From the Garret: Archives

Passing the torch

I just returned from the New Jersey Romance Writers' conference, a three-day event that brings together writers, readers, and booksellers from all over the country. It's a blast although I feel as if I didn't stop talking for the whole 72 hours.

While there, I was honored to be asked to present the Golden Leaf Award for the “Best First Book” of 2005. You may recall (and if you don't check my FTG entry “Now I know how Sally Field felt…”) that I won the same award with A Bridge to Love last year, hence my role as the presenter.

This year, Sally McKenzie (below) won with her Regency-set novel The Naked Duke. Great title, right? And it's a delightful book. I bought it on Saturday at the NJRW Literacy Book Fair and finished it in two days.

What made this so special for me? Well, it was something Mary Jo Putney said at the conference. Evidently, she also won the Golden Leaf Award for “Best First Book” with one of my all-time favorite novels The Rake and the Reformer. Suddenly, I felt like part of a long and glorious procession of romance authors stretching both backward and forward in time. It's always good to have someone to pass the torch on to….