​
2024 Golden Leaf Contest for Published Authors
​Winners

At our Virtual Awards Ceremony on December 14, New Jersey Romance Writers was thrilled to announce the winners of our 2024 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: It Happened on Route 66 by Micki Miller
2nd (Tie): Don’t Mess with the Mistletoe by Peggy Jaeger 
2nd (Tie): Get A Room by Casey Dembowski
Contemporary Mid Length:
Winner: Pavia’s Legacy by Eliana West
2nd: The Marriage Matrix by Joan Esser*
3rd: Wilde and Dangerous by K.M. Fawcett*
Contemporary Short:
Winner: Hot and Cold by Tara September
2nd: Rumor Has It by Morgan Malone*
3rd: Rolling in the Deep by Morgan Malone
Historical:
Winner: Discovering Her Earl by Allison B. Hanson
2nd: His Secret Highland Bride by Allison B. Hanson
3rd: Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle*​
Novella:
Winners (tie): Save the Date for a Cowboy by Jennie Marts
The Businesswoman and the Bartender by Brianna Bancroft
3rd: The Librarian and the Mechanic by Brianna Bancroft​
Paranormal:
Winner: Leopold by Dania Voss
2nd: Unleashed by Aria Glazki
3rd: Touching the Hero’s Heart by Aurrora St. James​
Romantic Suspense:
Winner: Wilde Under the Mistletoe by K.M. Fawcett*
2nd: Burning Justice by Tee O’Fallon
3rd: A Pride of Brothers: Dylan by Peggy Jaeger​
Best First Book:
Winner: Devil in Our Hearts by Lizzie Jenks
2nd: The Marriage Matrix by Joan Esser*
3rd: Overruling Judgment by Liz Ellyn​
Best Book by a New Jersey Author:
Winner: Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle*
2nd: The Business Woman and the Bartender by Brianna Bancroft
3rd: Get A Room by Casey Dembowski​
The Erotic Romance category did not run due to a lack of entries.​

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.