A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." However, precursors include authors of literary fiction, such as Samuel Richardson, Jane Austen, and Charlotte Brontë.
Nora Roberts is an American author of more than 225 romance novels. She writes as J. D. Robb for the in Death series and has also written under the pseudonyms Jill March and for publications in the U.K. as Sarah Hardesty.
Pamela Britton is an American author of romance novels. In addition to writing novels, she is a freelance journalist for the Quarter Horse journal JQURNAL. Her non-fiction work is written under the name Pamela Britton-Baer. She is best known for being the first author to secure NASCAR licensing for her works of fiction.
Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit genre writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by increasing public awareness of the romance genre." Relevant works must be themed around the development of a romantic relationship between two people, and there must be a happy ending. As well as published authors, those with complete but unpublished manuscripts are eligible for membership.
Lisa Kleypas is a best-selling American author of historical and contemporary romance novels. In 1985, she was named Miss Massachusetts 1985 and competed in the Miss America 1986 pageant in Atlantic City.
LaVyrle Spencer is an American best-selling author of contemporary and historical romance novels. She has successfully published a number of books, with several of them made into movies. Twelve of her books have been New York Times bestsellers, and Spencer was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame in 1988. She retired from writing in 1997.
Christina Dodd is the best-selling American author of suspense and regency historical romance. She is a recipient of the RITA Award.
Lynn Kurland is a best-selling American author of historical, time travel, and fantasy romance novels. The characters in most of her books all belong to one of three extended families and her love scenes are not as explicit as many other popular romances. She is a recipient of the RITA Award.
Anne Frasier is a pseudonym for Theresa Weir.
The RITA Award was the most prominent award for English-language romance fiction from 1990 to 2019. It was presented by the Romance Writers of America (RWA). The purpose of the RITA Award was to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published novels and novellas. It was named for the RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada. It was not awarded in 2020, and was replaced by the Vivian Award, awarded for the first time in 2021.
Jeffrey McClanahan is an American novelist from Texas who writes with her sister, Pam Cumbie, under the joint pen name of Dixie Cash. McClanahan is also an “award-winning author of six western romance novels under the name of Anna Jeffrey.” For her 2009 novel, McClanahan has taken on a third pseudonym, Sadie Callahan.
Irene Hannon is an American author of romance and romantic suspense novels.
Sherry M. Thomas is an American novelist of young adult fantasy, historical romance, and contemporary romance. She has won multiple awards including the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Historical Romance for Not Quite a Husband in 2010 and His at Night in 2011. Most best-of-romance lists include one of her titles.
Lorraine Heath is an American author of contemporary romance, historical romance, paranormal romance and young adult novels under multiple pen names, including Rachel Hawthorne, J.A. London, and Jade Parker. She is known for her "beautiful, deeply emotional romances" and in 1997, she received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Short Historical Romance for her novel Always to Remember. As of June 2015, fifteen of her titles made the USA Today bestseller list.
Jeffe Kennedy is a fantasy and erotic romance author who has published dozens of novels, including the fantasy romance series The Twelve Kingdoms, The Uncharted Realms and The Chroniclles of Dasnaria from Kensington Books. Her novel The Pages of the Mind won the 2017 RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance. In 2019, St. Martin's Press will release The Orchid Throne, her first book in a new romantic fantasy series titled The Forgotten Empires.
Kari Lynn Dell is an American romance novelist and rodeo competitor.
A Rogue By Any Other Name is a historical romance written by Sarah MacLean and published by Avon in 2012. It is the first book in her Rules of Scoundrels quartet. The novel won a RITA Award for Best Historical Romance in 2013.
Talia Hibbert is a British romance novelist. She writes contemporary and paranormal romance. Critics describe her as a writer of diverse narratives, with characters of varying race, ethnicity, body shape, sexual orientation, and life experience. She is best known for her 2019 novel Get a Life, Chloe Brown.
Tiffany Reisz is an American author. She is best known for the Original Sinners series of erotica and she has won the RITA Award and a Lambda Literary Award.
Racism in the romance fiction industry is a recognized issue that has received scholarly attention since the 1980s. Romance novels featuring protagonists of color were not published before 1969 in the United States and did not become part of the mainstream romance fiction industry before 1980. Romance novels featuring Black protagonists were marketed differently and, as of 2021, have been frequently shelved in segregated sections. Black novelists have felt unwelcome in industry organizations and industry awards are not regularly accorded to their work.