February Foreign Releases

Imposible resistirse (Miniserie: PADRES POR SORPRESA)

por Barbara McMahon (Spain)

¿Se atrevería a tener un hijo con el jefe?

Lianne O’Mallory deseaba tener un hijo, pero se estaba quedando sin tiempo. Incluso escribía en secreto una lista con todos los atributos de su hombre ideal. Pero después de varias citas desastrosas esa lista acabó en la papelera… ¡y fue descubierta por su jefe!

Tray Elliott no podía entender por qué aquella mujer guapa e inteligente tendría que hacer una lista, y eso lo intrigó. Un hombre como él jamás admitiría su deseo secreto de formar una familia… pero iba a hacerle a Lianne una proposición de matrimonio que ella no sería capaz de rechazar.

TRAUMHOCHZEIT IM SCHLOSS?

von: LIZ FIELDING (Germany)

Die perfekte Traumhochzeit? Auf einem Schloss in Südengland organisiert die Hochzeitsplanerin Sylvie eine glamouröse Wohltätigkeitsveranstaltung. Sie selbst soll dabei die glückliche Braut spielen, die zu ihrer Jugendliebe Jeremy zurückgekehrt ist. Alles läuft nach Plan. Bis überraschend der attraktive Milliardär Tom MacFarlaine auftaucht. Er ist der neue Besitzer von Longbourne Court – und der Mann, dessen Baby Sylvie seit einer leidenschaftlichen Nacht unter dem Herzen trägt. Wie gern würde sie Tom das Jawort geben! Doch er glaubt, sie sei mit Jeremy verlobt …

NATASHA OAKLEY - PAMIĘTNA NIEDZIELA (Poland)

Ulubione powiedzonko Milesa, właściciela dużej firmy, brzmi: jestem sam i żyję tylko dla siebie. Uwielbia przelotne romanse, przyjęcia i szybkie samochody. Wszystko się zmienia, gdy w jego biurze pojawia się Jemima, nowa sekretarka. Milesa irytuje jej nieuporządkowane życie osobiste, ale to uczucie szybko ustępuje miejsca fascynacji. Służbowe kontakty przestają mu wystarczać, pragnie spędzać z Jemimą i jej synkami każdy weekend. Wkrótce uświadamia sobie, jak puste było jego dotychczasowe życie...

A esposa do italiano (Minissérie: Os irmãos Rinucci)

por Lucy Gordon (Portugal)

Quem disse que uma aventura apaixonada não podia transformar-se num amor para sempre?

Uma mulher inteligente e sensata como Della Hadley tinha por obrigação saber que não devia ter uma aventura com um playboy italiano sete anos mais novo do que ela. O problema era que o sensual Carlo Rinucci era simplesmente irresistível…

Della tinha a certeza de que a paixão que surgira tão rapidamente se extinguiria à mesma velocidade, por muito que Carlo lhe garantisse que o seu amor era para sempre. Porém, Carlo era um italiano empedernido que pretendia conquistar o coração daquela mulher e fazer dela a sua esposa.

POSERO' UN SEDUTTORE
di MEIER SUSAN (Italy)

Audra Greene: contabile di The Wedding Belles.

Segni particolari: specialista nel far quadrare i conti e nel mandare all'aria i piani di un playboy impenitente.

Che cosa ci fa Audra in mezzo ai biberon, invece che ai suoi adorati numeri? Semplice, dà una mano al magnate dell'imprenditoria Nic Manelli. Lui ha bisogno di una babysitter per il suo nipotino e chi può aiutarlo meglio dell'affidabile figlia della governante di casa Manelli? Ma con Audra dovrà evitare di usare i suoi modi da seduttore irriverente: con lei non attaccano!
FIORI E CONFETTI:
SEI SPECIALISTE PER UN SOGNO.
Dopo aver organizzato
tanti matrimoni perfetti,
troveranno il loro lieto fine?

