Oh what a night - I still can't believe it!!!

Last night I was able to attend my first in person bookish event since the start of the pandemic, and wow was it good to be back out and about amongst my sort of people. 

For it was the RNA Winter Party and Industry awards, and for the 4th year in the row I was on the shortlist for Media Star of the Year, along with Anita Faulkner from the Chick Lit and Prosecco FB Group   and Kim Nash who blogs at KimTheBookworm and also has been running weekly FB lives throughout lockdown and beyond, talking to various romance authors every Tuesday evening, well worth checking both of these ladies out if you aren't already aware of them.

So two totally wonderful women and I would have been happy to lose to either of them.  

So it was without any hope at all, having well lost 3 times before, that I attended the party and awards intending to just enjoy the evening catch up with old friends, meet more authors I hadn't met before and those that I work with, on the tour organising side of my life. 

Pre-award photo - me (left), Kim (middle) and Anita (right). 

Well I am still about 24 hours later in complete shock and disbelief at the winner of this superb award - 

I won?!!! Wow!! 

I was literally open mouthed in shock as after trying to check my eyes were working and it was my name up there, that I went up to get my award.  Due to none of the other in person winners having made a speech I was unsure about whether they were being allowed this year (figured there might have been no microphone sharing Covid protocols in place), so I didn't completely embarrass myself from having to instantly produce some coherent thoughts.   

I really wanted to do a sports style lift the award over the top of my head celebration on the stage - but its rather heavy and my instinct said if that went wrong and I dropped it besides breaking it, I may have knocked myself out and potentially destroyed the evening so refrained!

A large amount of that has been a bit of blur to me, I know there was some walk on music but I have no clue what song was being played, I've been told there was a massive cheer, but I was trying to get my head around the fact that I was at the 4th time of trying actually the winner! 

Jean Fullerton presenting me the award, and also asking if it was a good time to discuss a new blog tour!

To say I enjoyed the rest of the evening and haven't stopped smiling since winning would be an understatement.  I tried to talk to as many fabulous people as I could but as is often the case I'm sure there were many people present that I just didn't get a chance to see. 

Very happily posting with my award!

And today has so been spent trying to avoid twitter and FB jail, while attempting to thank everyone that has congratulated me on social media, individually, and I'm still going with that!  I am completely overwhelmed by all the lovely things being said about me. 

I would though like to say a massive THANK YOU! 

Thank you - to the RNA for putting on such an amazing event, and for organising industry awards

Thank you to the members of the RNA for nominating me and voting for me

Thank you to all the authors of romance and its associated genres, for writing such wonderful books that have formed the basis of my blog and business, and generally kept me from dwelling too much on the pandemic as I was always able to escape into the pages. 

Thank you to all the authors that have trusted me over the past 4 years to organise their blog tour, as without you I wouldn't have romance books to promote! 

Thank you to all the book bloggers out there who are part of the fabulous book community, and especially those who have made me feel welcome over the years, 

And thank you to all of the book bloggers who take part in my tours and that make Rachel's Random Resources such a success - I really couldn't do it without each and everyone of you. 

I'd like to think I would have said something like that as a speech but honestly I had absolutely nothing prepared and I'm not great with public speaking so not sure what would have been said! 

I'd also like to say a massive congratulations to all the other industry award winners but especially the immensely talented Lisa Firth for cover designer of the year (but some of you may know her as the author Mary Jayne Baker or Lisa Swift).    

And a mahoosive congratulations to Boldwood Books - the winner of Publisher of the Year - and I feel like I'm part of that win too given I organise all their blog tours.  It is a great honour to be part of Team Boldwood and was great meeting more of their staff and authors last night. 

It was wonderful to be back out at an in-person event and I hope more bookshops and publishers are brave enough to try to run some going into 2022, as the online events as good as they are just don't have the same feel as leaving the house and seeing people in the flesh! 

Just so so happy right now, and thank you everyone involved once more! I can't believe I am actually an award winner - and given I'll never win an Olympic medal, Tony / Olivier Award / Oscar etc...  and the Romantic Novelists Association are a wonderful organisation promoting romantic fiction, which is my all time favourite genre - well to me this means as much to me as one of those more famous awards! 

All of the award winners! 

Award and certificate

Award sitting in pride of place next to the TV, so I can see it every time I look up from my laptop!!