2009 RITA Awards

Contemporary Series Romance: A Mother's Wish by Karen Templeton
Contemporary Series Romance, Suspense/Adventure: Danger Signals by Kathleen Creighton
Young Adult Romance: Hell Week by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Historical Romance: The Edge of Impropriety by Pam Rosenthal Regency Historical Romance: My Lord and Spymaster by Joanna Bourne
Inspirational Romance: Finding Stefanie by Susan May Warren
Romance Novella: The Fall of Rogue Gerard by Stephanie Laurens in It Happened One Night
Paranormal Romance: Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
Novel with Strong Romantic Elements: Tribute by Nora Roberts
Romantic Suspense: Take No Prisoners by Cindy Gerard
Best First Book: Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs
Contemporary Single Title Romance: Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson

Author Frank McCourt Dies

Frank McCourt, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, Angela’s Ashes, died in Manhattan on Sunday. He was 78. Angela's Ashes describes a childhood of horrid deprivation:"When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: The happy childhood is hardly worth your while." He wrote 2 additional memoirs: ’Tis (1999), which described his early immigrant years in New York, and Teacher Man (2005), a bitter sweet account of his challenges as a public-school teacher.

Thrillerfest 4 Award Awards

Brad Meltzer was awarded the Silver Bullet Award for his contributions to the advancement of literacy. The Dollar General Literacy Foundation was given the corporate award for its support of literacy and education. Alexandra Sokoloff won best short story for The Edge of Seventeen from the superhero anthology The Darker Mask . Tom Rob Smith won best first novel for his novel Child 44 . Jeffrey Deaver was awarded the best thriller for his latest novel The Bodies Left Behind. Sandra Brown, last year’s ThrillerMaster, introduced this year’s ThrillerMaster, David Morrell, who received the award “in recognition of his vast body of work and influence in the field of literature.” Morrell created Rambo, one of only five fictional characters that are said to be known worldwide (along with Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, James Bond and Harry Potter).

Lost Unfinished Graham Greene Mystery Discovered

The Los Angeles Times has reported that an unpublished, unfinished mystery novel by Graham Greene has been discovered. Found at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas in Austin by Francois Gallix, the manuscript is believed to have been written by Greene when he was 22. Set in a country house, the story opens as the guests meet in the morning and notice that one guest is absent. They go to wake him, only to find him murdered,a knife in his chest. The Strand Magazine will publish the existing five chapter as a serial, starting with its July issue. "To me what is wonderful about all of this is that Greene published a few short stories in the old Strand," said Andrew Gulli, The Strand Magazine’s managing editor, "so I feel we’re continuing the tradition." Gulli added that his magazine would like to find a writer to finish the manuscript.

Author Brad Thor at Warren Newport Library July 11

On Saturday, July 11, New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor will discuss his newest book The Apostle at the Warren Newport Public Library. His talk will start at 3:00 p.m.

Chicagoan David Reidy's Book Debut, Captive Audience

David Reidy, a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, recently published his first work of fiction, Captive Audience. A collection of performance-based short stories, the book describes how Reidy sees what happens on stage in a live performance. His characters include stand-up comic, karaoke performers, and dancers.
Reidy currently is working on his next novel.

Romance Author Eloisa James @ Warren Newport 7/10

Bestselling romance writer Eloisa James will be at Warren Newport Publicv Library on
Friday, July 10, 2:00 p.m. James will discuss her latest book This Duchess of Mine. After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale, and eventually became a Shakespeare professor and head of Fordham University's creative writing program. The public is invited. The library is located at 224 N. O'Plaine Rd in Gurnee, IL. For more information, call 847-244-5150.