Un amour à toute épreuve

Claire Baxter (France)

Dès qu'elle rencontre Chase, nouveau venu dans la région, Megan sent une force invisible la pousser vers lui. Malgré ses premières réticences, elle entame bientôt avec cet homme séduisant une liaison passionnée, qu'elle voudrait voir durer toujours. Hélas, Chase ne semble pas prêt à changer quoi que ce soit à la vie bien réglée qu'il mène avec sa fille âgée de quatre ans, sa seule raison de vivre depuis la mort de sa femme. Sa femme, dont le souvenir l'empêche de se tourner vers l'avenir...

LIEFDE TE OVER / KANS OP GELUK
CAROLINE ANDERSON, JENNIE ADAMS (Holland)

Liefde te over

Emily had nooit gedacht haar vroegere buurjongen Harry weer te zien... tot hij op haar stoep staat met een piepklein baby'tje in zijn armen. Hij vraagt haar hem te helpen met de verzorging van het te vroeg geboren kindje. Eigenlijk heeft ze haar handen al vol aan de opvoeding van haar zoontje. Maar als ze de hulpeloze blik in Harry's ogen ziet, kan ze niet weigeren. Al snel is ze totaal verslingerd aan de kleine Kizzy... en aan die stoere vader van haar!

Kans op geluk

Arabella schrikt wanneer Luchino Montichelli haar modezaak komt binnen gestapt. Ooit heeft ze van hem gehouden, tot ze ontdekte dat hij haar bedroog. Nu beschuldigt de temperamentvolle Italiaan háár van bedrog. Ze wil hem de deur wijzen, maar dan valt haar blik op het schattige meisje dat hij bij zich heeft. Het blijkt zijn dochtertje te zijn, dat hij alleen opvoedt. Eén blik uit die grote bruine ogen, en Arabella's hart smelt ter plekke...

Twist that Plot! Melissa James

Throughout the year, we'll be bringing you posts from your favourite authors. Sometimes they will be fun, have-a-chat type posts, some will be a look behind the scenes of the newest releases, and some will be for those readers who are trying their hand at writing their own romances.

In our very first "craft" post of the year, please welcome Melissa James with some advice on twisting an old hook into a new idea!

Twisting an Old Plot into a Fresh Idea

Anna Jacobs, author of 45 published novels so far, wrote something in her handbook called Plotting and Editing that made a great deal of sense to me. On page 19, under the heading, What Makes Your Book special?, she writes:

"All the time you're writing, whichever method you use, you should bear in mind that there has to be something that makes your story special, different, exciting—both to an editor who reads dozens of manuscripts and proposals each month, as well as to readers after publication. You also need to remember that merely 'good' isn't enough to sell a manuscript to a publisher—or to fascinate readers. Your story will have to be 'sparkling', especially if you are unknown as a writer."

Okay, that's wonderful, sage advice from a lady who knows what she's talking about. But here's the crunch for most of us: how do we do it? How do we find a true definition of those two dreaded words, emotional punch, and put it in our work?

That's what this workshop is for: to take existing plots and make them special, so special your characters will flow from it, and be so real they'll leap up yelling at an editor, "buy me!" I can't give you any magic formulas to write it to publishing standard; all I can do is pass on the details of my personal journey on plot discovery, and find ways to make something sparkling from basic plots.

It's said there are 8 basic plots for a romance novel. As some of you know, with help from the RWNZ email list, I got them down pat recently. They are:

* Beauty and the Beast
* King and beggar maid/ princess and pauper
* Reunion after painful past
* Secret Baby* Cinderella
* Marriage of convenience
* Forced Marriage/blackmail
* Bad girl/Good boy and vice versa

Now we all know the basic twist of combining two or more of these elements, such as reunion/secret baby, or marriage of convenience/Cinderella. Adding such things as 'woman in danger' usually stems from these basic plots, and can be innovative and effective; but the plot twists I'm talking about are different.

I'm going to start with a working example. The last thing I want (or probably you) is for me to bore you with the story of my books. But five minutes should make the point, and we can move on together. Her Galahad, which was released by Silhouette Intimate Moments in October 2002, combines a few basic plots:

* Princess and pauper
* Reunion after painful past
* Secret Baby
* Forced Marriage/blackmail
* Good girl/Bad boy

Then I took each theme and twisted them.

