This past Spring, I submitted three entries to the Beau Monde Royal Ascot and Readers’ Choice contests. The Royal Ascot is the mother of all Regency romance contests, accepting entries in several categories of sexual expliciteness. Regardless of category, the four top-scoring entries are named finalists. Much to my surprise, both The Memory of Blue and Finding Wychwood made the finals. After final round judging, Finding Wychwood placed second and The Memory of Blue third. As a bonus, The Memory of Blue was named Readers’ Choice winner for Sweet and Mild Regency. Although the category sounds like a salsa, I’ll take it! I like salsa very much. And I am grateful to the Beau Monde for a wonderful contest.
RWA contest
Rules of the Game: 1st Place
My unpublished manuscript, Rules of the Game, won first prize in the Colorado Romance Writers’ Happily Ever After contest. This contest accepts a brief synopsis and the final several thousand words. How you read the ending without context, I don’t know. I’m glad someone can, though.
To add the joy, my second entry of Finding Wychwood made honorable mention in the same contest. The judges were kind enough to offer useful feedback. Good contest!
Finding Wychwood: 2nd Place
My unpublished manuscript, Finding Wychwood, won second place for historical romance in the recent Ignite the Flame contest. This stuns me, as I have only just begun writing romance novels after ten years of finding little success in another genre. I can only think of three reasons for this:
- Perhaps my writing voice is suited to historical romance, or
- Perhaps I got lucky, or
- There has been a terrible mistake
I hope to get to the bottom of this. I will keep you posted about the trials and travails of Finding Wychwood as I seek an agent and enter more contests in the meantime. Whether suited, lucky, or the beneficiary of a mistake, I am hoping for a happily ever after. As is fitting.
Sawyer North 