The Space Coast Authors of Romance (STARS Florida) have announced the finalists in the 2011 Launching A Star Contest. Organizers say they received almost 200 entries. Winners will be announced by mid  December.

Single Title
A Year To Remember – Shelly Bell
Love Shack – Elaine Meece
Pride, Prejudice and Second Chances – Virginia Munoz
Shades of Denial – Jennifer Gracen
Trust Me – Kimberle Swaak

General Paranormal
Dancing with the Devil – Jean Newlin
Demon Venture – Celeste Nist
Precious Jewels – Mary A. Behre
Soul Bound – Anne Papadacos
Take Me Tonight – Robin Bielman

Series Contemporary
A Future for Abby – Rebecca Sampson
Cruising for Love – Masha Levinson
Hard Copy – Anita Calhoun as Amity Grays
Healing Hearts – Pat Dengate
Lover’s Leap – Kimberly Hayes

Historical
Behind the Courtesan – Bronwyn Stuart
In the Arms of an Earl – Anna Small
King of Swords – Anne Kenny
Lady Catherine’s Secret – Sheidan J. Edmonson
The Lion Rampant – Carolyn Heinemann

Futuristic/Fantasy
Bloodstone – Helen C. Johannes
Haven – Anne Francis
Project Pyramid – Laurie A. Green
The Dragon’s Bidding – Christina Westcott
The Star Stone – Sabrina Jarema

Romantic Suspense
An Eye for Danger – Christine M. Fairchild
Peril in Paradise – Kamila Kay
Protecting Rose – Cheryl Yeko
Sniper Shots – Kathy Lane
Sterile Field – Margaret Berkhousen

Inspirational
God Whisperer – Kim Hernandez
Love in Bitterroot Valley – Jessica Keller Koschnitzky
Of Courage Beyond – J’Nell Ciesielski
The Madonna of Pisano – Mary Ann Diorio
When Sparrows Fly – Heidi Luchterhand

Young Adult
Lifer – Rebecca Sampson
Switch – Candi Wall as K. R. Lawson
The Fourth – Jennifer McAndrews
The Picture of Dulce Gardia – Alana Albertson
Veiled Iron – Michelle Sinclair

Historical Category
The Winds of Fate – Elizabeth Bysiek
Heart of the Phoenix – Barbara Huddleston
The Courtesan Duchess – Joanna Shupe

Mainstream with Romantic Elements Category
Forever – Alicia Leinhart
Walking Backward Off a Cliff – Linda Avellar
Seperated, Acting Badly – Barbara Flores

Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Time Travel Category
Dream of My Soul – Debra Rodensky
Medusa, a Love Story – Sasha Summers
Dancing with the Devil – Jean B. Newlin

Short/Long Contemporary Category
A Night at the Rosemont – Mary Oldham
Uncover Father – June Love
Home at Last – Janet Jones Bann

Single Title Category
Missing You – Tracy Roper w/a Brogan
Bid on Me – Micha Summers
Small Town Storm – Elise K Ackers

Romance is flourishing despite the recession, according to top-list editors who attended this month’s New Jersey Romance Writers PYHIAB conference.

Editors panel at the 2011 New Jersey RWA PYHIAB Conference

“Even in the recession, our romance genre is thriving,” said Latoya Smith, assistant editor at Grand Central Publishing. “We were doing two- to-three titles a month, but now we’re up to four titles a month. We’re always looking for new romance authors.”

Grand Central Publishing authors include Elizabeth Hoyt, Margaret Mallory and Amanda Scott.

Margaret Marbury, editorial director at Harlequin, says the rise of digital books has helped romance thrive. According to Marbury, who oversees MIRA Books, HQN, LUNA, Spice and Harlequin Teen, business is up, especially when you combine the print and digital sides of the business.

“We’ve always had strong distribution where women shop, so those are areas where we’re pushing really hard to maintain that space,” Marbury said. “And the backlist has been the real winner in terms of digital. It’s been a real boon to have access to those backlist titles.”

According to the Book Industry Study Group,  today’s ebook power buyer is a 44-year-old lover of romance who buys at least one ebook a week and spends more on books today than she has in the past.

“Romance books translate to ebooks faster than any other genre,” said Aubrey Poole, assistant editor at Sourcebooks, which publishes authors such as Grace Burrowes and Shana Galen. “People who read ebooks actually read more books.”

Poole adds that the easy access of ebooks, via online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, is a key reason people are buying more books.