The Romance Writers of America's annual conference is now over, and Mary Jo Putney will soon be winging her way home. In her luggage she carries a very special award: the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award.
According to the RWA Web site, "One of the highest honors RWA bestows is the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. This award is presented to a living author in recognition of significant contributions to the romance genre. To qualify for the award, the recipient's career in romantic fiction must span a minimum of 15 years. Recipients must in some way continue to promote the romance genre, teach romance in fiction, or publish romantic fiction."
Mary Jo more than qualifies! She is a best-selling author of more than 29 books published since 1987. Her stories are noted for their psychological depth and unusual subject matter, and Putney is a nine-time finalist for the RITA Award, has won two RITAs, and is on the RWA Honor Roll for best-selling authors. RWA presented Mary Jo with the Lifetime Achievement Award on Saturday, July 20, at the Awards Ceremony during the 2013 RWA Conference in Atlanta.
The Wenches are so proud of you, Mary Jo! Congratulations on such a well-deserved recognition.