by Harlequin Presents author Susan Stephens,  The Prince’s Arranged Bride

In the opening of this book my heroine, Emily, a lawyer, takes over last minute from her identical twin sister as the singer in a band at a charity event. My dark eyed prince, Alessandro of Ferara, is guest of honour.

Brooding and cynical, Alessandro of Ferara is fiercely loyal to his father and to his country, and up to this point has been wedded to duty.

Alessandro’s ailing father is eager to abdicate the throne of Ferara in favour of Alessandro, but the constitution forbids this unless Alessandro is married. A parade of suitable brides has been submitted for Alessandro’s approval, but until tonight Alessandro has remained unmoved.

Emily dearest wish is to buy her twin sister Miranda a priceless violin. She believes this will allow Miranda to achieve her dream of becoming a world-class violinist. Alessandro suggests a plan that will satisfy them both, but it is strictly a business relationship and neither Alessandro nor Emily plan to fall in love.

But as the confident and independent Emily falls deeply in love with Alessandro the goal posts move. Believing Alessandro feels the same way about her, Emily must face betrayal and heartbreak, for though she is pregnant with Alessandro’s baby Emily learns she has only ever been Alessandro’s bride of convenience.

***

I love fairytales. I have never grown out of them or stopped reading them. One of the best days of my life was discovering my chair was propped up on a volume the Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales, and one of the worst, the day I was told it was time to stop reading fairy tales. Why should we ever stop reading fairy tales? And for me that wonderful indulgence continues with Harlequin Presents. I adore my rugged hero, Prince Alessandro of Ferara- and if he happens to live in a castle- Well, so much the better!

The principality of Ferara was inspired by a tour of Umbria and Tuscany. We were driving along when suddenly a medieval city appeared around a bend in the road. Thanks to the unusual weather conditions this magical fortress city on a hill appeared to be floating on a cloud. I have never forgotten that image and in fact I began to write The Prince’s Arranged Bride on the balcony of our hotel as soon as we returned.

The Prince’s Arranged Bride is most definitely a classic Presents novel with a fabulous international setting, a very strong hero just waiting for a woman like Emily to melt his heart, and a determined heroine who can bounce back however many times it takes.

Wishing you all a never-ending supply of fairytales and happy endings in your life!

All my very best,
Susan

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by Amy

Even if you can’t catch those BBC programs this weekend, everyone can check out this stuff online :

1) New books for November (and December series early releases) are be on sale todayat eHarlequin and our eBook Store.

2) As blogged about yesterday, “Undone” — our new line of eBook-exclusive short & sensual historicals — starts today! To celebrate, the launch authors (Nichola Cornick, Bronwyn Scott, Amanda McCabe, and Michelle Willingham) will be doing a blog tour for the next few weeks:

• October 31: Greyhaus Literary Agency Blog
• November 2: Risky Regencies
• November 3: Romance Bandits — “Battle of the Heroes”. The authors have written a short story where all four heroes interact and fight over their women!
• November 3-7: The Good, the Bad, and the Unread. Posts will feature a spotlight on each Undone, a review of each by Wendy, and research tidbit.
• November 7: UK Regency Readers Blog
• Tuesday, November 11: Romance Vagabonds — Tea with the Heroines. In this short story, all four heroines take tea and discuss their men.
• Q&A on the eHarlequin Community
• November 17: Writeminded

(pssst: want a chance to win a free Undone? Check out WeWrite Romance and some other blogs to come…)

3) Looking for more blogs to read? There are some interesting links on the 50 Best Chick Lit blogs.

4) If you haven’t seen it already, The Pink Heart Society lists 13 fun things for category romance lovers to do online.

5) For other up-to-the-minute Harlequin news, don’t forget to follow eHarlequin on Twitter!

What other online goodies will you be looking at this weekend?

by Linda Fildew, editor

The attraction of the Alpha Male is timeless. What women find irresistible in the Presents hero can also be found in roguish Regency Rakes, commanding Scottish Highlanders and tough, rugged Ranchers.

The Harlequin Historical team has snuck onto the I Heart Presents site to announce the launch, on 1st November, of short, sexy, scandalous Undone ebooks where Harlequin Historical has turned up the heat!

