Romantic Novelists' Association

Last updated

The Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) is the professional body representing authors of romantic fiction in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1960 by Denise Robins (first president), Barbara Cartland (first vice-president), Vivian Stuart (first elected chairman), and other authors including Elizabeth Goudge, Netta Muskett, Catherine Cookson, Rosamunde Pilcher and Lucilla Andrews.

Contents

The RNA has a membership approaching 1000, composed of authors and publishing professionals. It promotes and celebrates romantic fiction across all sub-genres. It holds events, including an annual conference and workshops/seminars on aspects of writing craft and the publishing industry. The organisation has regional chapters, which meet regularly to discuss issues of concern to writers of romantic fiction. The RNA runs the New Writers' Scheme, under which unpublished authors receive an appraisal of their work from an experienced member of the Association. Netta Muskett was co-founder and vice-president of the association [1] and the Netta Muskett Award for new writers, now called the RNA New Writers Scheme, was created in her honour.

History

Awards

The RNA recognises excellence in romantic fiction through their annual Romantic Novel of the Year Awards. The Romantic Novel of the Year Awards cover several categories, including fantasy, contemporary and saga, and are judged by readers. Once a year, the RNA also awards a debut authors' prize, sponsored by Dr. David Hessayon. The RNA also holds annual industry awards, recognising individuals and or companies who have promoted the genre of romantic fiction. [2]

Staff

Board of Directors

Since 2021, the chair of the board has been Jean Fullerton. [1] [3]

Current Directors (alphabetical):

Andrea Davies

Jean Fullerton

Katie Ginger

Annette Hannah

Sharon Ibbotson

Sue Merritt

Seana Talbot

Maria Wilson

Presidents

Vice-Presidents

Former Vice-Presidents
Honorary Vice-Presidents
Associate Vice-Presidents

Committee

Committee Chair

Honor Life members

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Hilda's College, Oxford</span> College of the University of Oxford

St Hilda's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college is named after the Anglo-Saxon saint Hilda of Whitby and was founded in 1893 as a hall for women; it remained a women's college until 2008. St Hilda's was the last single-sex college in the university as Somerville College had admitted men in 1994. The college now has almost equal numbers of men and women at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 2000.

The Clarence Derwent Awards are theatre awards given annually by the Actors' Equity Association on Broadway in the United States and by Equity, the performers' union, in the West End in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Finn</span> English actress (1929–2007)

Christine L. T. Finn was an English actress, known primarily for her role in the 1950s TV serial Quatermass and the Pit, and, after that, her voice work for the 1960s Thunderbirds television series. She also performed in film, radio and theatre in a career that started in the 1940s and lasted until the mid-1970s.

Ida Julia Pollock was a British writer of several short-stories and over 125 romance novels that were published under her married name, Ida Pollock, and under a number of different pseudonyms: Joan M. Allen; Susan Barrie, Pamela Kent, Averil Ives, Anita Charles, Barbara Rowan, Jane Beaufort, Rose Burghley, Mary Whistler and Marguerite Bell. She has sold millions of copies over her 90-year career. She has been referred to as the "world's oldest novelist" who was still active at 105 and continued writing until her death. On the occasion of her 105th birthday, Pollock was appointed honorary vice-president of the Romantic Novelists' Association, having been one of its founding members.

Violet Vivian Stuart was a British writer from 1953 to 1986. She published under different pen names: her romantic novels as Vivian Stuart, Alex Stuart, Barbara Allen, Fiona Finlay, and Robyn Stuart, her military sagas as V.A. Stuart, and her historical saga as William Stuart Long.

June Sylvia Thimblethorpe, better known by the pen name of Sylvia Thorpe, was a British writer of romance novels from 1950 to 1983.

Sheila Frances Walsh was a British writer of romance novels from 1975 to 2001; she also wrote as Sophie Leyton.

The Romantic Novel of the Year Award is an award for romance novels since 1960, presented by Romantic Novelists' Association, and since 2003, the novellas, also won the Love Story of the Year.

The Women's Home Internationals were an amateur team golf championship for women contested between the four Home Nations of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, where Ireland was represented by the whole island of Ireland on an All-Ireland basis. After the Ladies' Golf Union, the former governing body for women's golf in Great Britain and Ireland, merged into The R&A in 2016, The R&A took over organisation of the event. The match was played annually and the venue cycled between the four nations. In 2022 the match was replaced by a combined Women's and Men's Home Internationals.

The 2002 Queen's Birthday and Golden Jubilee Honours in New Zealand, celebrating the official birthday of Queen Elizabeth II and the golden jubilee of her reign, were appointments made by the Queen in her right as Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of the New Zealand government, to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders. They were announced on 3 June 2002.

References

  1. 1 2 Past RNA Officers
  2. "Wade, Diss Publishing Bookshop and Boldwood Books triumph at RNA's Industry Awards". The Bookseller. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  3. RNA Officers
  4. 1 2 Bookworm on the Net online at bookwormonthenet.blogspot.com (accessed 4 April 2008)