2008 RITA and Golden Heart Awards
In case you missed my up-to-the-minute coverage of the 2008 RWA award ceremony for the Golden Heart and the RITAs, you can find the final award winners by clicking here. These were some of the highlights:
Seattle RWA member Joleen Wieser won the Golden Heart for Best Contemporary Series Romance for her book Under a Harvest Moon. CONGRATS!
Seattle author Julia Quinn won the RITA for Best Regency Historical Romance for The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever, which I lurved. She let me take my picture with her and her RITA (see above) and will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Emerald City Writer’s Conference in October. Julia wins the award for Most Creative Save for her sister’s use of a conference sticker to fix Julia’s award dress.
Jennifer Greene won the RITA for Best Romance Novella for “Born in My Heart” in Like Mother, Like Daughter. She wins the award for Best Tearjerker Speech for telling the story about how her novella came out last year for Mother’s Day and was dedicated to her 87-year-old mother. Her mother asked her to read it out loud, and two weeks later her mother passed away. I doubt there was a dry-eye in the entire room.
Debut author Deanna Raybourn won the RITA for Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements for Silent in the Grave. She wins the award for Most Teary Speech, and it was lovely to see someone so incredibly overcome. She told the audience that her friend had asked “Did you write a speech?” and she responded, laughing, “No, I’m up against Nora Roberts!” Kensington editor Hilary Sares (who is NOT Deanna’s publisher) was pimping her book big time in the Selling Historicals workshop that I attended. The Lusty Wenches Book Club has Silent in the Grave on the To-Read list for upcoming months.
J.D. Ward won the RITA for Best Paranormal Romance for Lover Revealed, and her critique partner (and fellow awesome paranormal author) Jessica Andersen accepted it on her behalf. Ward wins the award for Funniest Speech, thanking everyone who helped bring Butch “out” and the letter V (a la Sesame Street).
Kristan Higgins won the RITA for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance for Catch of the Day. She wins Best Thank You Speech, saying “Thanks to my husband for great sex.”
La Nora presented the 2008 Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award to Vicki Lewis Thompson, who thanked “Nora ‘I don’t need no stinkin name tag’ Roberts” and shared the secret to her success with the audience: It’s all about having three names.
There were beautiful dresses galore and fancy deserts at the reception after the award ceremony. Kensington editor Kate Duffy warned me many people get diabetes just looking at the chocolate offerings.
Tags: 2008 Golden Heart, 2008 RITA, 2008 RWA awards, 2008 RWA Conference, Deanna Raybourn, Golden Heart Award, J.D. Ward, Jennifer Greene, Jessica Andersen, Joleen Wieser, Julia Quinn, Kate Duffy, Kristan Higgins, Nora Roberts, RITA award, Romance writers, Vicki Lewis Thompson
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
August 3, 2008 at 7:39 am
Great coverage of the RITAs, Ciara! I started following your tweets last night, but the time difference was killing me! lol I caught up this morning, though. It was fun following you and Angela James… practically saying the same things within second of each other.
August 3, 2008 at 8:42 am
Great coverage! I would have gone into sugar overload. You and Julia look great!
Next year I will stay for the awards.
August 3, 2008 at 9:21 am
Thanks for the “best speech” nod, Ciara! It wasn’t what I had written on the notecard, but there you go.