What’s Italian for Yipppeee!
I was super lucky to be shortlisted for two of the RWNZ awards this year: The Great Beginnings competition and the Koru (Long Romance category).
The Great Beginnings competition is judged initially by readers, then the shortlist is sent to an agent and an editor for final placings. These results were announced a while ago, but we were made a fuss of at the Romance Writers Conference awards dinner anyway! Two rosettes each! Melanie Harding-Shaw (in the pic below) came 1st and 2nd and I came 2nd (in the agent’s choice) and 3rd (for the editor’s choice).
In the Koru competition, the readers do all the judging. It’s the audience-choice award and divided into categories – long, short, novella, and debut. The competition was fierce and I was absolutely thrilled to come in 2nd place for What’s Italian for Yummy?
If you haven’t got your hands on my latest book, it’s a sexy, food-centric romcom set in Rome. Summer is a baker, determined to prove herself, to build her reputation – this time without piggy-backing on anyone else’s success. Then she meets her charming new neighbor, and a roof-top bar and a sizzling kiss make everything seem possible.
Finn is impatient to get back on the rugby field after a knee injury. Summer is the perfect distraction, except that she loathes rugby and everything that comes with it. Keeping his career a secret seems like the safest move at first. But then he tastes Summer’s cakes.
And Summer’s pastries.
And Summer.
Speaking of summer (the season, rather than the baker), we’re nearly there! I can see the grass growing if I sit still long enough. The end of the school year is fast-approaching, and as a teacher my life is basically ruled by the term calendar.
It’s been a helluva year and I’ve recently come to the realisation that putting out a book isn’t going to happen before Christmas. Which is fine, in every real sense, but in my head it’s a bit of a let-down. I’ve got a whole heap of projects in the pipeline but none of them are quite ready to squirt out into the world yet.
Don’t worry, I’ll give you some warning,
xx
Amy
