I’ve been missing in action with work and family commitments, but normal service will resume tomorrow with a WIP Wednesday.

I’m popping in today to tell you my exciting news. A Baron for Becky is on the long list for a RONE Award. The RONES are run by the In’D’Tale Magazine, who reviewed A Baron for Becky last year.

I was thrilled with the four-star rating they gave the book at the time; the magazine’s reviewers are parsimonious with their fours and fives. But I did not realise that a four or five star rating put you on the list for the RONES. So A Baron for Becky is one of thirty-five books, out of the hundreds of historical romances they reviewed, to go through to the next round of judging.

Next step is reader voting. In the week 23 May to 29 May, readers will be asked to vote for their favourites. I’m up against tough competition, including Mariana Gabrielle’s La Deésse Noire: The Black Goddess and Caroline Warfield’s Dangerous Weakness (she smugly notes that nearly 10% of the long list are by Bluestocking Belles—as was one of last year’s finalists).

The top rating books from that round go to the final judges, and they will decide the category winner, to be announced at the In’D’Tale Conference in October.

So it is all very exciting.