Susanna invites Tania Crosse to talk about winning the first ever Saga of the Year award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association as it celebrates its Diamond Anniversary

I was utterly thrilled when I learnt at Christmas that The Street of Broken Dreams had been shortlisted for the new saga category in the RNA’s major annual awards. With the other contenders, Lesley Eames, Jean Fullerton, Rosie Goodwin and Kate Thompson being such wonderful writers, I went to the ceremony in London with no expectations, just looking forward to a glittering evening out. So when my name was read out as the winner, I was totally overwhelmed. I managed to gabble a few incoherent words up on the podium, but I must confess, it was all a bit of a blur at the time.

It really is fantastic that this new saga award has come into existence. It remains an enormously popular genre, and the quality of so many of the brilliant sagas available, covering a huge range of different topics, deserves such recognition. I feel honoured that as the first ever recipient of this award, I can represent saga lovers everywhere.

Tania (left) with agent Broo Doherty

So what is considered ‘saga’? That is a good question, so here is my interpretation. Whatever length of time the story spans, the entire action must take place at least fifty years in the past. Secondly, the actual romance is not necessarily the main focus of the book. Characters must fight their way through extreme adversity, often – though by no means always – generated by the historical circumstances of the period, with the romance intertwined within it. Sagas are normally gritty, hard-hitting stories illustrating strong themes.

Like all sagas, The Street of Broken Dreams is a tale of spirit, warmth, courage and heart, and has been described as ‘searing emotional drama’ and as being ‘beautifully compelling and poignant’. It’s 1945 and WW2 is drawing to a close. But the consequences of war can be far reaching. Can dancer Cissie ever recover from the brutal night back in 1944 that destroyed her life? Will it take the love of a good man or the guilt and self-sacrifice of a stranger from across the sea to bring her peace? Does Mildred really know the man to whom she so hastily became engaged before he went off to war? Will she able to face the tearing conflict of loyalty on his return?  Can golden-hearted Eva, matriarch of the street and linchpin of the story, help them unite against the future?

I actually lived in Banbury Street, the street of the title, as a small girl, so writing the book brought back many childhood memories. Cissie’s story was inspired by an ‘encounter’ my mother experienced during the blackout, though fortunately it had a different outcome and my mother was unharmed. During the war, my father served in submarines in the Far East, which gave me the idea for Mildred’s story. Dance has been a lifetime passion of mine, and my ballet mistress with whom I kept in contact all her life, told me about her experiences as a dancer in wartime repertory, and this became the Romaine Theatre Company in the book.

So I think you can appreciate that this award means so much to me, not just in itself, but because so much of myself was poured into the book. As my fourteenth published novel, it feels like a lifetime achievement and I thank from the bottom of my heart the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the readers and judges who put me on the podium.