As you all know, the awards have special significance to the Banditas because we were all Golden Heart finalists back in 2006. That's where we met and bonded and we continue to be attached to the yearly awards ceremony.
Even those of us who were unable to attend the conference this year were
gathered round our laptops in eager anticipation. Sven (who stayed home this year so that Lars and Paolo could attend) made us a huge batch of hot buttered popcorn, and there's plenty of bubbly for everyone.Please join us as we toast this year's Golden Heart and Rita winners:
Golden Heart for Regency Romance: The Proper Miss's Guide to Bad Behavior by Anne Barton
Golden Heart for Historical Romance: The Dark Lady by Maire Shelley
Golden Heart for Inspirational: At His Command by Ruth Kaufman
Golden Heart for Young Adult: Irresistible by Suzanne Kaufman Kalb
Golden Heart for Contemporary Series Romance: Lost and Found by Jo Anne Banker
Golden Heart for Contemporary Series Suspense/Adventure: Stolen Lullaby by Robin Perini
Golden Heart for Romantic Suspense: Spy in the Mirror by Diana Van Dyke
Golden Heart for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: Nearly Departed in Deadwood by Ann Charles
Golden Heart for Paranormal Romance: The Blood Sworn King by Tirsze Ray
Golden Heart for Contemporary Single Title Romance: The Sinners by Lisa Connelly
Rita for Regency Historical Romance: The Mischief of the Mistletoe by Lauren Willig
Rita for Historical Romance: His at Night by Sherry Thomas
Rita for Inspirational Romance: In Harms Way by Irene Hannon
Rita for Young Adult Romance: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa
Rita for Contemporary Series Romance: Welcome Home, Cowboy by Karen Templeton
Rita for Series Romance Suspense/Adventure: The Moon that Night by Helen Brenna
Rita for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas
Rita for Romantic Suspense: Silent Scream by Karen Rose
Rita for Romantic Novella: "Shifting Sea" by Virginia Kantra in Burning Up
Rita for Paranormal Romance: Unchained: The Dark Forgotten by Sharon Ashwood
Rita for Contemporary Single Title: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis
Rita for Best First Book: Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner
SUPER CONGRATS to all the winners! It's wonderful to see familiar names and also fun to see brand new authors with great new books to try!
Do you like to watch award shows? Which are your favorites?
How many of the winning books have you read?
33 comments:
he is back and a bit warmer today
Hey Barb! The chook is back in Sydney, the place he seems to love best... Or maybe it is the TimTams?!?!
AC
GR and I have been having a cuppa and tim tams with Helen and talking books LOL
I think I have read 1 book on the list Welcome to Harmony by Jodi Thomas and it looks like more to be added to the to buy pile LOL
I don't usually watch award shows as I don't watch too much TV .... of course I was at the ARRA dinner when Anna won her aussie author of the year award.....
Congrats to all the winners
Barb, he's back to winter in Sydney, I see!
Cindy, I must say I was glued to Twitter for the entire awards ceremony. I had a lot of friends up for awards this year - so exciting when you feel like you've got a personal stake in the outcomes. Congratulations to all the nominees and a special congratulations to the winners! How exciting for you all! I hope to be at the ceremony next year when it's in Anaheim. Felt remarkably left out this year - it's the first awards ceremony I've missed since 2006. I was definitely pining!
OOOO Barb, I would have LURVED to be at the ARRA dinner! Maybe one of these days...
During a recent RWA National, I happened to sit down at a luncheon table with Jodi Thomas, and she is one of the nicest, most lovely people you will ever meet! I'm THRILLED to see her taking home yet another winner (she has won multiple times)!
You and Helen need to quit spoiling the GR! We may not ever get him back to the Lair. :-)
AC
Hey Fo,
I'm feeling quite punk myself at missing National AGAIN this year. :-( The awards ceremony is always one of my favorite parts. Hooting and hollering for my friends is sooo much fun!
I will DEFINITELY be there next year, as it will be close to MY neck o' the woods!
AC
He did eat a few Tim Tams and I am thinking we should stop spoiling him AC LOL
Actually I have a few of these books on the TBR pile but haven't read them yet need to move them up.
I don't watch much TV so i really don't watch the awards shows but I have been to the last 3 Aust Romance Reader Awards and had a ball at all of them it is so awesome sitting with the authors and getting so excited when they win whoo hoo I was also at the last Aust Romance Writers awards for the R*by awards and loved it so good. Maybe one day I will get over to The States and be at RWA fingers crossed think what a party we could have LOL
Huge congrats to all of the winners they must all be on cloud 9 at the moment.
Have Fun
Helen
Congrats to all the winners and finalists! And special congrats to my partner at 1st Turning Point, Ann Charles, who won the GH for Nearly Departed in Deadwood--an awesome book. :)
Congrats on the GR, Barb.
Hi Aunty Cindy,
I love watching award shows like the Oscars, Emmys, Golden Globes and Tonys. I like the smaller awards shows that are broadcast on cable like the Independent Spirit Awards because they're a lot looser and not censored. I've read three of the books on the winners list.
I'm ashamed to say I have not read any of the books, but my list grows ever longer.
Congratulations and cheers to all the winners and another toast to all the finalists! I too was following eagerly the announcements as they were tweeted. I wish the GH & Rita Awards were televised. I loved the interviews and extras when Romance TV did them.
