Over at the M/M Romance group at Goodreads, the members have singled out an amazing list of titles by both new and familiar authors, including many RRW members and others within the genre.

On January 7th, the popular goodreads group hosted a chat to celebrate reaching 5000+ members and and to announce the 2011 M/M Romance Group Choice Award live! They awarded badges to the top three winners in each category. 123 Awards in all!

Many congratulations to all the folks recognized for their titles in 2011!
Best book of the year
*1 – Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*3 - Come Unto These Yellow Sands

Anthology (book)
*1 - Don’t Read in the Closet: Volume One (with a story by RRW member J.P. Barnaby)
*2 - His For The Holidays
*3 - Don’t Read in the Closet: GayRomLit Retreat 2011 Special Edition (with stories by RRW members J.P. Barnaby, Rachel Haimowitz, Damon Suede, Bryl Tyne, Missy Welsh)

Best Debut Book
*1 – Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*3 - Life Lessons

Contemporary (genre)
*1 – Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*3 - Come Unto These Yellow Sands

Mystery/Whodunit (genre)
*1 - Come Unto These Yellow Sands
*2 - All She Wrote
*3 - Breaking Cover

Paranormal (genre)
*1 - GhosTV
*2 - Honored Vow
*3 - Dance in the Dark

SciFi/Futuristic/Post Apocalyptic (genre)
*1 - A Solid Core of Alpha
*2 - 18% Gray
*3 - Grown Men by RRW member Damon Suede
*3 - Kidnapped
*3 - Out of the Woods

Long 250 pages or 100K words (book)
*1 - Divide & Conquer
*2 - Between Sinners and Saints by RRW member Marie Sexton
*3 - A Solid Core of Alpha

Nomination – Short Story 25 pages or 15K words or less (book)
*1 - Like the Taste of Summer
*2 - Delivery With A Smile
*3 - I Am the Highway

Best Story that Should/Must have a Sequel
*1 - Something Like Summer
*2 - Clear Water
*3 - The Locker Room

Best Free Story
*1 - Zero Hour
*2 - A Little Bit Country
*3 - Wanting

Best Cover
*1 -  Artwork by Anne Cain for Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 -
*3 -

Best First Time
*1 - The Locker Room
*2 - Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela
*3 - Wanting

Best Sex Scene
*1 - Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 - Clear Water
*3 - Bayou Dreams by RRW member Lynn Lorenz

Best Tearjerking scene
*1 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*2 - The Locker Room
*3 - Bloodlines

Funniest Quotes/Best Lines
*1 - GhosTV
*2 - Whitetail Rock
*3 - Divide & Conquer

BDSM (sex content)
*1 - Nowhere Ranch by RRW member Heidi Cullinan
*2 – I, Omega by RRW member Kari Gregg
*3 - Spin Out

Hottest M/M/M
*1 - Out Of Focus
*2 - Ghost from the Past
*3 - Room at the Top

Slave/Dub Con/Kidnapped (sex content/theme)
*1 -  I, Omega by RRW member Kari Gregg  
*2 - Counterpunch
*3 - His Client by RRW member Ava March

Best Tear Jerker (theme)
*1 - The Locker Room
*2 - Between Sinners and Saints
*3 - Living Promises

Coming Out (theme)
*1 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*2 - The Locker Room
*3 - Breaking Cover

Enemies to Lovers  (theme)
*1 - The Heart of Texas
*1 - Bad Company
*2 - A Thread of Deepest Black
*3 - Bridges

Gay/Out For You (theme)
*1 - Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*3 - The Locker Room

Humorous (theme)
*1 - Divide & Conquer
*2 - Mummy Dearest
*3 - Clear Water

Friends to Lovers (theme)
*1 - Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*3 - The Locker Room

Hurt/Comfort (theme)
*1 - Divide & Conquer
*2 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*3 - Between Sinners and Saints by RRW member Marie Sexton

Young Adult Characters (theme)
*1 - Talker’s Redemption
*2 - Something Like Summer
*3 - Bridges

Law Enforcement/PI/Firemen/Military (profession)
*1 - Hot Head by RRW member Damon Suede
*2 - Divide & Conquer
*3 - GhosTV