When the idea was first suggested that we develop sexy short stories of between 10-15,000 words, it immediately caught our imagination. We knew about the success of Spice Briefs and Nocturne Bites, so what better way to feed the growing appetite for things historical than to ask our authors to create tantalizingly sexy, short story appetizers which could be devoured in one tasty sitting. Guaranteed to leave you completely satisfied while still clamouring for more! In our launch month we have four wonderful authors to tempt you to become Undone!

Nicola Cornick: THE UNMASKING OF LADY LOVELESS

Bronwyn Scott: LIBERTINE LORD, PICKPOCKET MISS

Amanda McCabe: SHIPWRECKED AND SEDUCED

Michelle Willingham: THE VIKING’S FORBIDDEN LOVE-SLAVE

If you fantasise about a hero from a particular time period, we’d love to hear from you. You never know when he might appear in Undone! Please take time to let us know your thoughts.

Linda Fildew
Senior Editor

by Amy Wilkins, Harlequin Digital & Internet

On Sunday, November 2nd, BBC Four will feature a whole evening of Mills & Boon programmes!

From 8.00 – 9.00pm, there is Time Shift: How to Write a Mills & Boon Novel. Writer Stella Duffy takes on the challenge of writing a M&B novel, and talks to editors, readers and authors, with a stop at Sharon Kendrick’s writing workshop. This is what Jennie Lucas was interviewed for when she blogged about attending Sharon’s workshop in “My Week at ‘Romance Camp’ in Tuscany,” Parts I, II, and III!

Then from 9.00 – 10.30pm, watch Consuming Passions – 100 Years of Mills & Boon, a drama series that interweaves the stories of three women (including the wife of Charles Boon) and how M&B affected their lives. For more info about the movie, you can read the press release (but watch out for possible spoilers and certain terms like bodice-ripper and low-brow… don’t they want readers to watch the thing?!)

To all you lucky UKers, please stop by after the 2nd to let us know what you thought of the shows!

by Natalie Anderson, author of His Mistress by Arrangement and Bought: One Night, One Marriage (in stores December, and on eHarlequin in November)

November is coming and that means it’s that time of year — NaNoWriMo — or National Novel Writing Month. So are you signed up already or have you never heard of it?

For those who you who haven’t heard of it, this idea was originally cooked up about 10 years ago by writer Chris Baty. Basically you just sit down and WRITE that book that you’ve always said is inside of you – open a file on November 1 and start typing. Aim for around 1700 words a day and stop on Nov 30 — et voila! A 50,000 word novel in 30 days!!! (Ok, so it isn’t quite so straightforward as that, you do have to work, but just go with me here…)

Nanowrimo is a huge phenomenon these days, lots of spinoffs have been spawned and many Romance Writing chapters do their own versions or Book-In-A-Week drafts or even Book-in-A-Weekend. Like many other writers, I’m a huge fan of the Nanowrimo concept — let me explain why:

In May 2005 I found a copy of Chris Baty’s Nanowrimo guide “No Plot, No Problem” in my local library. The next month, June 2005, I wrote my first novel. It was a wannabe Mills & Boon that included every possible cliché and is so awful no one, certainly not my editor, will ever see it. But halfway through writing it I got hit by another idea. I forced myself to finish the first (that is the point of Nano after all) and then I did another nano with that new idea.

That second story was my first submission to Harlequin Mills & Boon and in May 2007 it was out on the shelves in the UK.

Now please let me point out that that story was edited and revised and edited and revised and edited and revised soooooo much that it’s nothing like the story I had at the end of that month back in 2005. But what I had then was the bones to work with, the juicy bits that came when on a writing bender and most importantly, the confidence in knowing that I could finish a book — I wasn’t just a writer, I was a bona fide novelist.

So if you’re out there, thinking you’d like to write a novel but haven’t gotten round to it… or you’ve started and stopped several times over, then why not sign up for Nanowrimo?

You can go to the original Nanowrimo site (www.nanowrimo.org) — you’ll find thousands of people, many forums and even more ways of procrastinating… but the forums at eHarlequin run their own version of the event and that’s where I’m signing up this year. I like the intimate nature and camaraderie of the eHarlequin forum, I like being around other lovers of Romance and I love the ‘best lines’ — when you post your daily tally you can also add in your ‘best line of the day’ — they’re fantastic!