I've read seven of the winners--thirty-four of the finalists. Welcome to Harmony was a five-star review for me at The Romance Dish, and so I was particularly pleased about Jodi Thomas's win. She's already in the Hall of Fame, but this win was a new category for her. Kaki Warner's win for Best First Book was another that really delighted me. I've loved all her books. And Sharon Sala's receiving the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award was definitely a cheer-worthy moment.
I've only read one winning book, Jill Shalvis's Simply Irresistible, and I am beyond thrilled that it won!!! Fantastic book!!!
Thanks for posting the list of winners! I know you said the Golden Heart were for unpublished authors, but I have 2 books by someone who was nominated for the Golden Heart. How did that happen?
Whoooo hoooo to all the Rita and GH winners for 2011. It's truly an exciting ceremony and congratulations to all.
I do love award ceremonies, my favorite being the Oscars, which I just read are eliminating the mandatory 10 nominations for Best Picture and going instead to a percentage of the voting Academy to qualify a pix for Best Picture Award.
Barb, congrats on the rooster. Hope you can keep him comfortable there. He'd be dying of heat stroke here as it's supposed to be 104 over the holiday weekend!
Morning Everyone!
As Jo-Mama mentioned it is HOTTERN BLAZES here in NorCal. It is 9:30 in the morning and my air conditioner just kicked on! ACK!!! Do NOT wanna see that bill. :-P
Hope you are all keeping cool (or warm) and comfy this weekend. Looks like you have a list of good books here to read...
AC
Helen,
I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to have you at RWA in Anaheim next year! Barring that, guess I will just have to come to ARRA! ;-)
You and Barb need to make that chook DO SOME WORK today!
AC
Thanx for popping by, Jacquie!
And BIG WOO HOO to Ann for her Golden Heart win!!! Nearly Departed in Deadwood sounds like a FUN read.
AC
HUGS Jane!
I don't have cable so I've only watched the BIG award shows you mentioned. Sometimes they can get BORING, but I mostly watch for the clothes anyway. ;-)
AC
No worries, Marybelle!
I've only read 2 of the winners myself. (SIGH) SOOO many wonderful books, so little time...
AC
WOW Janga!
You've red 34 of the finalist?!?! I think YOU need some kind of award! WTG!
And I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE about Sharon Sala being a great choice for the Nora Award! I've sat at a table with her at National too and she is a lovely and gracious lady. HELLUVA writer too! ;-)
AC
Morning Andrea,
Jill's book is going to the top of MY list. ;-) Looks like "Welcome" and "Irresistible" were good words to have in your title this year. LOL!
AC
Miss Molly,
It is possible that some of the GH finalists were published by small presses who are not "recognized" by RWA. It's also possible that manuscripts entered in the Golden Heart were SOLD after the contest deadline (Nov. 1st) and already published -- I don't THINK that's the case, but I do know Robin Perini's winning manuscript has already sold and will be out in bookstores SOON!
AC
Hey Jo-Mama!
Hope you are keeping COOL today. I heard the 104 forecast too. UGH!!!
So glad the Oscars are following RWA's good example! The GH and Rita finalists are based on the percentage of entries in each category. ;-)
AC
I've only read the novella by Virginia Kantra (which I really liked) but I do have several of the winning books on my tbr....*sigh* which never seems to go down and only seems to grow
Hi Maria,
Don't feel alone. The Lair is the land of the never-ending TBR pile! ;-)
I've read Virginia's novella and LOVED it too!
AC
Aunty Cincy
Well today the GR will be coming to lunch with us romance readers in The City and we usually visit The Lindt Cafe for dessert so I don't think he will be working much today except for eating more chocolate LOL.
You never know your luck in a big city Ananheim is one place I would love to visit but of course we would love to have you visit Australia the next ARRA convention should be held in Brisbane QLD around March 2013.
Have Fun
Helen
Hey Helen,
I'm sooo jealous of that rotten rooster! *I* wanna go to the Lindt cafe!!! Esp. with you and a bunch of other romance readers. (Aunty pouts)
Anaheim has Disneyland, of course, so it is lots of fun to visit. Plus there are lots of other interesting sights all around the Los Angeles area.
If you haven't been there, I highly recommend you start saving NOW to go to National there NEXT July. ;-)
AC
Hey Barb! You got the rooster! Congrats on that....I guess.
Oh I So wish you all could have been at the awards ceremony. It's so great to see all the dresses and so on. There was this wonderful rose conolored confection with spangles that would have done an Oscar red-carpet proud. :> Just gorgeous. I'll bet Facebook is awash in gorgeous pictures.
Oh, have to say that Karen Rose's speech was wonderful, as was frequent Bandita Guest Virginia Kantra's.
Wasn't a dry eye in the house for Tirsza's speech.
And Sharon Sala, (winner of the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement award) you are my hero.
Hey Jo, I heard about the heat wave up your way. I hope you can stay cool somehow.
Maria, I hadn't read the novella, but everyone raved over it. Several categories were "giant killers" in that the "expected" winner, didn't. Whereas I loved the books by each of the massively famous NYT bestselling authors, it was kinda fun that the lesser known author took the prize in some categories.
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