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2024 Golden Leaf Contest for Published Authors
​Finalists

New Jersey Romance Writers is thrilled to announce the finalists in our 2024 Golden Leaf contest! The winners will be announced at our Awards Ceremony on December 14 at 6 p.m. Contact us for the Zoom link so you can celebrate along with us! Many congratulations to all our finalists!

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

*Denotes an NJRW Member

Long Contemporary
Don’t Mess with the Mistletoe by Peggy Jaeger
Get A Room by Casey Dembowski
It Happened on Route 66 by Micki Miller

Mid-Length Contemporary
Pavia’s Legacy by Eliana West
The Marriage Matrix by Joan Esser*
Wilde and Dangerous by K.M. Fawcett*

Short Contemporary
Hot and Cold by Tara September
Rumor Has It by Morgan Malone*
Rolling in the Deep by Morgan Malone*

Historical
Discovering Her Earl by Allison B. Hanson
His Secret Highland Bride by Allison B. Hanson
Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle*
Novella
Save the Date for a Cowboy by Jennie Marts
The Librarian and the Mechanic by Brianna Bancroft
The Businesswoman and the Bartender by Brianna Bancroft

Best Book by a NJ Author
Get A Room by Casey Dembowski
Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle*
The Business Woman and the Bartender by Brianna Bancroft

Best First Book
Devil in Our Hearts by Lizzie Jenks
Overruling Judgment by Liz Ellyn
The Marriage Matrix by Joan Esser*

Romantic Suspense
Burning Justice by Tee O’Fallon
A Pride of Brothers: Dylan by Peggy Jaeger
Wilde Under the Mistletoe by K.M. Fawcett*

Paranormal
Leopold by Dania Voss
Touching the Hero’s Heart by Aurrora St. James
Unleashed by Aria Glazki

Novella
Save the Date for a Cowboy by Jennie Marts
The Librarian and the Mechanic by Brianna Bancroft
The Businesswoman and the Bartender by Brianna Bancroft

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 (did not run in 2024): 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.).