Inspiration for Isabella
This is a huge honor! My young adult historical mystery/romance, The Saffron Crocus, is a Daphne Finalist in the Unpubbed category. Winners will be announced at the RWA national conference in Texas in July.
This is an incredibly HUGE honor for me. The name of the contest, as you can probably guess, is an hommage to Daphne du Maurier (and is used with permission of her estate). Just seeing the name of the contest on their website send me back to my mid-teens, when I first read Rebecca and stories like Don't Look Now.
The contest is administered by the Kiss of Death chapter (another great name!) composed of murderously inclined romantics. Their party at RWA Nationals, where the Daphne Winners will be announced, is of course, called Death by Chocolate.
For images that inspired me as I wrote the novel, see my Saffron Crocus Pinterest Board.