New Harlequin writing contest: I Heart Presents
by | Posted in Writer's Cramp 2 Comments »Many big name authors started out writing for the Harlequin and Silhouette category lines, including Nora Roberts, Suzanne Brockmann, Cherry Adair and Susan Mallory. Do you aspire to join their ranks? The Presents line features ruthless billionaires, greek tycoons and many secret babies. Alpha males at their brawniest and the women who tame them. I have often thought this would be a fun line to write for.
Harlequin Presents/Modern Heat guidelines
Length: 50,000 words
Upmarket, glossy and sharply contemporary, these stories sparkle with lively dialogue and sizzling sensuality! They offer all the international glamour, passion and alpha-male heroes you expect from Modern/Presents, with a flirty young voice and a whole load of sass! These entertaining romances reflect the life experiences of today’s young women, within a chic, glamorous and usually urban setting. The heroines are often your twenty-something girl-about-town but there’s no compromising on the hero: he must be very alpha and absolutely to die for! There’ll be sparks flying when these two meet—and nothing short of fireworks once they get to the bedroom!
I Heart Presents Contest details:
- The competition entry must consist of either the first chapter and synopsis of a Harlequin Presents or Modern Heat novel
- Please email your entry to writingcompetition@hmb.co.uk
- The WINNER receives an editor for a year
- TWO RUNNERS-UP will be given critiques of their first chapter entries and an editorial consultation
- The competition will close on November 2nd 2009 and the winner will be announced in December 2009 on I Heart Presents
- More detailed rules will be added to I Heart Presents on July 9
PS: I’m passing this information on, but I have no involvement in the contest. Please visit the I Heart Presents blog for all your contest needs.
August 5th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Are we to send our chapter and synopsis as Word document attachments, in separate files (or in the same file)? Or as RTF attachments (please say no, for my version of Word ALWAYS screws up RTF conversions, either making the fonts vary widely or making the formatting wacky)? Or should we paste them into the e-mail? Is there a page count for the synopsis (five pages for mine at the moment, but I could expand it or shorten it)? For the chapter? Any preference as to Courier vs TNR (12 point)? I’m ready to send when we hear how.
My book has some intrigue, but still qualifies as basically a romance . . . my heroine starts out with a romantic entanglement with a different man, but soon realizes who she belongs with as she and the hero work on the top secret government project and dodge danger together. Does this sort of book still qualify for the contest? (The focus is on the emotional relationship, but there ARE plot points related to their investigation.) I have other books that I could submit, but this one is a personal favorite, and I hope I can send it.
August 20th, 2009 at 5:38 am
Hi Shalanna,
This is Amy from Harlequin – I run the I Heart Presents blog that is announcing the writing contest. Most answers to your questions can be found in the Official Rules we posted on I Heart Presents. You can find them (along with links to the official announcement and some editor writing tips) on this page: http://www.iheartpresents.com/writing-competition-2009/
Though, it sounds like your story is more romantic suspense, not something for the Presents line. I recommend you read through the writing guidelines at eHarlequin.com to find which line is the best fit.
Best,
~Amy