1. Princess and pauper? How could I twist that? By turning it around. They had been, in their painful past, princess and pauper, rich white upper-class girl and Aboriginal carpenter. Now she's a poorly paid teacher on the run from her obsessive, abusive, bigamous 'husband', and he's a rich artist. He wants seven kids; she knows she can't have any more. So she's on the back foot right from the start.

2. Now the Secret baby plot? It sounds plain and straightforward, doesn't it? So how to twist that? By making the baby so secret the heroine thinks she died. And the hero hates the heroine because he thinks she adopted their baby out. And he also has a baby, a son from another relationship with a woman who died. There's always ways and means to twist something new from a plot!

3. I twisted the good girl/bad boy plot by giving the good girl martial arts skills and turning on her family, willing to imprison them if she has to, on a quest to find her child they adopted out and told her had died. The bad boy becomes a good hero by being a bad boy not of his own choice, but imprisoned for crimes he didn't commit—by the man the heroine marries five weeks after the hero's arrest, and the heroine's brother and father. And this bad boy's been declared dead twice—once legally, with a death certificate to prove it. The heroine has a matching certificate, dated three years before his. And if the cops find him, he'll be imprisoned again just for being alive (by the way, this came from truth: in my university course I discovered the Australian government issued fake death certificates to Aboriginal kids taken from their families to stop them finding their heritage and make them 'blend' into white society. I thought, if they can do it, it can be done!)

4. The forced marriage/blackmail plot? I twisted that by giving the hero and heroine a secret marriage of one day, and the heroine, a forced marriage to a man who blackmailed her into becoming an unwitting bigamist, knowing she thought her true husband was dead.

From all these unusual plot twists, I suddenly found a wealth of creative emotion coming straight from the heart. I felt for this suffering hero and heroine. I wanted them to have a happy ending because, hell, they deserved it! I didn't just want to write the book by the time I'd finished - I was compelled to. The characters were so real to me I couldn't leave them hanging in the air. I finally understood why actors talked about their character in a movie as if that person was real: because, to them, they were. They had to be real to the people involved, or the characters will feel wooden, and the movie won't work for the actors or the theatre goers. That was what happened to me with Her Galahad, and the way I continued with the Nighthawks series, and now in writing for the Harlequin Romance line. I do it every time: the basic plots with the twist in the tail!

Emma Darcy says in her how-to book that empathizing with a hero or heroine is important—but it's not always just 'writing from the heart' that does it. You can make a heroine cry, she says, but will it make the reader cry?

Not if they haven't gone on the journey with the heroine first, to feel what she's feeling before she cries. So how do we do this? We, the author, have to be on our heroine’s journey, not merely thinking what she thinks, but *feeling* what she feels.

It's true what Valerie Parv says in her How-to book: You have to torture your characters! You have to make them orphans, throw them in boiling oil, drop them out of trees and throw them off cliffs, shoot them, stab them, and then, right when it can't get worse—make it worse! Why? Empathy! Because readers love to go on the journey. They want to feel what the characters are feeling, to cheer them on, to find reasons for these people to deserve their happy ending. Without this vital element, a book loses its interest. If an author writes more than one book where I don't feel for the characters I won't buy that author again. I'm afraid I'm not loyal to authors: I read what entertains me.

How about you? What is it you look for in a book? What drags you in? What books are your all-time favorites? Do you know why you love those books? Then take those well-loved books and research them like university readers. Analyze every line, every part of the book you love, and ask why?

Do you know the basic plot of that book you love? Now think about the twists on these plots the author used to hook you in. These points show exactly what I meant in the beginning: these authors have twisted the basic, well-loved plot to make it extraordinary, stand-out, unforgettable — the emotions have come right from the author's heart. It’s not rocket science, this is doable for any writer. Find what your plot is, and find how to twist it so that something unique happens!

