Jane Loverings Please Dont Stop the Music has won the 2012 Romantic Novel of the Year

award, presented at the Romantic Novelists Associations annual summer party by Sky News anchor and novelist Kay Burley. Published by Choc Lit, who had two titles on the shortlist, Please Dont Stop the Music was awarded the prize by a panel of judges from the industry: Matt Bates, WHSmith; Sarah Broadhurst, The Bookseller; Alison Flood, Guardian.co.uk; Jane Mays, The Daily Mail; and Jonathan Ruppin, Foyles. The judges said: It was a narrow choice between Please Dont Stop the Music and The Kashmir Shawl by Rosie Thomas, but Janes voice was fresh and new with an unexpected hero. It was a romance with dark undertones and it engaged with issues a lot of people recognis e. Good humour throughout. Jane Lovering lives in Kirkbymoorside in Yorkshire with her five children, and works part time as a science technician at Lady Lumleys School. Her UK debut, Please Dont Stop the Music is also the first novel from independent publisher Choc Lit to be crowned Romantic Novel of the Year. The Romantic Novel of the Year Award was launched in 1960, the same year as the RNA, to recognise excellence in romantic novels. Previous winners of this long-standing and hotly-contested award include Philippa Gregory, Julia Gregson, Freya North and 2011 winner Jojo Moyes. This years shortlist was compiled of category winners from the RNAs annual awards The RONA which took place earlier this year. Jane Lovering winner of the Romantic Comedy Novel award saw off competition from Historical Romantic Novel award winner Christina Courtenay, Young Adult Romantic Novel award winner Caroline Green, Contemporary Romantic Novel award winner Katie Fforde and Epic Romantic Novel award winner Rosie Thomas.