After British romantic comedy writer Melissa Nathan (published in the U.S. by Avon) died last year of cancer at the age of 37, her husband and friends established a foundation to provide financial assistance for families in crisis. To call attention to that charitable work, they've also created the Melissa Nathan Award for Comedy Romance, the first prize of its kind for the genre. Finalists for the inaugural prize were announced last week:

• Barefoot in the Dark, Lynne Barrett-Lee
• The Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook, Matt Dunn
• The Cinderella Moment, Gemma Fox*
• Anybody Out There?, Marian Keyes
• Making Your Mind Up, Jill Mansell
• The Rise and Fally of a Yummy Mummy, Polly Williams

Judges for the prize, which will be presented next month in London, include novelists Joanna Trollope and Sophie Kinsella, as well as Tesco book buyer Gaynor Allen; think along the lines of Sessalee Hensley judging a book prize for a sense of how significant that is.

*Not pictured above, because the only "Gemma Fox" photos I could find online were for the pop star.