Cowboys (profession)
*1 - Nowhere Ranch by RRW member Heidi Cullinan
*2 - The Heart of Texas
*3 - After the Sunset

Musicians/Rockstars (profession)
*1 - American Love Songs
*2 - Reverb by RRW member Jet Mykles
*3 - Moonlight Becomes You

*3 - Out of the Woods

Best Title
*1 - Come Unto These Yellow Sands
*2 - How to Keep the Love of Your Life
*2 - I Love You, Asshole!
*2 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*3 - Where the Allegheny Meets the Monongahela

Most Surprising/Unique Plot Device
*1 - A Solid Core of Alpha
*2 - Static
*3 - Hell’s Pawn

Best World Created
*1 - A Solid Core of Alpha
*2 - Dance in the Dark
*3 - 18% Gray
*3 - Hell’s Pawn

Best Couple/MC’s
*1 - Divide & Conquer
*2 - GhosTV
*3 - Honored Vow

Hottest Vampire Character
*1 - Marcus – With a Kiss
*2 - Titus Antonius Calidus – Natural Instincts
*3 - Liam – A Chip in His Shoulder

Hottest Shifter Character
*1 - Logan Church – Honored Vow
*2 - Shane – Shane’s Fury by RRW member Stephani Hecht
*3 - Killian Frost – A Thread of Deepest Black

Best Side/Supporting Character
*1 - Bear, Otter, and the Kid
*2 - Clear Water
*3 - Honored Vow

Favorite All Time M/M Romance Book
*1 - Keeping Promise Rock
*2 - Zero at the Bone
*3 - Bareback

Favorite All Time M/M Series
*1 - Fatal Shadows – Adrien English Mystery Series
*2 - Cut & Run – Cut & Run
*3 - Promises – Coda Books by RRW member Marie Sexton
*3 - Keeping Promise Rock – Promises
Favorite All Time M/M Author
*1 - Josh Lanyon
*2 - Amy Lane
*3 - Mary Calmes

Favorite All Time M/M Character(s)
*1 - Cut & Run
*2 - Fatal Shadows
*3 - Among the Living

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More than 300 books, more than 100 judges, all over the world (even for the first time Australia), and many, many submissions, from indie publishers, from mainstream publishers and a lot of self-published authors… all participating in the 2011 Rainbow Awards. These were announced a couple weeks ago, but so many went to RRW folks that we wanted to give a hearty congrats…

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Congratulations to Rick R. Reed whose werewolf romance, Blue Moon Cafe has been chosen the RAES book of the year for 2010!

RRW wishes to thank all participants and judges who made the 2010 Rainbow Awards For Excellence an unqualified success.

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The following is a full list of the category winners and runners-up of the 2010 Rainbow Awards For Excellence.

The winner of each category will move on to the final round of judging with the overall winner to be announced on or about April 1, 2011.

RRW wishes to thank all the contest participants. Best of luck to the finalists!

Book of the Year

Blue Moon Cafe by Rick R. Reed

Contemporary

First Place (tie)
Side Order Of Love By Tracey Richardson
Publisher Bella Books, ISBN:978-1-59493-143-7

Breaking The Ice By Kim Baldwin
Publisher Bold Strokes Books, ISBN: 978-1-60282-087-6

Second Place
Yours For The Asking By Kenna White
Publisher Bella Books, ISBN:978-1-59493-163-5

Third Place
The Janitor By Jan Irving
Publisher Loose Id, ISBN: 978-1-59632-938-6

Historical

First Place
Kicker’s Journey By Lois Cloarec Hart
Publisher, PD Publishing, ISBN: 9781933720616

Second Place
The Clash Between The Minds By Nann Dunn
Publisher Intaglio Publications, Inc, ISBN: 978-1-935216-10-0

Third Place
Pure Folly By Madelynne Ellis
Publisher Total-E-Bound, ISBN: 978-1-906811-78-5

Young Adult

First Place
Josef Jaeger By Jere’ M. Fishback
Publisher, Prizm (YA division of Torquere Press), ISBN: 978-1-60370-685-8

