Each year the Romantic Novelists’ Association presents the Joan Hessayon Award to those members who have come through the Association’s New Writers’ Scheme and have succeeded in having their manuscript published.

This year there were seven contenders, myself included. The winner was announced at the Association’s summer party held in London on Wednesday, 13th May.

As the chairman of the Association, Katie Fforde commented, each and everyone of the women up for the award had won.

Congratulations must go to the overall winner, Allie Spencer, for her novel, Tug of Love, published by Little Black Dress.

As for me… knowing that The House on the Shore was deemed good enough to be a contender and seeing it published, is sufficent reward.