When you have several plot twists, it prevents the dreaded sagging middle – especially if you pace them out, use one plot twist per “turning point” in the novel. Create it in a revelation of some sort, an epiphany if you will, that changes the other character’s preconceived notions on something important. Remember you can't bombard the reader with too much information at once, but to add another twist just as the story slows, or becomes close to resolution—fabulous! Something to make the reader gasp, be they judge, editor, agent or someone who picked it up in a bookshop. Isn't that what you love in a book — something to keep that hero and heroine apart just a little longer?

Get those plot twists going. Get them spinning like juggler's balls in the air and catch them, one by one! Or let them fall with a crash! Either way, your story keeps going without a sagging middle, and should keep the reader hooked.

RNA Awards - Fiona Harper

Tuesday was the RNA’s annual awards luncheon, where the organisation presents trophies for the Romantic Novel of the Year, the Romance Prize (for shorter romantic fiction, such as Harlequin Romance) and, for the first time, a Lifetime Achievement Award.

This year two Harlequin Romance novels (branded as Mills & Boon Romance in the UK) were on the shortlist, written by Jessica Hart and yours truly!

Here are all the books that were in the running:

What's Love Got to Do With It? - Lucy Broadbent (Little Black Dress, Headline)

The Wild Card - Beth Elliott (Robert Hale)

Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure - India Grey (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Sold to the Highest Bidder - Kate Hardy (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Saying Yes to the Millionaire - Fiona Harper (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Promoted to Wife and Mother - Jessica Hart (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

All the shortlisted authors were asked to be at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington early for PR and photographs, which was great, because I got to meet up and chat with some of my old friends, such as Kate Hardy, who took the Romance Prize home last year, Jessica Hart and India Grey. I also got to meet fellow finalist, Beth Elliot, but unfortunately Lucy Broadbent, the last contender on the list was unable to make the ceremony.

I was also excited to be sharing a ‘green room’ (how showbizzy is that?) with some of the committee members and authors shortlisted for the Romantic Novel of the Year —which I think we ought to call a Ronnie (RNY?), by the way, because it’s a bit of a mouthful! Cecilia Ahern looks so fresh-faced and young, she must have been a toddler when she got her first publishing contact. Here are some of the shortlisted authors for the Ronnie (See? It’s catching on…) signing their books.

Lunch itself was lovely and the service was fantastic. An army of waiters seemed to arrive and place the plates on the table simultaneously. I know it seems weird taking pictures of your dinner, but people really want to know! And who am I to deprive them?

The starter was Scottish Salmon Parfait with Tuna Tartar and Crème Fraiche Caviar. I took a picture, but I was so intent on eating it, I forgot to take one before I dived in. Here is a picture of someone else’s plate who was slightly less piggy than I was (but for pristine picture of the food, you'll have to visit Kate Hardy's blog - she obviously has more self-control than I have).

The main course (can you tell I like my food?) was Chicken filled with a Paris Mushroom Mousse, Marsala Cream Sauce, Marquis Potatoes and Sugar Snap Peas. This too was gorgeous. I loved the sauce. And just enough to fill me up without making me too stuffed, which was just as well, because pudding was just around the corner…

I don’t need to say much about dessert, apart from telling you that it was Bitter Lemon Tart with Raspberry Jelly and Crème Fraiche Ice Cream. A picture may say a thousand words. I’ve two to demonstrate how much I enjoyed it:
Unfortunately, our speaker, the debonair and charming Peter Bowles, of To The Manor Born fame, was unable to attend because he was unwell. First up was the Romance Prize and my little heart starting pattering hard as one of the judges. Margaret James, got up on stage and a short video display of all the shortlisted books played on video screens around the room. Margaret then gave a short description of each of the books, outlining what the judges liked most about them. I think she may have said Saying Yes To The Millionaire had “charm in abundance”, and Jessica’s Promoted: To Wife And Mother was described as “a lovely story about second chances and finding love in unexpected places”, but I knew as I heard the judges opinion of one of the other books that it had stolen their hearts. And that book was…

Hired: Mistress For the Billionaire’s Pleasure by India Grey.

