From car scribblings at primary school to romantic novel award winner for Yorkshire author and journalist

Now, she is one of two Yorkshire authors who have won at this year’s Romantic Novelists' Association's (RNA) Romantic Novel Awards.

Emily, who lives near Harrogate, is a television journalist for ITV Calendar News.

“It’s certainly been an intensive few years news-wise, so I feel very lucky to be able to balance that out by escaping into the world of fiction,” she says.

Emily has been scribbling down stories ever since she could write.

After studying Classics at the University of Oxford, and then a master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism, she juggles writing fiction with her job in journalism.

In 2020, she also ventured into non-fiction, contributing an essay to a book featuring ITV News journalists reflecting on reporting during a global pandemic.

Her novel, Take a Chance on Greece, which is set in Kefalonia - one of her favourite Greek islands, won the Jane Wenham-Jones Award for Romantic Comedy category.

"I wrote the book during the pandemic when going to Greece felt like an impossible dream,” she says.

“It was a joy to be able to travel there in my imagination instead, and I’m so glad that the book has struck a chord with readers.

"It’s a real privilege to write stories which hopefully provide some feel-good escapism and put a smile on people’s faces.”

The awards, which have been held since their inception in 1960, are highly respected in the UK publishing industry and celebrate excellence in romantic fiction.

Previous winners include Santa Montefiore, Joe Heap, Julie Cohen and Barnsley’s Milly Johnson.

The awards are judged entirely by readers, without input from any industry professionals.

North Yorkshire author Jane Lovering was also announced as a winner at the awards ceremony, held at the Leonardo Royal Hotel London City on March 6.

Her novel, A Cottage Full of Secrets, topped the Contemporary Romantic Novel Award category.

Jane, who lives near Kirkbymoorside, has written 25 published novels in various genres and has been published since 2008.

She started writing as a single mother of five and, after winning the award, says those who have supported her will “now have to put up with my general levels of over-excitement”.

Sharon Ibbotson, the RNA Awards Coordinator, says: ”Our Romantic Novel Awards in 2023 had nearly five hundred entries, which were whittled down to nine very worthy winners by our amazing reader-judges.

"Along with the winner of the Popular Romantic Fiction Award, their stories made people laugh, smile, weep and above all, fall in love.”