Worcester-based author Loretta Chekani ’71, who writes under the name Loretta Chase, has received the Romance Writers of America’s 2021 VIVIAN Award for “Ten Things I Hate About the Duke,” published by Avon Books, an imprint of Harper Collins.
The VIVIAN Awards, which recognize excellence in romance writing and showcase author talent and creativity, are the highest level of distinction in romance fiction — “the romance publishing industry’s equivalent of an Oscar,” Chekani says. “Ten Things I Hate About the Duke” won in the category of long historical romance.
In December 2020, the book was selected by library staff across the country for inclusion on the monthly LibraryReads list of the top ten books published that month. And in January 2021, O, The Oprah Magazine named Chekani’s 1995 novel, “Lord of Scoundrels,” number five on the Best 27 Romance Novels of All Time.