I’m very glad I didn’t read it before the ceremony because it sounds fabulous and I would have been too scared to turn up! India, lovely as always, was completely shocked by her win and even though she said she hadn’t prepared a speech, she was warm, funny and completely disarming as she accepted both the Betty Neels rose bowl, which she gets to keep for a year, and a little star-shaped glass trophy, which she gets to keep for ever.

And while India was still reeling with surprise, it was on the next event, a Lifetime Achievment Award to Judy Piatkus, founder of Piatkus Books.

Then, it was time to present the Romantic Novel of the Year (okay, maybe the Ronnie wasn’t really a good nickname…). The shortlist was:

Before the Storm by Judith Lennox (Headline)
East of the Sun by Julia Gregson (Orion)
Sophia’s Secret by Susannah Kearsley (Allison & Busby)
Star Gazing by Linda Gilliard (Little Brown)
Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern (Harper Collins)
The Last Concubine by Lesley Downer (Transworld)

And the award went to Julia Gregson for her novel East of the Sun. All the books on the shortlist sounded fabulous. Uh-oh, I can hear my credit card groaning at the thought of another book shopping-spree.

Finally, now all the nail-biting was over, it was time to breathe out and socialise. Here’s me with new M&B Romance author Nina Harrington, who’s first book is out this July:

And another of Romance Senior Editor Kimberly Young, and Jessica Hart!

Here's our two "Romancers" with winner India Grey!

Congratulations India and Julia, and a big thanks to Fiona for the report and pictures, as well as Kate Hardy, photog extraordinaire!

Series Spotlight - Romance and the Diamond Brides

This month as part of Harlequin's 60th celebrations, the series spotlight is on our very own Harlequin Romance! What better way to celebrate a milestone birthday AND Valentine's Day but with a book that is pure romance?

Welcome to this month's miniseries - The Diamond Brides! Each of the books this month has something to do with diamonds. And there's an extra gem for the reader as well...a chance to get YOUR romantic proposal in a book - and win a diamond necklace! How very cool is that?

Trish Wylie is also offering a special something for readers to go along with her release of Manhattan Boss, Diamond Proposal! Trish has an online read happening at eharlequin as a companion to her current book. It's called Manhattan Cinderella. New chapters are posted on Tuesdays and Thursdays- and a few are already up so pop on over, get caught up, and see what's in store for Erin and Nate!

Pop on over to eharlequin - you can get the full month's offerings here in print or here in e-book format! There's even a one click buy option to get all six books - for under $14!

February Releases

This is a HUGE month for Harlequin Romance, as all six books are part of the Diamond Celebrations at Harlequin! We're going to be doing a more indepth spotlight later in the month, but for now, please meet Harlequin's DIAMOND BRIDES!

The Australian's Society Bride by Margaret Way

Parties at the luxurious Blanchard estate draw the cream of society. Dressed to impress, glamorous women swathed in diamonds and designer outfits make a beeline for Boyd Blanchard, heir to the family business—and the most eligible bachelor in Australia.

Leona has known Boyd since she was a child, and he still has the power to turn her emotions inside out. But he is so out of her league that she carefully hides behind a wall of cool indifference. Until the kiss that sets the tongues of society wagging and gives Boyd the means he's been waiting for to make the stubborn, sensual redhead his….

Read Excerpt

Her Valentine Blind Date by Raye Morgan

She spied him across the crowded dance club. And before Cari Christensen could say Mr. Right, the tall, dark, movie-star-gorgeous stranger had whisked her outside to his waiting car. Talk about being swept off your feet!

By the time Max Angeli realized Cari wasn't his blind date, he was already falling for the pretty waitress. He and Cari might be from different worlds, but she was showing him a side of life he'd never known.

Could this become a Valentine's Day to remember?

Read Excerpt

The Royal Marriage Arrangement by Rebecca Winters

A royal wedding is announced, but this crown prince has made a convenient proposal…

The crowd is cheering the royal newlyweds. Crown Prince Lucca has married Alexandra Grigory in a sumptuous wedding. On the arm of her magnificent prince, Alexandra looks lovingly into his eyes. If only her convenient groom felt the same way she does!

