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2021 Golden Leaf Contest for Published Authors
​Finalists

New Jersey Romance Writers is thrilled to announce the finalists in our 2021 Golden Leaf contest! The winners will be announced at our Holiday Party in December. Stay tuned for details, and many congratulations to all our finalists!

***Permission to forward granted and encouraged ****

Long Contemporary
Casey Dembrowski  When We’re Thirty
Deborah Garland  Bossy Billionaire 
Jennie Marts  When a Cowboy Loves a Woman

Mid-length Contemporary
Ada Austen  Better Late Than Never 
Jessica Calla and Heather Van Fleet   Love in the Aisles
Nancy Herkness  The Hacker 

Short Contemporary
Laurel Greer  Snowbound with the Sheriff
Tracey J. Lyons   The Amish Teacher’s Wish 
J.B. Schroeder  Xanadu XOXO
 
Erotica
Opal Carew  Stroke of Luck 
Ann Jensen  Caught in the Dark
Barbara Nolan   Beyond Regret 
​Historical
Terri Brisbin    Tempted by Her Viking Enemy 
Terri Brisbin    An Outlaw’s Honor
Cecelia Rene  The Bachelor Duke
 
Novella
Caro Carson  Gingerbread and Jingle Bells
Deborah Garland  The Cowboy’s Forbidden Crush 
Maria Imbalzano  The Blueberry Swirl Waltz 
 
Paranormal
Roni Denholtz  Lightning Strikes
Roni Denholtz  Lightning Strikes Again 
Roni Denholtz  Lightning Strikes Twice

Romantic Suspense
Nonna Henry  The Rough Ride
Elizabeth John  Forever Keep Your Secret
Judy Kentrus   Frozen Hearts 
 
Best Book by a New Jersey Author
Ada Austen  Better Late Than Never
Jessica Calla  Snowed In
Nancy Herkness  The Hacker
 
Best First Book
Casey Dembrowski  When We’re Thirty
Nonna Henry  The Rough Ride
Ann Jensen  Saved by the Dark

Categories

  • Best First Book: any romance novel from a first-time author not previously published in book ­length romantic fiction, regardless of publishing medium.
  • Contemporary Romance: Short: Novels that are set from 1950 to the present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are between 40,000 and 56,000 words in length.
  • Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length: Novels that are set from 1950 to the present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are between 56,000 and 84,000 words in length.
  • Contemporary Romance: Long: Novels that are set from 1950 to the present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are 84,000 or more words.
  • Historical Romance: Novels set prior to 1950. Includes Regency romances. 40,000 word minimum.
  • Novella: short pieces of romantic fiction between 20-40,000 words. (Trade magazines do not normally fall under the proper word count; however, if your novella does, the acceptability of such work will be the decision of the contest chairperson.)
  • Paranormal Romance: Any romance novel in which either time travel, futuristic, fantasy world or paranormal happenings are a major element of the plot. 40,000 word minimum.
  • Romantic Suspense: Any romance novel in which suspense, mystery, or thriller elements constitute a major part of the plot. 40,000 word minimum.
  • Erotic Romance: Novels in which strong, often explicit, sexual interaction is an inherent part of the love story, character growth and relationship development and could not be removed without damaging the storyline. These novels may contain elements of other romance subgenres (such as paranormal, historical, etc.).