

Katrina Snow – Forbidden

LONG CONTEMPORARY

Lauren Gallagher – The Saint’s Wife

Nancy Herkness – The CEO Buys In

Holly Jacobs – Carry Her Heart

Cathryn Parry – The Secret Garden

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE

Cate Beauman – Reagan’s Redemption

Leslie Jones – Night Hush

Marta Perry – Where Secrets Sleep

NOVELLA

Tanya Michaels – New Year’s Resolution: Just a Fling

Crista McHugh – Tell Me True

Karen Rock – Winter Wedding Bells: The Kiss

Marie Tuhart – Red Club Temptation

HISTORICAL

Anna Campbell – A Scoundrel by Moonlight

Meg Hennessy – A Pirate’s Command

LR Olson – A Dangerous Temptation

Joanna Shupe – The Lady Hellion

PARANORMAL

Allie Marie – Teardrops of the Innocent: The White Diamond Story

Angela Quarles – Steam Me Up, Rawley

Angela Quarles – Must Love Chainmail

Katrina Snow – Forbidden

We all love novels, rich with complex characters and plot twists. But novels take a long time to write, and–let’s face it–not all the stories in our heads are 400 pages long. With the advent of digital publishing and the ease of self-publishing, there has never been a better time to write novellas and short stories. Even better, they can be fun to write!

Caroline Linden was born a reader, not a writer. She earned a math degree from Harvard University and wrote computer code before discovering that writing fiction was far more fun. Eleven years, fifteen books, three Red Sox championships, and one dog later, she has never been happier with her decision. Her books have won the NEC-RWA Reader’s Choice Beanpot Award, the Daphne du Maurier Award, NJRW’s Golden Leaf award, and RWA’s RITA Award.

Erotic Romance – Kate Baum for Funny Girl

2nd Place – Mia Gabriel for Lord Savage

3rd Place – Anna Jeffrey for The Cattleman and Teresa Noelle Robers for Out of Control

Futuristic, Fantasy Paranormal or Time Travel – Lauren Smith for Shadows of Stormclyffe Hall

2nd Place – Lisa Belcastro for Shenandoah Dreams

3rd Place – Stephanie Feagan for Crazy for You

Best First Book – Patience Griffin for To Scotland with Live

2nd Place – Janie Crouch for Primal Instinct

3rd Place – Maria Imbalzano for Unchained Memories

Romantic Suspense – Toni Anderson for A Cold Dark Place

2nd Place – Tiffany Snow for In His Shadow

3rd Place – Dana Marton for Forced Disappearance

Short Contemporary – Emily Harper for My Sort-of, Kind-of Hero

2nd Place – Jean Joachim for To Love or Not to Love and Amanda Renee for Blame it on the Rodeo

3rd Place – Leigh Duncan for Second Chance Family

Long Contemporary – Kim Sanders for The Ex Lottery

2nd Place – Nancy Herkness for The Place I Belong and Terri Osburn for More to Give

3rd Place – Patience Griffin for To Scotland with Love and Sophie Moss for The Wind Chime Cafe

Historical – Darlene Marshall for The Pirate’s Secret Baby

2nd Place – Isabella Bradford for A Wicked Pursuit and Megan Frampton for The Duke’s Guide to Correct Behavior

3rd Place – Lauren Smith for Wicked Designs

New England Chapter congratulates the finalists in our Readers’ Choice Bean Pot contest and our First Kiss contest for unpublished authors.

Join us at the Awards Breakfast at The Let Your Imagination Take Flight Conference when we announce the winners.

And many thanks to Karen Henry and Jean Viola Ryan for coordinating these contests.

Our finalists are:

Bean Pot:

Contemporary:
Earth Angel by Siri Caldwell
Unbridled Temptation by Elle Saint James
Studs and Stilettos by Bev Pettersen

Romantic Suspense:
Running on Empty by Colette Ballard
Hard as It Gets by Laura Kaye
Behind the Lies by Robin Perini

Historical:
The Lotus Palace by Jeanne Lin
Love & Other Scandals by Caroline Linden
The Chieftan by Margaret Mallory

Futuristic, Fantasy, Paranormal & Time Travel:
Shenandoah Crossings by Lisa Belcastro
Shenandoah Nights by Lisa Belcastro
Spark by Anthea Sharp

First Kiss:

Christina Alexandra – A Duchess Does
Sarah Bailey – The Ren
Angela Bissell – When in Rome
LynneRose Cannon – Doing Good
Marianne Stephenson – Summer Rayne
Tara Wyatt – Off Guard

Congratulations to the six finalists in NEC-RWA’s First Kiss Contest.