From the tip of her diamond-encrusted tiara to the toes of her satin slippers, she looks every inch the part. But she knows that only the love of Lucca will truly make her feel like a princess!

Read Excerpt



Two Little Miracles by Caroline Anderson

Julia hasn't seen her husband, Max, for almost a year—but he's just walked through the door looking as breathtaking as ever!

Max has come to make things right with his beloved Julia. But he hasn't bargained on meeting two surprise little twin girls….

Now Max has two weeks to prove he's the best husband and father in the world!

Read Excerpt

Manhattan Boss, Diamond Proposal by Trish Wylie

Manhattan boss Quinn doesn't believe in love. He's the kind of man a girl's mother warns her about—the devil in disguise!

But since Quinn hired Clare O'Connor, the funniest thing has happened. He has less control over his heart. She's become more than just his beautiful, ultraefficient secretary—Clare's rocked him to the core.

The billionaire playboy is in a fix. His route to romance has always been easy. But now a real gem is involved. He has to tread softly. And if he does, the way will be paved with diamonds….

Read Excerpt




The Bridesmaid and the Billionaire by Shirley Jump

Bridesmaid Susannah Wilson has poured her dreams into planning the trip of a lifetime. The only trouble is, her locked-up heart is being opened by a brooding out-of-towner.

Billionaire best man Kane Lennox is escaping the stifling expectations of New York. Being with Susannah, he's breaking the rules. Happily ever after isn't on his agenda. Yet he can't take his eyes off her. For the first time he has something that money can't buy—a woman who loves him for who he really is.

Read Excerpt

Happy Birthday Harlequin!

Today marks Harlequin's 60th birthday, and the Diamond celebrations are well and truly underway!

One of the things going on this year starts TODAY, and that's the launch of the Harlequin Celebrates website! You are NOT going to want to miss this. Harlequin is graciously giving away - that's right - FREE!!!!!!! - ebooks. Sixteen of them. And two are by Romance authors.

First up is Liz Fielding's The Bride's Baby.

It’s the wedding planner’s worst nightmare and when the bride elopes with one of her staff three days before the wedding, it isn’t only the groom’s heart that has a debit balance. Sylvie Smith has bills to pay. The jilted groom has his own way of settling debts, however.

Six months on, wedding organiser to the seriously rich, Sylvie Smith is organising a glittering fundraising event: a fantasy wedding at a wedding show, held in a stately home that will be featured in a lifestyle magazine. Not just any fantasy wedding. They want her fantasy…

It should be every woman’s dream, designing her own dream wedding with no expense spared, but for Sylvie it was her worst nightmare.

One, she’s pregnant. Two, Longbourne Court was her ancestral home and she’s just discovered that the new owner is Tom McFarlane: her baby’s secret father.
Now Tom’s standing in front of her, looking at her bump…

Then we have Linda Goodnight with her Inspirational title, A Very Special Delivery!

Since her nephew died while in her care, reclusive Molly McCreight has panic attacks around children. Former flight paramedic Ethan Hunter is a single dad raising his infant daughter alone. But then an ice storm traps the three together. . .and God has plans that neither of them expected.

So join us in helping Harlequin celebrate this fantastic milestone!

Cataromance Reviewer's Choice Awards

Brilliant news!

Three Harlequin Romance titles have been chosen for a 2008 Reviewer's Choice Award at Cataromance. They are:

Last Minute Proposal - Jessica Hart

Falling For Mr. Dark and Dangerous - Donna Alward

The Single Dad's Patchwork Family - Claire Baxter

Congratulations ladies! And check out the full list of winners!

Great news!

We take a break from our freezing winter (well okay, here in Canada it's freezing, obviously in other parts of the world it's not) to bring you some good news!

First, congrats to Patricia Woodside who was our December winner if Shirley Jump's draw. Patricia wins a copy of Miracle on Christmas Eve!

