Image by Camilo Queipo Photography

TUESDAY 7TH MARCH 2023 Newport-based author, Vicki Beeby, has WON the Romantic Saga Award with her novel, A New Start for the Wrens, for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s (RNA) annual Romantic Novel Awards for 2023. The awards celebrate excellence in romantic fiction in all its forms.

Vicki Beeby writes historical fiction about the friendships and loves of service women brought together by the Second World War. Her first job was as a civil engineer on a sewage treatment project, so things could only improve from there. Since then, she has worked as a maths teacher and education consultant before turning freelance to give herself more time to write. In her free time, when she can drag herself away from reading, she enjoys walking and travelling to far-off places by train. She lives in Shropshire in a house that doesn’t contain nearly enough bookshelves.

She commented, ‘This has to count as one of my proudest achievements – I’m thrilled to have won. Writing A New Start for the Wrens gave me an escape from the stresses of lockdown, and I’ve been touched by messages from readers telling me how the book helped them through difficult times. Without the support I’ve had from the RNA I don’t think I’d have written it in the first place so I’m really grateful for the amazing work they do championing romantic fiction.’

Jean Fullerton, the RNA Chair, commented, ‘Once again the judges have had the almost impossible task of choosing winners for each of our romantic awards categories. Huge congratulations to our worthy winners.’

Sharon Ibbotson, the RNA Awards Coordinator, said, ‘Our Romantic Novel Awards in 2023 had nearly five hundred entries, which were whittled down to nine very worthy winners by our amazing reader-judges. Along with the winner of the Popular Romantic Fiction Award, their stories made people laugh, smile, weep and above all, fall in love. I am delighted to congratulate them for their success in our awards.’

The awards, which have been held since their inception in 1960, are highly respected in the UK publishing industry. Previous winners include Santa Montefiore, Joe Heap, Julie Cohen and Milly Johnson. The awards are unique in that they are judged entirely by readers, without input from any industry professionals.

The award categories for this year were as follows: The Fantasy Romantic Novel Award, the Jackie Collins Award for Romantic Thrillers, the Katie Fforde Debut Romantic Novel Award, the Christmas/Festive Holiday Romantic Novel Award, the Shorter Romantic Novel Award, the Romantic Saga Award, the Jane Wenham-Jones Award for Romantic Comedy, the Historical Romantic Novel Award, the Contemporary Romantic Novel Award, and the Popular Romantic Fiction Award (voted for by librarians, booksellers and book bloggers/reviewers).

The winners of the awards were announced during the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Romantic Novel Awards ceremony, which was held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City on Monday 6th March 2023.

A NEW START FOR THE WRENS BOOK BLURB (Publisher: Canelo)

Spoiled, wealthy Iris Tredwick joins the WRNS and is sent to a remote posting in Orkney. Soon she meets mechanic Rob, but her domineering mother does not approve. Then tragedy strikes, and Iris fears the enemy is at work on the island. Can she and her friends prevent another disaster?

VICKI BEEBY’S MEDIA DETAILS

Facebook: facebook.com/VickiBeebyAuthor
Website: www.vickibeeby.co.uk
Twitter: twitter.com/VickiBeeby