You can find the sign-up page here: http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/write-stuff/nanowrimo-sign-page 

So why else should you Nano with eHarlequin?

1. It gets you into the habit. Zillions of published writers will tell you to write regularly, write often, write every day… I’m keen on writing everyday so I stay ‘in the zone’ but I had a fab holiday in September and October is the birthday month in our house (4/6 of us!)… so I’m a little out of the habit…. now deadlines are looming and those voices in my head are getting louder… so what better way to kick myself BACK in the habit???

2. You know you’re not alone. Writing can be pretty isolating… slaving away in your quiet room, you can feel a bit alone (sometimes this is wonderful, but sometimes not)…. It can be really nice to hook into a community (WHEN YOU’VE DONE YOUR TALLY FOR THE DAY!!!) and have a cyber ‘refresher’ with some like-minded folk… and it’s even better when they’re writing the same kind of stuff you love to write!!! Tying in with that idea is the point that…

3. It means public accountability. Those online buddies will also motivate you on those hard days… and just knowing people ‘know’ makes you put in more of an effort somehow…

4. It’s flexible. On the eHarlequin forum you can ‘design your own Nano’ — your goal might be a novella or a whole novel… you might not have started yet or you might be part way through and want to take advantage of the ‘zing’ of it to finish… I’m going for a ‘Nano Combo’ — drafting a novella and starting another story at the same time (a first for me, could be ‘interesting’!). But whatever your goal, you can join up with fellow romance lovers in a small and friendly community and go for it!

5. It’s fun! Really, truly, it is. Even though there are hard days, and some days you’re tired and you think ‘no way can I write 1700 words before I go to bed’… the sheer challenge of it is fun. If you’re stuck for words one day, describe your fantasy beach house or the worst moment of humiliation you can imagine… write anything… it can be truly awful — now how liberating is that thought? Let your internal editor take leave for the month (I’ll be back in December to talk editing — ‘til then, forget it!) At the end of the day, whether you’re writing with publication in mind or not, the writing itself should be fun. The anarchistic, ‘take no prisoners’ nano approach offers just that.

Best of all, there is no such thing as failing. Even if you don’t meet quite the word count you’d planned to, you’ll probably still do more than if you hadn’t signed up.

Right, so what are you waiting for? Head on over to eHarlequin now and sign up – I’ll see you there!!!

Happy writing!
~Natalie

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by Amy Wilkins, Digital Production Coordinator

Hi everybody! Since I know all our great blog readers are passionate about their romance, I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about two new things Harlequin is doing online that we’re eager to get some feedback about…

Do you have any ideas or comments that you’d like to share with Harlequin? Then head on over towww.TellHarlequin.com! Here, readers can help shape the future of romance by sharing your opinions and reading experiences directly with us here at Harlequin. You can discus cover designs, new miniseries ideas, series concepts and more — plus you can receive free Harlequin novels and sneak peeks at upcoming books for contributing! And who doesn’t like free stuff?

And while you’re surfing the web this weekend, check our the new look of eHarlequin.com! We hope you find it easier to find all your favorite sections and discover some new features (there’s even a little blueprint available here to walk you through the new homepage). Share your thoughts on the redesign here in the comments or in the eHarlequin Community thread, where our fabulous Community Manager Jayne will reply to any questions you may have about the new site.

Thanks guys! Have a happy reading-filled weekend

~Amy

by Malle

Found over at the We Write Romance Blog Lynn Raye Harris on the appeal of Beauty and the Beast to Harlequin Presents.

by Jackie Coates

I’ve been a fan of romance ever since my best friend (after loads of nagging) finally let me read the romantic story she had been writing – we were fourteen at the time. Absolutely thrilled by it, I immediately stopped writing bad Lord of the Rings fantasies and began to write romances instead. Believe it or not, we went on writing and swapping these romances for twenty-four years until life got in the way and my friend stopped writing hers. But I never did. Which was when I decided that perhaps I should give romance writing a serious go.