As well, the shortlist for Romance Novelist Association's 2009 Romance Prize is out and there are a few familiar names on the list. Here's the official release:

The Romance Prize will be presented at the RNA’s Awards Lunch on 10th February 2009 at the Royal Garden Hotel, Kensington.

The winner will be selected from the following books:

What's Love Got to Do With It? - Lucy Broadbent (Little Black Dress, Headline)

The Wild Card - Beth Elliott (Robert Hale)

Mistress: Hired for the Billionaire's Pleasure - India Grey (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Sold to the Highest Bidder - Kate Hardy (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Saying Yes to the Millionaire - Fiona Harper (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Promoted to Wife and Mother - Jessica Hart (Harlequin Mills & Boon)

Fiona Harper has been short-listed before, and both Jessica Hart and Kate Hardy are past winners. Kate Hardy, who won in 2008 with Breakfast at Giovanni’s, had this to say: "Winning the Romance Prize has been the highlight of my career to date, and it's certainly opened up opportunities. I'm very proud to have won the award and to be part of the RNA - and have been delighted by messages of support over the year. I even had a personal letter of congratulations from the chancellor of the University of Leicester!"

The shortlist will be judged by Margaret James, creative writing teacher for the London School of Journalism and regular columnist with Writing Magazine; Paul Reizin, writer, producer and journalist; and Linda Leatherbarrow, prize-winning short story writer, reviewer and MA lecturer at Middlesex.

Congrats to our "Romancers" Fiona and Jessica, and also to Presents authors India Grey and Kate Hardy. And look for a report on the Awards Lunch in February!

Foreign Releases for January

IN DER VILLA DES GLÜCKS von: MYRNA MACKENZIE

Viele glückliche Paare hat die Hochzeitsfotografin Regina schon aufgenommen! Ihre eigene Trauung mit dem vermögenden Dell O’Ryan dagegen war nüchtern: Nur aus Vernunftgründen hat er sie geheiratet. Seitdem lebt Regina in einer traumhaften Villa – aber in Einsamkeit. Und plötzlich kann sie es nicht länger ertragen! Entschlossen bittet sie Dell um die Scheidung. Doch sie erlebt eine Überraschung: Statt einzuwilligen, küsst er sie mit atemberaubender Zärtlichkeit. In Regina erwacht Hoffnung. Wird aus ihrer Freundschaft eines wundervollen Tages doch noch Liebe?

Colegas y amantes por Shirley Jump


Bajo el traje de negocios se escondía la mujer más bella que había visto en su vida
Para el guapo abogado Nick Gilbert salir con una mujer normalmente implicaba una cena romántica, no un picnic benéfico. Pero no quiso perdérselo, especialmente porque su acompañante era Carolyn Puff, una compañera de trabajo recatada, pero que le resultaba fascinante.


Al verla junto a los niños del picnic, Nick descubrió una nueva faceta de Carolyn y de pronto entendió la tristeza que había en sus hermosos y brillantes ojos verdes.





DUE SCONOSCIUTI A NOZZE di ALWARD DONNA

Sposarsi per le ragioni "sbagliate" non è mai stato così giusto.

Connor Madsen ha bisogno di parecchi soldi o la sua proprietà finirà in rovina. Se solo potesse accedere al fondo fiduciario che è stato stipulato a suo nome! Ma le clausole sono chiare: potrà entrare in possesso del denaro al compimento del trentesimo anno o il giorno delle sue nozze. E siccome il suo compleanno è ancora lontano, a Connor non resta che optare per la seconda ipotesi: cercarsi una moglie, possibilmente carina e abbastanza folle da accettare un legame a termine. Alexis Grayson, per esempio. Anche lei sta attraversando un momento di difficoltà e non disdegnerebbe di avere qualcuno al suo fianco, soprattutto se rispettabile e coraggioso come Connor. Quando glielo chiede, lei risponde...



A noiva inadequada por Liz Fielding

OS XEQUES

Quando uma rapariga normal conhece um xeque…

Zahir ficou muito surpreendido quando descobriu que o seu novo motorista era uma mulher lindíssima. Uma mulher que não passava despercebida, porque Diana Metcalfe falava, ria-se e conseguia fazer com que Zahir se divertisse como já não acontecia há muitos anos.

