2024 Romance Through the Ages is back -- times two

I'm a big fan of this contest from the Hearts Through History chapter. OK, that's downplaying it -- I won this contest in 2022, so I have a bias. Even without the win, I still would be a staunch lobbyist, especially for unpublished writers (like myself).

The pre-published contest is open to anyone who has yet to publish in the category for which they enter. In the first round, other contest entrants judge the submissions and provide invaluable critique-level observations. It's like getting three BETA readers for the first 25 pages of your novel. And if you land in the top three finalists, a literary agent or editor judges the entries, ranking them first to third.

This year the contest also will feature a published division in which the entire published novel will be judged by professionals in the first round and the finals.

Like any contest, the judging is subjective and a first-round judge can sink an entry. Ironically, the entry I submitted in 2023 didn't make it out of the first-round but then went on to win the Emily Award. But even coming up short, I gained some incredibly helpful suggestions by one first-round judge that put me in an even better position to win the Emily Award.

The categories range from Medieval to the World Wars. There are also categories for Time Travel/Paranormal and Young Adult. Entries can be submitted from April 1 to June 30. The entry fee is $20 for HHTW members and $25 for non-members.

To learn more, visit https://www.heartsthroughhistory.com/rtta-contest/