Wow, it's getting cold isn't it?  Perfect weather for curling up with a beverage of your choice, sitting in front of the heater and consuming a nice spicy novel.  

SARA Members have loads out there, and more to come.

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Anne Oliver has been nominated for a R*BY - Romance Writers of Australia's Romance Book of the Year with Her Not-So-Secret-Diary.  Fantastic news, Anne!  We wait with baited breath for conference when we hear of the winners.  

Now, SARAs should absolutely correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that Anne is staring down the exciting barrel of her third win, following on from her 2007 win in the short category with Behind Closed Doors, and 2008 with One Night Before Marriage.  Way to go, Anne.

Other SARA winners/finalists in recent years include Trish Morey and Elizabeth Rolls.  Check the RWA R*BY archive for the full list.  


Dy Loveday has recently received a contract for her fantasy romance, Illusion. Congratulations, Dy.  Very exciting for you and we can't wait to hear more.  

Bec Sampson continues her winning ways with second place in the Young Adult section of the Connecticut Chapter of RWA 'The Write Stuff' contest, with 'Fake'.  Big congrats to you again, Bec.

In more awesome news, Amy T Matthews has been shortlisted for the 2012 Dobbie Literary Award with End Of The Night Girl.  Fabulous stuff, Amy. Best of luck.  

See Lilliana Rose's blog for a list of her recently published poems.  She's been a busy girl.  

Tamara Gill has signed a contract with Crimson Romance for her single title regency time travel romance, A Stolen Season, to be published later this year.  You're on fire, Tam!  Congratulations.

Tamara's blog hop to celebrate the release of A Marriage Made in Mayfair is fast approaching, so get thee to her webbie to get a piece of the action.

Here's a blurb for A Stolen Season:
Archaeologist Sarah Baxter had a clear directive: travel back to nineteenth century London to retrieve the measuring device she left behind. But her bungled attempt at thievery left an English Earl dead and his brother bent on revenge. Sarah must once again go back in time to find the device and return to her own time before her tragic mistake puts a noose around her neck. Unfortunately, the only way to get close to the device is to befriend the very man who wants her dead.
Eric the new Earl of Earnston was determined to catch the woman who killed his brother, but she'd disappeared without a trace. Twelve months on and there are still no clues to her whereabouts. As luck would have it, he finds a distraction. A new family have arrived in town and Miss Sarah Baxter is a delightful diversion among the stale debutantes in the ton.
Sarah knows it is madness to seduce the man who would want her dead should he know who she was, but the Earl is an alarmingly persistent gentleman. Can Sarah procure the device without her secret being revealed? And what will the Earl do when he finds out the woman he’s in love with is not the woman he thought he knew.


Until next time, happy reading.
Emmeline.  

 
 
Big congratulations to our SARA members who have made the bestseller lists for March:

Amazon US
Harlequin Presents Top 100
A Royal Engagement – Trish Morey + Others
The Ex Factor – Anne Oliver
Forbidden: The Sheikh’s Virgin – Trish Morey
The Heir from Nowhere – Trish Morey

Amazon US
Anthologies Top 100
To Sin with Scandal – Tamara Gill
A Captain’s Order – A Duke’s Command – Tamara Gill

 
 
 
 
Today, how about a short black and a tiny biscotti as you read the SARA NEWS?

A big congratulations to Tamara Gill, who not only recently finalled in the RWA's Emerald Award, but has also sold her Regency Novella, currently titled A Marriage Made in Mayfair, to Decadent Publishing.  Stay tuned for more at Tamara's website and blog.  

More congratulations are due to our bestsellers for January:
Amazon US
Harlequin Presents Series Top 100
Fiancee For One Night - Trish Morey
There's Something About a Rebel - Anne Oliver
The Latin Lover: The Greek Tycoon's Inherited Bride / Back in the Spainard's Bed - Trish Morey + Others
Amazon US
Romance Anthologies Top 100
To Sin with Scandal - Tamara Gill

In other Trish Morey news, there's a new cover!  Read more about DUTY AND THE BEAST at Trish's blog.  

 
 
Well, another year is upon us.  Isn't that exciting?

SARA members have ushered in the new year with a variety of great news:

Claire Baxter has had at least one short story included in an anthology produced by the publishers of the South African magazine, You.  It contains their 40 favourite stories from the last ten years and is out now.

 
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Trish Morey has a new release: SECRETS OF CASTILLO DEL ARCO (HM&B Sexy).

Trish has also received a fabulous review from RT Book Reviews for one of her new books; FIANCEE FOR ONE NIGHT, which is out in the US now.  More on Trish's Blog.

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Lillian Grant got a 4.5star review from Book Wenches for MALE ORDER, aka The Man With The Big...Hat.  More on Lillian's Blog.



