R*BY Finalist Juanita Kees

Under the Hood? I’m Over the Moon! Perhaps that should be the title of the next book. When I got the ‘call’ to say Under the Hood had made it to the finals of the much coveted RWA ‘Ruby’ Award, I was speechless… and hubby was grateful 🙂 When I realized who my competition was…well, my nails are chewed to the quick. I’m not sure I’ll have any left by August.

Kendall Talbot, Victoria Purman, and Jennifer Scoullar are BIG names, and very tough competition in the Romantic Elements section. I am honoured and awestruck to be in such talented company as a finalist in RWA’s Romantic Book of the Year Award.

“The Romantic Book of the Year Award, affectionately known as The Ruby, is our premier award and the only one of its kind in Australia. Voted on by Australian readers, this contest is open each year to any Australian or New Zealand romance author who has published a long or short romance novel.” ~ Romance Writers of Australia

Wow! There are so many people I have to thank for getting me to the point where Under the Hood was eligible for this wonderful accolade. Escape Publishing and Kate Cuthbert, thank you for loving TJ and Scott enough to publish their story. And to all those people behind the scenes—beta readers, critique partners, editors, cover artists—you know who you are, and I would be nowhere without you all. I never dreamed I’d make it to the finals and here I am—with your help and support.

How much would I like to win that lovely award? More than I’ll ever be able to express in words…it would be the cream on my writing dream. The real winners though are TJ and Scott, the main characters in Under the Hood. They popped into my head on a mission to save a group of teens from disaster, and they found love—not only for themselves, but for the ‘lost boys’ who became their family.

So with Book 2 in the Tag Raiders Series, Under Cover of Dark, following hot on the heels of Book 1 and being released on August 1^st from Escape, I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than to be a finalist in the RUBY in my category. Here’s wishing everyone in the competition all the very best of luck. I’m already a winner to be in such talented company.