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The Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) has created a new set of awards in celebration of its 50th anniversary, with retail and marketing campaigns in support.
The Pure Passion Awards, which will take place on 16th March at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, London, will include the RNA's Romantic Novel of the Year and Love Story of the Year prizes. Both prizes today announced their shortlists, with a strong showing from Hodder and Mills & Boon. Three independent judges will pick winners from the shortlists chosen by the public.
New prizes to be included as part of the Pure Passion Awards include The People's Choice award, which celebrates new or developing writers in the romantic genre with paperbacks out in the spring. Retail buyers selected the shortlist of six, with the winner to be chosen by the public in a link-up with www.lovereading.co.uk/purepassion.
The second new prize is the Rom Com Award, for humorous romantic novels, with the shortlist decided by the public, and the winner picked by a panel of judges. The final new prize is the RNA Romantic Film of the Year, selected from film adaptations of romantic novels, with the winner picked by the RNA panel and the public, again vialovereading's site.
The existing Harry Bowling Prize will also come under the umbrella, renamed the Harry Bowling Prize for New Writing. The biennial prize awards the best first chapter and synopsis submitted by an unpublished author; the novel must be urban set and have a romantic theme.
Two Lifetime Achievement Awards will also be presented to people who have made outstanding contributions to romantic fiction and the RNA.
The Pure Passion Awards will be promoted via banners, posters and stickered shortlisted titles and free catalogues in participating retailers and libraries. Anthology Loves Me, Loves Me Not is published by Mira this month, with the RNA planning a title about the organisation, possibly titled Fabulous at Fifty.
Further plans for the RNA's anniversary include an inaugural trade day including industry figures at the organisation's annual conference in July. Also readers of Women's Weekly will vote for a shortlist for the nation's favourite romantic novel of the past 50 years from a longlist picked by library goers.
Romantic Novel of the Year shortlist
Passion Louise Bagshawe (Headline Review)
Fairytale of New York Miranda Dickinson (Avon/HarperCollins)
Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts Lucy Dillon (Hodder & Stoughton)
A Glimpse at Happiness Jean Fullerton (Orion)
The Glass Painter's Daughter Rachel Hore (Pocket/Simon & Schuster)
The Italian Matchmaker Santa Montefiore (Hodder & Stoughton)
Love Story of the Year shortlist
The Notorious Mr Hurst Louise Allen (Harlequin Mills & Boon)
Animal Instincts Nell Dixon (Little Black Dress)
Always the Bridesmaid Nina Harrington (Harlequin Mills & Boon)
Fair Deception Jan Jones (Robert Hale)
The Wedding Party Sophie King (Hodder)
Claimed for the Italian's Revenge Natalie Rivers (Harlequin Mills & Boon)
The People's Choice shortlist
Missing You Louise Douglas (Pan)
Remembrance Day Leah Fleming (Avon)
I Heart Hollywood Lindsey Kelk (Harper)
Rich Girl Poor Girl Lesley Lokko (Orion)
Heiresses Lulu Taylor (Arrow)
Rom Com Award shortlist
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend Jenny Colgan (Sphere)
The Nearly-Weds Jane Costello (Simon & Schuster)
50 Ways to Find a Lover Lucy-Anne Holmes (Pan)
Rumour Has It Jill Mansell (Headline Review)
RNA Romantic Film of the Year
Confessions of a Shopaholic Sophie Kinsella (Black Swan/Transworld)
An Education Lynn Barber (Penguin)
The Time Traveller's Wife Audrey Niffenegger (Vintage/Random House)
Twilight: New Moon Stephanie Meyer (Atom/Little Brown)