I almost didn’t answer my phone this morning when a call came in from an unfamiliar New Jersey number. Almost. Curiosity got the better of me though, and thank goodness it did. The call was from Marnee Blake, a contest coordinator from the RWA Kiss of Death chapter, letting me know that THE HUSTLER is a finalist in the unpublished division of the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Single Title Romantic Mystery/Suspense!

[cue happy dance!]

I couldn’t be more thrilled about this honor. Thanks are owed to my inexhaustible agent, Patricia Nelson of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, and my fabulously critical beta readers, without whom THE HUSTLER wouldn’t be in the shape it is today.

Congratulations to my fellow Daphne finalists! I look forward to celebrating with you at RWA Nationals this year!

About The Daphne: The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense is named for Daphne du Maurier, the author of REBECCA, a suspense novel with romantic and gothic overtones and a precursor to today’s romantic suspense. The Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense is a writing contest for published and unpublished authors of romantic suspense, mystery, suspense and thrillers with romantic subplots and mainstream mystery, suspense and thrillers.