 I used to binge-read Mills and Boon while studying at university (nothing like a romance to take your mind off the rigours of Chaucer!) but it wasn’t until last year that I decided to write one with the intent to submit for publication. A chance meeting with another Harlequin author led me to enter this ‘masterpiece’ in the Instant Seduction contest earlier this year and to my utter surprise, I got a request to see more work. Which was all the excuse I needed to start planning to do what I’d always wanted to do — be an author. So, after years of snatching writing time whenever I could conveniently distract the kids, I chucked in my job as a librarian and settled down to attempt writing full time (thanks to my lovely, supportive husband).

I’m a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand and, aided and abetted by some fantastic crit partners (not to mention my original crit partner – you know who you are!), am concentrating on writing for the wonderful Modern Heat line. Coming runner up in the Feel the Heat contest was just fantastic – all I hoped for was another partial request!  I’m really looking forward to my consultation because I’m hoping Anna will be able to give me an insight into how I can get around the brick wall I’ve come up against with my story.

I currently spend my time ‘working’ (AKA writing romance),  doing lots of ‘research’ (AKA reading fabulous Modern Heat authors such as Natalie Anderson and Heidi Rice to name just a couple), and hiding my manuscripts from my eldest daughter (who at seven is already keen to know what Mummy writes). 

By Lynn Raye Harris

When I last wrote a post, I’d just turned in my second round of revisions and I was waiting for my editor, Sally Williamson, to let me know how I did. Naturally, I was apprehensive! I was hopeful this time, but nowhere near certain I’d gotten it right enough for the Magical Phone Call.

I sent Sally my revisions on a Wednesday. On Friday, she responded that she loved what I’d done but she had some tweaks for me. I got excited as I read her email because I could tell these were easy things to do: take something out, add something in, expand something else. Nothing was major, and nothing was a total rewrite. Yay!

But the bad news (for me, not for Sally!) was that she was on her way out the door for a two-week holiday. I was seriously excited – but two weeks? Oh man, the wait. I finished the tweaks that weekend and sent the story back. But I still had two weeks to go.

Two excruciating weeks! Thankfully, I had distractions. My in-laws were visiting and we had a construction project going on. I had some contest entries to judge, and an anniversary to celebrate. I also scheduled lunch with a friend, and there was a costume party squeezed into those two weeks as well. So I was busy, but it was always there in the back of my mind. Would Sally have good news for me when she got back, or would I be rewriting again?

Sunday, Oct 5, I was thinking pretty hard about how I would pick myself up and dust myself off and start another book if Sally gave me bad news (maybe she was tired of these characters and figured I’d never get it right). I still had her for six months, so I was going to write another book! I’d already written a loose synopsis and character backgrounds, so I was ready to go.

Several of my writing friends told me to stop being silly and quit worrying so much. My husband said of course they were going to buy my book, there was no way I’d slid backward over something as easy as tweaks, and to stop obsessing (he’s practical like that). But that’s what writers do, right? We obsess.

I knew Sally was back in the office on Monday, so I figured if I didn’t hear something by Wednesday, I’d send her an email. I’d waited two weeks; surely I could wait a couple more days. Her “To Do” list had to be pretty full since she’d been away. I reminded myself I wasn’t her first priority and she would get to me when she had a chance.

Monday morning, my husband got up bright and early to get ready for work. I always get up at some point before he leaves and prepare for my day at the computer. That morning, I was a little behind the curve. I was sitting up in bed, still in my pajamas, and my husband had just kissed me goodbye. He was walking out the bedroom door when the phone rang.

Our phone is in the kitchen, which is next to the bedroom, and he was closer. But I’d jumped out of bed and was headed that way. My husband picked up the phone and looked at the Caller ID. It was Privacy Director, the service that filters calls it deems to be from telemarketers to a menu where I get to choose whether or not to answer. I don’t know why, but it always does this when Harlequin calls (sorry, Sally; if I knew how to turn it off I would). My husband was puzzled over the Privacy Director so early in the morning, but I just said, “Give it to me.”

I knew who it was (call it a feeling or a coincidence, but I was positive it was Sally), and I hoped like crazy I knew why she was calling. I answered and heard Sally’s lovely accent as she stated her name. Of course I accepted the call! By this time, my husband had followed me back into the bedroom and sat beside me on the bed. Sally asked me how I was, I think I asked her about her vacation, and then she said some combination of those Magic Words that I can’t remember precisely because my heart was beating so fast: “We want to buy your book.”

