Many of you already heard my news: HER TEMPORARY HERO is a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA Awards. So the phone ran around 10 am I think… and I of course, was my usual graceful self. My response when the woman announced she was with RWA? “Seriously? This is really happening?” Yeah, I’m a total dork sometimes.
She assured me HER TEMPORARY HERO had truly been nominated for the RITA in mid-length contemporary. And frankly, she really sounded sure
I ran out back and told Wizard who was cleaning the pool. “He’s like, wait you’ve been nominated for, and won other RWA awards, right?” He was trying to figure out why I was acting strange (okay stranger than usual). (Also I’m always excited and honored when my books place in any contest!)
It finally dawned on him what I was talking about. “At the chapter/local level, this is national! The RITA’s. You have to be in the top 4 to 6% of scores, it’s like the Academy Awards of Romance. They swear they nominated Her Temporary Hero but I waiting to see if my names shows on the list.”
“JEN!!! YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU WERE WAITING FOR THE CALL TODAY!!”
Umm, yeah, he might have yelled that. It’s true, I didn’t say a word to anyone because… “Uhh, I didn’t think they would call.”
“Damn, all these years you worked so hard, and look at you now.” Then Wizard jumped on his computer and started looking at flights and hotels to NY for the big awards ceremony in July.
And me? I sat at my computer, on the announcement page of finalists and did this: Refresh! Refresh! Refresh! Refresh! until my name finally showed. After a few minutes, it finally did! What do you know, it wasn’t a mistake
Here’s the list of others in my category and they are amazing!
Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length
Carolina Man
by Virginia Kantra
Penguin Publishing Group USA, Berkley Sensation
Cindy Hwang, editor
Her Cowboy Hero
by Tanya Michaels
Harlequin, American Romance
Johanna Raisanen, editor
Her Kind of Trouble
by Sarah Mayberry
Harlequin, Superromance
Wanda Ottewell, editor
Her Temporary Hero
by Jennifer Apodaca
Entangled Publishing, Indulgence
Kate Fall and Alethea Spiridon Hopson, editors
Love with a Perfect Cowboy
by Lori Wilde
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books
Lucia Macro, editor
Once a Family
by Tara Taylor Quinn
Harlequin, Superromance
Paula Eykelhof, editor
One in a Million
by Jill Shalvis
Grand Central Publishing
Leah Hultenschmidt and Alex Logan, editors
Reforming the Playboy
by Inara Scott
Entangled Publishing, Indulgence
Alethea Spiridon Hopson, editor
Starting with June
by Emilie Rose
Harlequin, Superromance
Wanda Ottewell and Karen Reid, editors
Worth the Fall
by Caitie Quinn
Self-published
Jenn Harris, editor
I still don’t know if I’m going to NY or the ceremony, but this is one of those moments I’m thrilled to experience! I also owe thanks to many, many people, including Entangled Publishing and my two editors Kate Fall and Alethea Spiridon Hopson, who supported my effort to show the hero, Logan Knight as a man dealing with PTSD in the most authentic way I’m capable of writing. That was super important to me, as was showing Becky, the heroine, as young but very strong woman and mother. I’m just thrilled to have the book nominated!
Now I have to get back to making CAGED MAGIC shine. This nomination gave me a boost of confidence to tackle it! I’ll be doing that all weekend.
So what are you guys doing this weekend?