Local author Dana Wayne has been awarded the 2017 Best of Texas Book Award for Contemporary Romance by the Texas Association of Authors. Her winning entry, Secrets of The Heart,was also her debut novel.

The contest spotlights works by Texas authors and this year produced winners in forty-eight different categories. It also marked the fifth year for the event and had the largest number of entries to date. TxAuthors promotes authors from the Lone Star State by leveraging the knowledge and expertise of its members to promote their works both locally and globally.

Awards will be presented during the Celebration of Authors Gala in Houston on July 29thwhich is part of the 2ndAnnual Authors Marketing Event taking place July 28-30.

Winners will also have their books on display and for sale at the event. Sample chapters from winning books as well as a list of previous years’ winners can be found at http://Books.TxAuthors.com.

Dana Wayne is the pen name for Gilmer resident, Nancy Hudgins. “My mother actually chose my pen name when I was still in high school, which is why I use it today. I grew up listening to my father read passages from his collection of paperback westerns, and was fascinated by how the writer could paint a picture with words so vivid, I could see it. That’s when I decided that one day, I would be a writer.”

Over the years, life happened and her dream remained in a holding pattern. She did squeeze in the usual gamut of poetry, short stories and the occasional newspaper article, but nothing that fulfilled the hunger inside until she retired in 2013. Since then, she has published two books and is working on a third, as well as contributing to local writing anthologies.

Her books, Secrets of The Heart and Mail Order Groom, are available online at Amazon and all major retailers, or through her website at www.danawayne.com.