Bronwyn Stuart has sold her historical romance, Scandal's Mistress, to Carina Press.  Read about Bron's call story on her blog.  


Dy Loveday has had her short story, Game Play, accepted for an anthology by Wicked East Press.  It should be available mid-2012.  See more about Dy at dyloveday.com

Bec Sampson has finalled in the Southern Magic's Young Adult Section of the Linda Howard Contest for Excellence, with 'Lifer', and Linda Brown has finalled in the same competition in the Unique Genres Section with 'Enchanting the Duke'.  

Finally, Tamara Gill's TO SIN WITH SCANDAL made it to the Amazon US Top 100 Best-seller list again in December. 

Wishing you all a marvellous 2012!
 
 
We know you've been waiting for it!  Here are our bestselling SARAs for August:
Borders US (Series Romance Top 100) HER-NOT-SO-SECRET DIARY By Anne Oliver

Borders US (Series Romance Top 100) THE HEIR FROM NOWHERE By Trish Morey

Amazon US (Romance Anthologies Top 100) A CAPTAIN'S ORDER - A DUKE'S COMMAND by Tamara Gill

Amazon US (Romance Anthologies Top 100) TO SIN WITH SCANDAL by Tamara Gill


Congratulations to our bestselling SARAs!

More on Aussie bestsellers for August at the Romance Writers of Australia blog.  
 
 
Where to start...where to start.  So much NEWS!  

Shall we start with the beverage and the TimTam (always a first-rate place to start)?  I'll wait...

Mmm, Double coat.  Excellent choice.  :)

Okey doke, hold onto your hat--here comes the news!


*First up, big congrats to Bec Sampson (aka Becca J Heath) who currently has a new finals award in her clever fingers.  She has taken out third place (Contemporary Series Romance) in the Toronto Romance Writer's Catherine Award for 2011, with A FUTURE FOR ABBY.  Nice one, Bec!  

Check out Bec's blog, too.  She's got a cool conference wrap-up there.  While you're hitting the keys, take a look at the RWA blog on the Awards Night.

*In other contest news, Virginia Taylor has been scooping the pool over in the west.  Take a look at these excellent results for her books STARLING, ELLA & BREE:
STARLING, historical finalist in the New Jersey Romance Writers Put Your Heart in a Book.
STARLING, historical finalist in Heart of the West.
ELLA, historical finalist in Heart of the West.
BREE, mystery/suspense finalist in Heart of the West.

Wow, awesome results Virginia!  Best of luck, and we look forward to hearing the final outcomes on those.  

*The Bestseller Lists for July are out, here are the SARAs:

Amazon US
Romance Top 100
His Lady Mistress – Elizabeth Rolls
Regency Romance Top 100 
His Lady Mistress – Elizabeth Rolls 
Anthology Top 100 
To Sin with Scandal – Tamara Gill
A Captain’s Order – A Duke’s Command – Tamara Gill

Congratulations to Elizabeth and Tamara.  Nice job on those lists, too, Tam!  :)

*Speaking of Tamara Gill, her Amazon bestseller A Captain’s Order – A Duke’s Command tied in first place (Historical) in the RWA's 20 Years of Cover Contest.   Congrats again, Tam!  

*In more conference news, the Clayton's Conference (obviously, the conference you're having when you're not having THE Conference) was marvellously co-hosted by our own Eleni Konstantine.  Check out Eleni's 
Clayton's Conference Wrap-Up.

*Fancy a look at the Conference Round up on the RWA blog?  Here it is.  
Scroll down for selected amusing tweets...

...But wait, there's more!

*At the recent Conference, there were more awards for SARAs!  This time, it was for BEST DRESSED at the RWA Roaring Twenties Cocktail Party!  

Third prize went to Sharon (as a Ziegfeld Girl)
Second Prize went to Lynn (as Amelia Earhart)
aaaaaaand First Prize went to Maggie Mundy:

Congrats, ladies.  What a superb effort!  

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Lillian Grant's Siren BookStrand release Speak To Me of Abduction recently received an awesome 4.5 stars out of 5 review from BookWenches.  

Here's a snippet:

If you are looking for a story featuring a little bit of glamour, a fair share of danger, and love scenes that are hot enough to make you squirm, then I recommend you give Speak to Me of Abduction a shot. Ms. Grant has penned a very readable, enjoyable story here. And if you enjoyed these characters, you’ll be happy to know that Ms. Grant has just released Jonathan’s story. I can’t wait to see what kind of situation he finds himself in next.


Read the full review at the July reviews page at BookWenches.

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Amy T Matthews' End Of The Night Girl was very favourably reviewed by Gillian Dooley on Writer's Radio/Radio Adelaide.  