Katy Regnery: “It’s You”
Susan Chambers: Dragonfly **
Crystal Eliot: Lessons in Scandal
Tina Evans: One More Night
Virginia Frost: Prop Girl
Anna Richland: The Soldier

These entries will now move on to the final round and be judged by Patience Bloom, Editor at Harlequin.

We would also like to thank all of the judges and our contest coordinator, Janet Louise Campbell, who did a fabulous job on this contest.

**NEC member

The First Kiss Contest is officially open. What does that mean for you? Your entry will be scored by one published author and one qualified, unpublished judge. And you won’t just receive a list of scores. Judges are encouraged to insert comments directly on the manuscript and will complete a score sheet identifying strengths and weaknesses of your scene. We are also very excited to announce that the final judge is Patience Smith, Senior Editor, Silhouette Romantic Suspense at Harlequin. She will judge six finalists. So, click on the Contest link and send in your entry today. If you are interested in judging, please email Janet Louise Campbell at [email protected].

We are pleased to announce the finalists and winners in the 2012 New England Readers’ Choice Bean Pot Award
(In alphabetical order)

**NEC Member

SHORT CONTEMPORARY
1st Place **The Heart of a Hero – Barbara Wallace
2nd Place A Rancher’s Pride – Barbara White Daille
3rd Place The Daddy Catch – Leigh Duncan

HISTORICAL
1st Place **Promise Me Forever – Diane Amos
2nd Place In the Barrister’s Chambers – Tina Gabrielle
3rd Place More Than a Mistress – Ann Lethbridge

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
1st Place **Fatal Consequences – Marie Force
2nd Place Deadly Descent – Kaylea Cross
3rd Place Edge of Daybreak – Jannifer Hoffman

EROTIC
1st Place The Closer You Get – LA Witt
2nd Place Take Me Away – Tina Donahue
3rd Place Bastian, The Lords of Satyr – Elizabeth Amber

FUTURISTIC; FANTASY; PARANORMAL OR TIME TRAVEL
1st Place Memories of Murder – Lara Nance
2nd Place Dyad Love – Ann Hinnenkamp
3rd Place **Salad on the Side – Karenna Colcroft

INSPIRATIONAL
1st Place Nightwatch – Valerie Hansen
2nd Place Love on the Line – Deeanne Gist
3rd Place Hometown Dad – Merrillee Whren

MAINSTREAM W/ROMANTIC ELEMENTS
1st Place The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship – Lisa Verge-Higgins
2nd Place Blood Rights – Kristen Painter
3rd Place Promises to Keep – Char Chaffin

NOVELLA
1st Place Painted with Pleasure – Dena de Paulo
2nd Place -tie Drive-In – Kelli Scott
2nd Place -tie Stormy Wedding – Kelli Scott
3rd Place **I Love the Earl – Caroline Linden

YOUNG ADULT
1st Place Awake at Dawn – C.C. Hunter
2nd Place Love Story – Jennifer Echols
3rd Place **Tales Out of the Psych Office – Shirley Ann Howard

We are pleased to announce the finalists in the 2012 New England Readers’ Choice Bean Pot Award
(In alphabetical order)

**NEC Member

SHORT CONTEMPORARY
A Rancher’s Pride – Barbara White Daille
The Daddy Catch – Leigh Duncan
**The Heart of a Hero – Barbara Wallace

HISTORICAL
In the Barrister’s Chambers – Tina Gabrielle
More Than a Mistress – Ann Lethbridge
**Promise Me Forever – Diane Amos

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Deadly Descent – Kaylea Cross
Edge of Daybreak – Jannifer Hoffman
**Fatal Consequences – Marie Force

EROTIC
Bastian, The Lords of Satyr – Elizabeth Amber
The Closer You Get – LA Witt
Take Me Away – Tina Donahue

FUTURISTIC; FANTASY; PARANORMAL OR TIME TRAVEL
Dyad Love – Ann Hinnenkamp
Memories of Murder – Lara Nance
**Salad on the Side – Karenna Colcroft

INSPIRATIONAL
Hometown Dad – Merrillee Whren
Love on the Line – Deeanne Gist
Nightwatch – Valerie Hansen

MAINSTREAM W/ROMANTIC ELEMENTS
Blood Rights – Kristen Painter
Promises to Keep – Char Chaffin
The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship – Lisa Verge-Higgins

NOVELLA
Drive-In – Kelli Scott
**I Love the Earl – Caroline Linden
Painted with Pleasure – Dena de Paulo
Stormy Wedding – Kelli Scott

YOUNG ADULT
Awake at Dawn – C.C. Hunter
Love Story – Jennifer Echols
**Tales Out of the Psych Office – Shirley Ann Howard