Second Place
My Invented Life By Lauren Bjorkman
Publisher Henry Holt and Company, ISBN: 978-0-8050-8950-9

Third Place
All Lost Things By Josh Aterovis
Publisher PD Publishing, ISBN: 9781933720708

Romantic Suspense

First Place
Conflict Of Interest By Jae
Publisher, L-Book, ISBN: 978-1-934889-24-4

Second Place
Mexican Heat By Laura Baumbach and Josh Lanyon
Publisher Samhain, ISBN: 978-1-60504-380-7

Third Place
Next Of Kin By Jae
Publisher L-Book, ISBN: 978-1-934889-42-8

Paranormal

The Blue Moon Cafe By Rick R. Reed
Publisher, Amber Quill Press, ISBN: 978-1-60272-802-8

Second Place
Hero By Heidi Cullinan
Publisher Dreamspinner Press, ISBN: 978161581287

Third Place
My Heart Is Within You By Marguerite Labbe
Publisher Dreamspinner Press, ISBN: 978-1-935192-70-1

Science Fiction / Fantasy

First Place
Magebound By Katica Locke
Publisher, PD Publishing, ISBN: 9781933720654

Second Place
Sexual Energy By Afton Locke
Publisher Ellora’s Cave, ISBN: 978-14199-22244

Third Place
Second Nature By Jae
Publisher L-Book, ISBN: 978-1-934889-44-2

Short/Novella

First Place
Romantic Interludes 2: Secrets By Radclyffe (edited by Radclyffe and Stacia Seaman)
Publisher, Bold Strokes Books, ISBN: 9781602821163

Second Place
Best Lesbian Romance 2010 By Radclyffe , eds
Publisher CLEIS Press, ISBN: 9781573443760

Third Place
A Good Neighbor By Clare London
Publisher Amber Quill Press, ISBN: 978-1-60272-574-4

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Thank you for your entry in this year’s Rainbow Awards For Excellence, the published author contest sponsored by the Rainbow Romance Writers.

There has been an unavoidable delay in the judging and subsequent announcement of a winner in our contest. We are, even at this writing, still judging books, filling out forms and tabulating scores. We are very optimistic that we will be able to announce a winner in the spring of 2011.

In gratitude for your patience, we have added some cash prizes and other small recognitions to be awarded to the winner.

Please visit our web site to stay informed regarding the progress of the contest.

If you are a publisher, we would appreciate if you would post this notice to your authors who may have entered the RAES. We have done our best to ensure that all entrants have been contacted, but we don’t want to inadvertently miss anyone.

Thanks again for your patience and cooperation.

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The judging for the RAE contest has been extended. Winners will now be announced in January 2011.

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Congratulations to Radclyffe, whose two titles, Returning Tides and Secrets in the Stone, have been named finalists in the erotic romance category in  The Heart of Excellence Readers’ Choice Awards for published authors sponsored by the RWA chapter, Ancient City Romance Authors!

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Congratulations to Laura Baumbach for winning Love Romances and More’s Golden Rose award for Mexican Heat!

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Congratulations to Radclyffe for coming in first in the Erotica category of the RWA Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal chapter’s Prism awards!

Erotica
1 Radclyffe Secrets in the Stone
2 Livia Dare In the Flesh
3 Francesca Hawley Protect and Defend

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Congratulations to our members who are nominated in the Seventh Annual Cupid and Psyche Awards from The Romance Studio!

Paranormal Romance:
Red Kiss by Deidre Knight (Berkley)

Romantic Suspense:
Mexican Heat by Josh Lanyon & Laura Baumbach (Samhain Publishing)

Contemporary Erotic Romance:
Private Property by Leah Braemel (Samhain Publishing)
I Heart that City: Body Shots by Mechele Armstrong (Loose Id)

Paranormal Erotic Romance:
Where the Heart Is by Ally Blue (Samhain Publishing)

Favorite Erotic Author:
Leah Braemel

Psyche Award:
Hankie Pankie by Liz Andrews (Ellora’s Cave)

Also, Leah’s Private Property has been nominated for an Ariana Overton award for Best Cover Art

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