I squeezed my husband’s arm. I don’t remember much else, except to say how happy I was. (And I think I was bouncing on the bed, btw.) Sally said a few more things, something about calling my new agent with the details, but I definitely heard “two book contract.” My husband was so happy he said, “Thank you, Sally!” into the phone while I was trying to listen.

After I finished talking with Sally, I called my parents and my in-laws, because I’d promised I would, and then I started telling everyone. I can’t remember most of the morning, other than it was a rush of calls and emails. My husband brought home flowers and a card before I had to take him to the airport for a business trip. I spent the evening of my First Sale eating a frozen dinner and drinking a glass of wine alone. But I was too happy to be upset about it.

And that’s how, at 7:27 AM on Monday, October 6, 2008, I finally got the long dreamed about CALL. Four years since I got serious about my writing, and fifteen years since I first tried to write a romance novel, I sold to Harlequin Presents.

Never give up the dream, friends. It could be you next. Thanks for all the good wishes you’ve sent me, and a major thank you to the editorial team for having the contest and choosing me. This has been a wonderful experience, and I look forward to the future as a Presents author. (It gives me a thrill to say that!)

by Jane Porter, author of King of the Desert, Captive Bride and The Sheikh’s Chosen Queen
I got my first sale in January 2000 to Harlequin Presents after writing for nearly fifteen years and completing over thirteen rejected books. Since making that first sale in 2000, I’ve written twenty-four books for Harlequin Presents as well as five novels for GCP, my fiction publisher. My women’s fiction is very successful, and one of my novels, Flirting with Forty, has been made into a Lifetime movie that will air on Lifetime this December starring Heather Locklear. But despite my success in straight fiction, I can’t imagine giving up writing for Harlequin Presents. Presents is an extraordinary line with extraordinary characters and plots. It’s also a huge challenge as the intense and sensual Presents premise isn’t easy to pull off. To sustain intensity, to render a fierce alpha hero vulnerable, to make opposites fall in love…is a skill, a passion, and endless dedication.

One of my favorite aspects to writing Presents is the international flavor. I love writing setting as setting is practically a secondary character in our books. The Italian Groom wouldn’t work anywhere but Napa, just as The Spaniard’s Passion had to be set at Iguazu Falls in Brazil. An Argentine count is different from an Italian aristocrat and a Greek bodyguard wouldn’t be a Texan.

But to write these foreign heroes, and to properly write these foreign settings, I don’t just make up stuff, or glance at a travel book, I really immerse myself in the country and culture I’m writing about. I read everything from travelogues to cookbooks, historical accounts like journals and diaries to poetry in translation. I pour over maps. I sample recipes. I’m always trying to find out what a place means…what its geography represents. How do people feel about their country and their culture? And ultimately, how does that culture impact the countries and cultures around it?

I really embrace cultural differences and think it’s wonderful to be able to fall in love with different people from different places. I’m lucky to be who I am and live where I do but I’m passionate about the world and want to see as much of it as I can. The intrepid adventurer in me means I’m forever tucking intriguing countries into my stories, if only for a couple chapters. I’m sure I’ve given my editor, Kim, fits with my Zambia film location in Hollywood Husband, Contract Bride and the Egypt setting in King of the Desert, Captive Bride, but because I harbor this secret fantasy that Presents readers crave, well, fantasies, I do it anyway, mindful though that the Presents passion and intensity and seduction must come before anything else.

But this for me is the appeal of writing for Presents. Where else could I write stories about kings and sheikhs? Rock stars, MI6 agents, Greek mafia, gauchos? Where else could wonderful women be so strong, so interesting, so complex? The emotions might be real in a Presents, but everything else gets to be mythic, larger than life and that excites both the reader and writer in me.

Ultimately, writing for Presents makes me sensitive to the world and reminds me to think globally, not locally. Writing for a line that is published in thirty some different countries teaches humility, compassion, and tolerance. It reveals that all people are basically good and all value systems worthy of respect. It reinforces the belief that everyone shares the same need to be valued and loved. Love ties us to each other. We can’t possibly survive without love, and I don’t know that I could survive without Harlequin Presents.

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