A ‘THRILLED’ Rugby writer has won a national award for her romantic novel The Promise of Summer.
Bella Osborne has been named as the joint winner of the Jane Wenham-Jones Award for Romantic Comedy at the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s annual awards for 2022, held at London’s Leonardo Royal Hotel.
Bella, who lives in Rugby with her husband, daughter and ‘a cat who thinks she’s a dog’, writes stories about friendship, love and ‘coping with what life throws at you’.
The Promise of Summer follows Ruby, who teams up with a fellow rail passenger to track down a stranger who left his engagement ring on a train.
She says she likes to find humour in the darker moments of life, and weaves them into her stories.
“I’m absolutely thrilled and honoured to have won,” she said.
“Since becoming a mum, I had stopped writing as a hobby – but a chance encounter with a life coach led to me finishing a full novel and eventually being published.
“It means so much that readers enjoyed this romantic comedy about how first impressions can be so wrong.
“There’s nothing better than knowing you’ve made someone laugh – and in current times, we need happy endings more than ever.
“It takes a lot of people to get a book to publication, especially in the middle of a pandemic, so I am indebted to my fabulous publishing team at Avon, HarperCollins, my agent, Kate Nash, booksellers, librarians and book bloggers – and my family who have been so supportive throughout my writing career.”
The Promise of Summer follows Ruby, who starts to question her decision to give up on romance when she teams up with a fellow rail passenger to track down a stranger who left his engagement ring on a train.
Sharon Ibbotson, the Awards Coordinator for the Romantic Novelists’ Association, added: “Bella Osborne has written a wonderfully funny and witty book which delighted our readers. We are thrilled to see her win the Jane Wenham-Jones Award for Romantic Comedy, and offer her our sincere congratulations.”
Since their inception in 1960, the Romantic Novel Awards have recognised outstanding romantic fiction, with previous winners including Phillipa Gregory, Joanna Trollope and Rosamunde Pilcher.
Visit www.bellaosborne.com for more information on Bella Osborne and her novels.
