CRW sponsors two annual contests. The Award of Excellence honors authors with books published in 2003 and the Heart of the Rockies is our contest for unpublished authors.
Entries will be judged by readers, booksellers or authors. A minimum of 10 total entries per category must be received. Finalists will be notified March 31. Winners will be announced at our Conference Awards Luncheon on May 14, 2005. Winners will receive a trophy as well as a letter congratulating their editor. All finalists will receive a certificate.
Deadline for the 2005 Award of Excellence Contest is January 7, 2005.
Fee for each book entered is $15.
Last year, there were 178 books entered in the Award of Excellence Contest and all categories were amply represented.
The Colorado Romance Writers Award of Excellence Contest for Published Authors is one of the longest running, nationally recognized contests for published authors. We acknowledge not only the authors and their books but their editors and publishers.
Winners for the 2005 contest will be announced at our Conference Luncheon on May 14, 2005. Winners will receive trophies, an ad in RWR, and a letter congratulating their editor.
For more information, contact Jessica Dennis, 7129 W 84th Way #1624, Arvada, CO 80003. Phone: 303-463-0636 or email Jessica OR contact Danica Favorite-McDonald, PO Box 27383, Denver, CO 8022. Phone: 303-912-8724 or email Danica.
NOTE: If you wish to pay through PayPal, you will find the Paypal button below as well as on the entry form. When you submit your books and form, please indicated you used Paypal. Books received without an enclosed payment or prior to payment through Paypal will be returned. If you're using Paypal, please include your name, book title and category in the "Optional Instructions" section of the payment form.
Click here to access the AOE Rules in PDF format.
Click here to access the AOE Entry Form in PDF format.
Colorado Romance Writers is pleased to announce the 2004 Heart of the Rockies Contest for unpublished writers. Numerous past Heart of the Rockies entrants have gone on to publication in book-length fiction. This year, there will be seven categories with achievement awards given in each.
Entries are limited to the first 175 received. Entries received after the limit is achieved will be returned to the owner. If less than seven entries are received for any given category, that category will be cancelled and the entries returned to their owners.
Every entry will be judged by two experienced judges, at least one of whom will be a published author. Manuscripts that qualify for a final round will be judged by editors or agents. Awards will be announced at our Awards Banquet on May 8, 2004. First, second and third places in each category will receive plaques; honorable mentions will receive certificates. In addition, winners will be announced in the Romance Writers Report. Entrants will receive one written critique and two comprehensive evaluations of their work based on twenty different potential problem areas. Each category uses an individualized score sheet for its particular genre.
Deadline to enter the 2004 is January 31, 2005.
Fee is $25 for CRW members and $30 for non-members.
Last year, there were 175 entries in the Heart of the Rockies Contest, across all categories.
For more information, contact Cheryl Gorman, 1875 Mountain Laurel Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126, phone (303) 470-0217 or email Cheryl or contact Theresa Rizzo, 7071 Quiet Retreat Ct., Niwot, CO 80503, phone 303-652-2509 or email Theresa.
NOTE: If you wish to pay through PayPal, you will find the Paypal button below as well as on the entry form. When you submit your entry and form, please indicated you used Paypal. Entries received without an enclosed payment or prior to payment through Paypal will be returned. If you're using Paypal, please include your name, book title and category in the "Optional Instructions" section of the payment form.
Click here
for the HOR Rules and entry form in PDF format.Click here to see a copy of the score sheet used to judge entries in this contest.
Final round judges are as follows:
Elaine English, Graybill and English Literary Agency to judge Historical
Kristin Nelson of Nelson Literary to judge Paranormal
Brenda Chin, Senior Editor, Harlequin Books to judge Short Contemporary
Diane Dietz, Editor of Steeple Hill to judge Inspirational
Allison Lyons, Associate Editor Harlequin to judge Romantic Suspense
Patience Smith, Editor, Silhouette Books to judge Long Contemporary
Abby Zidle, Editor, HQN Books (Harlequin Books) to judge Single Title Contemporary
Winners for the 2005 contest will be announced at our Conference Luncheon on May 14, 2005.
"Your Heart of the Rockies judges did a great job with their helpful
comments! Because of their help, I reworked parts of the beginning and the
rest of my first novel. After I pitched the entire manuscript at the 1999
RWA convention, I sold it 4 weeks later. A Little Office Romance will be a
Harlequin American October 2000 release!" -- Michele Dunaway
"My story RESTLESS took first place in
the Heart of the Rockies Romantic Suspense category, as judged by Janet
Tanke. Well, two years, two editors, and two rewrites later, Silhouette
Intimate Moments is buying the book! The book will be on sale next summer
under the pen name of Jenna Mills!!! This, my first sale, can be directly linked back to your contest, so I want
to extend my warmest, warmest gratitude to the entire chapter. Incidentally, another story of mine placed second in long contemporary this year and is also under consideration." --Jennifer Miller
The Heart of the Rockies contest was voted the 6th favorite contest by Romance Writers of America members, by virtue of its excellent feedback. The Heart of the Rockies score sheet was also selected by the Silver Lining Committee for use as its contest score sheet.
