Writing group pair book place at romance awards

Two authors from the same local writing group are in the running for a national award.

Jeevani Charika and Alexandra Weston, from Beverley, are hoping love is in the air after being shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards.

Seana Talbot, chairwoman of the Romantic Novelists' Association, which runs the competition, said:"This year's finalists represent the very best of what our romantic fiction community has to offer – from indie to traditionally published, from cosy to spicy and everything in between."

Charika said: "We need cosy and uplifting books in these dark days, and these awards celebrate the best of them."

Charika was born in the south of England, but spent much of her childhood in Sri Lanka before settling in Yorkshire.

Her book How Can I Resist You?, set in a fictional coastal town with characters who have Sri Lankan connections, is shortlisted for best contemporary romance novel.

She is also up for the shorter novel award for Christmas With The Secret Tycoon, written under her pen name Rhoda Baxter, which she described as "like a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form".

"I'm very excited to see my comfort reads listed alongside books by so many authors that I love," she added.

Weston's novel, The Lavender Bride, is in the running for the historical romance award.

It is set in Hollywood during the early 1950s, with the female characters coming from Yorkshire.

Weston said: "As well as being a love story, The Lavender Bride is about one woman's courage in challenging bullies and bigots.

"I believe it's more important than ever that stories like this are told."

The winners will be announced on 18 May at a ceremony at the Leonardo Royal Hotel in London.

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