'I can see I'm going to have trouble reining in the superlatives for this review. How can anyone
complain about the state of Australian fiction when novels like Amy Matthews'
End of the Night Girl are being written, winning awards and getting published? Let's just hope they're also being bought and read widely, and will find their way onto curricula in universities - because novels like this have limitless capacity for stimulating deep thought and intelligent discussion.
End of the Night Girl is a novel of ideas in the best possible sense. It's a
novel that asks questions it doesn't know how to answer about the most profound issues humans have ever faced.
It's also witty, dry, unsentimental and sharply observed.'




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This year, the Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) celebrates it's 20th anniversary.  To commemorate this occasion and just to generally party, The RWA held 20 Years of Romance Covers contest.

We're very pleased to announce that two of our members made the top fifteen!  

Trish Morey (THE STORM WITHIN, in A Royal Wedding) and Tamara Gill (A Captain's Order, A Duke's Command) will now have to wait until the RWA 20th Annual Conference "From Here to Eternity" to see if they took out the top spot--the best cover of the last 20 years.  

Congratulations, everyone!

 
 
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It's big news!  Amy T Matthews will be featured on the ABC's 7:30 Report talking about her new Wakefield Press release, End Of The Night Girl.  Tune in to the 7:30 Report on June 24th, and find the episode on the ABC website after that date.  

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SARAs abound in the Romance Writers of Australia's Bestseller list for May.  

*Trish MoreyThe Heir From Nowhere (Borders US Series Top 100)

*Elizabeth RollsHis Lady Mistress (Amazon US Historical Regency Romance Top 100, Amazon UK Top 100, Amazon UK Historical)

*Elizabeth Rolls and others, Delectably Undone (Amazon US Anthology)

*Elizabeth Rolls, A Compromised Lady (Amazon UK Historical)

*Elizabeth Rolls, Lord Braybrook's Penniless Bride (Amazon UK Historical)

*Tamara Gill, To SIn With Scandal (Amazon US Anthology)


More on Bestsellers at the RWA Blog.  

 
 
There's been some big news coming out of SARA in recent weeks.  Grab a beverage, nab a chocolate biscuit, take a seat and enjoy!
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First cab off the literary rank is Amy T Matthews' impending Wakefield Press release, END OF THE NIGHT GIRL.  This is the manuscript that saw Amy taking out the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature Unpublished Manuscript Award last year .  Check out that awesome cover.  Big congrats Amy, and all the best with the upcoming launch!

Two novels teasingly combine in one as End of the Night Girl explores the shadow cast by the Holocaust across centuries, continents, and cultures. Molly’s story, set in Adelaide and told in the first person, is a sassy modern drama of a young woman’s search for purpose amid confused family, sexual and social relationships. Under Molly’s pen emerges, jigsaw-like, the third-person Holocaust story of Gienia, a murdered young Polish Jewish woman who may or may not be fictional. Winner 2010 Adelaide Festival Award for Best Unpublished Manuscript.


Amy will also guest spot on the 7:30 Report soon about her novel.  Stay tuned!

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Cover love continues as we take a look at Lillian Grant's upcoming release from Siren Bookstrand, SPEAK TO ME OF ABDUCTION, due out in June.

Congrats, Lillian!  Here's a blurb:

After accepting a movie role, Charlene Page, worries she might be the next rising porn star.  On reflection, that might have been safer.

Stuck in Rio and desperate for cash, Australian backpacker Charlene accepts a minor movie role. When her co-star, Holly wood hunk and serial womanizer, Jonathon Deveraux is abducted from the set she turns to his older brother for help.

Oscar winner and Hollywood good guy Jacob Deveraux is a recluse. However, when his brother goes missing, he agrees to help the hapless backpacker who appears to have been deceived into taking a movie role so that Jonathon could woo her into his bed.  The more determined he is to keep his distance the more he is drawn to her.  When it becomes obvious his bother’s kidnapping is designed to punish Jacob he worries Charlene may be next.  Despite his best efforts to keep her safe she is grabbed off the street. Can he find and save his brother and Charlene or will he lose another woman he loves?



Now, you know Rebecca Sampson?  You've heard of her, right?  Well, big congrats to Bec, who has officially taken out the numero uno spot in the Yellow Rose RWA Winter Rose Contest for unpublished writers in the YA section, with her story ALLI'S PLAYGROUND.   Go you, Bec!

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Congratulations also to our bestselling authors for April, Tamara Gill AMAZON US Anthology) & Elizabeth Rolls (AMAZON US Anthology/Historical/Regency, Book Depository Overall Bestsellers).  More at the Romance Writers of Australia Blog.  

Go SARAs!  
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