Friday & Saturday, May 13 & 14, 2005
Radisson Graystone Castle
Denver, Colorado
Coordinator, Karen Docter, kardoct@comcast.net
Co-Coordinator, Diana Rowe, Diana10277@aol.com
The conference will take place against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains at the beautiful Radisson Graystone Castle in Denver, Colorado on the weekend of May 13 & 14, 2005. We launch this romantic weekend on Friday with workshops and an author book signing, and follow it up with dinner and our Keynote Speaker to "break the ice." There is a continental breakfast, CRW's Awards Luncheon highlighting our Special Luncheon Speaker, and more workshops (3-tracks) on Saturday.
CRW is a thriving organization with 113 members, including 30 published authors. Through the years, our conference has gained in reputation and is fast becoming a "don't miss" event.
Friday Keynote Speaker…New York Times Bestselling Author, Rachel Gibson. Three of her novels, Simply Irresistible, Truly Madly Yours and True Confessions were named among the Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year by Romance Writers of America. Her fourth novel, True Confessions, was awarded the RITA. Her other awards include the Golden Heart, the National Reader's Choice, and the Romantic Times Magazine Bookstores That Care Award for Best Love and Laughter. She's hit the NY Times Bestselling list twice, USA Today Best Seller list, Waldenbooks Bestseller list, Oakland Press Best of 2001 and 2002, Doubleday Book club Alternative Selection 2001, the Publisher's Weekly List…with only 6 book published to date. Her most recent release is Daisy's Back in Town (Feb/2004).
Special Luncheon Speaker…Bestselling Romantic Suspense Author, Linda Castillo.
A triple Golden Heart finalist in 1999, she sold her first book to Silhouette Intimate Moments the same year. The following year, she was nominated for a RITA for Best First Book. Since then, she's sold 14 romantic suspense novels to Berkley, Silhouette Intimate Moments and Harlequin Intrigue. In 2003, she received the bestselling debut romantic suspense award from Waldenbooks for THE PERFECT VICTIM. She has either finaled in or won the Rising Star Contest, the Golden Quill, The Bookseller's Best, the Holt Medallion, The Daphne and others. Her latest release is a dark romantic thriller title Depth Perception from Berkley Sensation.
Editors Confirmed:
Serena Jones, NAL (Penguin), (Signet Regencies, Contemporaries, General women's fiction for Signet and Onyx and Accent. Mainstream women's suspense, romantic suspense, and chicklit.)
Susan McCarty, editorial assistant, Berkley Publishing Group. Susan has been at the Berkley for two years. Her focus is paranormal romance, romantic suspense and historical romance, but she is also interested in acquiring literary fiction, women's fiction, mystery series and young adult novels.
Agents Confirmed:
Kristin Nelson, The Nelson Literary Agency.
NLA specializes in representing commercial fiction (with a particular interest in romance and women's fiction) and high caliber literary fiction. The agency also represents a select few nonfiction projects that tend to be story-based, such as memoir, narrative nonfiction, or biography.
Elaine English, The Graybill & English Literary Agency.
Managing Partner of Graybill & English, LLC, a firm with a legal practice that focuses primarily on media and publishing law as well as serves as a literary agency. As a literary agent, she sells only commercial fiction, particularly mysteries, thrillers, and women's fiction, including romances. For romances, she has a special interest in single title (non-category) romance or romantic suspense, both contemporary and historical, with strong, realistic characters and plots of substance.
Special Guest:
Marilyn Ross, author of SHAMELESS MARKETING FOR BRAZEN HUSSIES. Marilyn will conduct a 1-1/2 to 2 hour workshop on Friday afternoon called “Jump Start Your Book Sales”, a workshop that details imaginative and results-oriented PR and sales strategies any author can apply right now, whether you’re published or not. Marilyn will also be available to meet one-on-one with conference attendees interested in her publicity expertise.
The Food:
The Friday night keynote event will be a plated dinner with three choices: Riesling Chicken (Crispy Breast of Chicken with Wild Mushroom-Riesling sauce, spinach and garlic mashed potatoes), Salmon in Puff Pastry (Wild Salmon topped with Mushroom Duxelle, baked in a puff pastry crust, served with Saffron Cream and fresh vegetable) and for our vegetarians, Grilled Portobello Mushroom W/Black Bean Corn Salsa. Saturday will start off with a Continental Breakfast. Followed by the Pastabilities Buffet for our Awards Luncheon. Please select the Friday evening meal of your choice when you register for the conference.
| Early Bird Registration CRW members | $185 |
| Early Bird Registration Non-members | $195 |
| Late Registration begins April 1 | |
| Late Registration for CRW members | $195 |
| Late Registration for Non-members | $205 |
| Friday Night Dinner Guest Ticket | $ 30 |
| Saturday Luncheon Guest Ticket | $ 25 |
Join our mailing list by contacting Karen Docter, kardoct@comcast.net
May 8, 2004: Making your novel and page turner by Joanna Wayne
September 11, 2004: Karen Docter demonstrated the merits of the “W” Plot.
November 13, 2004: Claire Delacroix Presented A Marriage of Convenience:
The Analytical Half :
The Creative Half:
We held our seventh annual retreat September 17-19 at the fabulous and funky Cottonwoods Hot Srings Inn 5 miles outside Buena Vista. Contact Kathy Fronheiser for information on next year's retreat.