​
2022 Golden Leaf Contest for Published Authors
​Winners

At our Virtual Awards Ceremony on December 10, New Jersey Romance Writers was thrilled to announce the winners of our 2022 Golden Leaf Awards for published books. Please join us in congratulating our winners and finalists!

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

​* Denotes NJRW members
Contemporary Long:
WINNER: Deborah Garland, The Cowboy’s Rebel Heart

​Second Place: Miranda Liasson, The Sweetheart Deal
Third Place: Marina Reznor, Cup-Tied
Contemporary Mid Length:
WINNER: Stacey Wilk*, Taking Root

​Second Place: Nancy Robards Thompson, Cinderella Next Door
Third Place: Jennifer Wilck*, Unlock My Hear
Contemporary Short:
WINNER: K.M. Fawcett*, Wilde in Love

​Second Place: Morgan Malone*, Mick’s Story
Third Place: Jodi Payne*, Not Over You
Erotic Romance:
WINNER: Tori Chase, Shared by Her Trainers

​Second Place: Jordyn Kross, Shattered Ice
Third Place: Dania Voss, Ask Me Nicely
Historical:
WINNER: Lisa Ann Verge, The Winter Husband

​Second Place: Allison B. Hanson, Her Forbidden Highlander Husband
Third Place (tie): Grace Calloway, Pippa and the Prince of Secrets; Jeanine Englert, Eloping with the Laird
Novella:
WINNER: Piper Malone, The Pizza Guy from Beachside

​Second Place: Annette Miller*, Macaroons by Moonlight
Third Place: Roni Denholtz*, Eight Nights of Apricot Cookies
Paranormal:
WINNERS (tie): Marissa Doyle, What Lies Beneath;
​Peggy Jaeger, The Sheriff and the Psychic

Third Place: Mia Downing, Chasing Time
Romantic Suspense:
WINNER: Tee O’Fallon, Tough Justice

​Second Place: Lori Matthews*, Incinerated
Third Place: Tee O’Fallon, Serve ’n’ Protec
Best First Book:
WINNER: Karen Yakey, Home Beyond Hell

​Second Place: Janet Raye Stevens, Cole for Christmas
Third Place: Decca Price, Memory’s Bride
Best Book by a New Jersey Author:
WINNER: Lisa Ann Verge, The Winter Husband

​Second Place: Stacey Wilk*, Taking Root
Third Place: Terri Brisbin*, The Highlander’s Substitute Wife

Categories

  • Contemporary Romance: Short: Novels set from 1970 to present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and are between 40,000 and 60,000 words in length.
  • ​Contemporary Romance: Mid-Length: Novels set from 1970 to present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and that are between 60,000 and 80,000 words in length.   
  • Contemporary Romance: Long: Novels set from 1970 to present that focus primarily on the romantic relationship and are 80,000 or more words.
  • Historical Romance: Novels set before 1970. 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: Novels 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, novella, etc.).    
  • Best First Book: any romance novel from a first-time author not previously published in book ­length romantic fiction, regardless of publishing medium. The book must be entered in another category. Scores from that category will be used to determine the winner and finalists in the Best First Bookcategory. If the entrant is entering multiple books in the contest, only one may also be entered in the Best First Book category. There is no additional fee to have a book considered for Best First Book . No additional books need to be sent.
  • Best Book by a New Jersey Romance Author: Open to any entrant (regardless of whether they’re an NJRW member) who is a current, full-time resident of New Jersey. The book must be entered in another category. Scores from that category will be used to determine the winner and finalists in the Best Book by a NJ Romance Author category. If the entrant is entering multiple books in the contest, only one may also be entered in the Best Book by a NJ Romance Author category. There is no additional fee to have a book considered for Best Book by a NJ Romance Author. No additional books need to be sent.