ABERGAVENNY author Stephanie Burgis is a finalist in the Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2026 and her novel Wooing the Witch Queen has been shortlisted in the category Romantasy/Romantic Fantasy.

The Romance Novelists’ Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year Awards is an annual awards ceremony celebrating excellence in romantic fiction in all its forms.

Stephanie Burgis is a dual UK/US citizen who was born in the US but has lived in Abergavenny since 2009, along with her husband (fellow author Patrick Samphire) and their two children, who have attended local schools.

She writes sparkling fantasy rom-coms for adults as well as fun and award-winning fantasy adventures for children. Wooing the Witch Queen is the first of her novels for adults to be traditionally published in the UK, and it was selected as the Waterstones Welsh Book of the Month in February 2026 and also longlisted for the 2026 Aldiss Award for Best Worldbuilding in a Speculative Fiction Novel.

Its sequel, Enchanting the Fae Queen, is already a USA Today Bestseller. She has also had over forty short stories published in various magazines and anthologies.

Stephanie said, “I am so thrilled and honored to be a finalist for this award from the UK’s top romance association. I can’t wait to attend the ceremony!”

The RNA Chair, Seána Talbot, said, “This year’s finalists represent the very best of what our romantic fiction community has to offer—from indie to traditionally published, from cosy to spicy and everything in between. We at the RNA are proud to recognise talented authors across the breadth of romance books, encompassing the full range of romance and romantic fiction subgenres. We look forward to celebrating with the romantic fiction community and can’t wait to announce the winners.”

The RNA Romantic Novel of the Year Awards have eleven award categories and they are: Debut Romance Novel Award, Romantasy/Romantic Fantasy Award, The Romantic Thriller Award, The Festive/ Holiday Romance Novel Award, The Shorter Romance Novel Award, The Saga Romance Award, The Historical Romance Award, The Contemporary Romance Novel Award, The Contemporary Spicy Romance Novel Award, The Romantic Comedy Award, and The Romance Bestseller Award.

The shortlisted novels were determined exclusively by reader-judges and the finalists illustrate the highest standards of romantic fiction across all genres. The winners of the eleven categories will be announced during the awards ceremony on May 18 in London, along with the winner of The Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers.

Award winning author Brigid Coady will host the evening. The Joan Hessayon Award for New Writers which is sponsored by the estate of Dr David Hessayon will also be presented at the ceremony by Claire McCauley (winner of the Award in 2024 and now its Coordinator). The RNA President and Sunday Times Bestselling Author Sue Moorcroft will present the Contemporary Romance Novel Award and the remaining awards will be presented by the RNA Chair Seána Talbot.