No seu reino do deserto havia um casamento preparado para ele, porém, embora parecesse uma loucura, Zahir começava a desejar que aquela rapariga maravilhosa e completamente inadequada para um xeque fosse a sua noiva…

January's Author Post - Barbara McMahon

Best Laid Plans

This past summer the Romance Writers of America's conference was held in San Francisco, California. I was presenting a workshop with two other Harlequin American authors - Jessica Hart and Barbara Hannay. We worked for months via the Internet deciding how we would present the workshop, dividing up the different aspects and garnering photos to illustrate our points.


Since Jessica lives in the UK and Barbara H in Australia, both decided to fly into the States a bit early and see something of California. We decided to visit Yosemite National Park. It's one of the loveliest parks in the US National Park system. I live only a couple of hours away so go frequently and have seen it in all different seasons. It's truly spectacular.


The first clue that things might not go as planned was on Friday night when I was heading for the Bay Area to pick up Jessica and Barbara on Saturday for our three days in Yosemite. The news was reporting a new forest fire near Mariposa - which is a few miles south of Yosemite. Oh, oh. California had been plagued with major fires prior to that July, was this going to be as bad?We headed for Yosemite Saturday morning and when we reached the first lookout which normally displays Bridal Veil Falls in all it's beauty, the entire valley had a hazy look. Plus, thanks to a very dry winter resulting in a smaller-than-average snowfall, the billowing plumes of water normally associated with Bridal Veil was missing. It was a mere trickle.

Not to be deterred, we continued and drove around the valley floor. There definitely was a smoky haze and the air was not clear, but we could see towering El Capitan, Yosemite Falls and some of the amazing sights of the valley.

We headed for our motel room in the late afternoon. Entering the lobby we were surprised to find it crowded with long lines of guests-- and very dim. Were they conserving on electricity? No. The power was out. Only emergency lighting was available and only one computer running, so all reservations had to be checked on that one computer, leading to a very long check in time. When it was our turn to check in, we were also issued a flashlight to light our way. The clerk also suggested we might wish to buy a candle from the gift shop. Which we did.


It gets worse. Not only is there no power, the restaurant we expected to eat at was also without power. Fortunately they had brought in box lunches. Which were not the best thing in the world, but with word that the power was off from the fire all the way to where we were staying, we knew there was no other place open to eat, so took the box lunches and went to our room.

It was a lovely room with a balcony off the back that overlooked the Merced River and the hillside beyond. Very pretty despite the smoky haze. We sat out until very late, with our one candle. We ate, talked, laughed and had a great time. The next morning we were up early and back to Yosemite. We decided to visit Mariposa Grove of Big Trees, the giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron gigantea), about an hour's drive from where we were staying. Once we crested one set of mountains, we dropped down toward the Big Trees and the air was clear, the sun shining and the temperature pleasant. Reaching the Grove, we initially wanted to walk the trail to the top and see all the Sequoias along the way, but after only a short trek, the two Barbaras (me and Barbara H) turned back. I injured my knee several years ago and it's not up to hiking steep trails. We took the tram and ended up running into Jessica at the top. We all enjoyed the day. And on the way back, saw two small brown bears frolicking near the side of the road. What fun to watch. My first bear sighting in Yosemite.

We stopped at Glacier Point on our way back which normally offers a grand view of the valley floor, but it was so smoky, we couldn't even see the valley floor and could barely make out Half Dome. Such a disappointment.

Back to the powerless motel. This time to take cold showers (no power to heat the water). We had stopped at one of the stores in Yosemite so had another picnic dinner on the balcony.


Nothing was turning out as planned. We couldn't access Jessica's laptop with no power. We couldn't read our own notes with only one flashlight and a single candle. So another night was spent on the balcony. But by the next morning, we had had enough and decided to leave after our day in Yosemite--no more cold showers. After another day in the valley, Jessica who is a champion trekker, going to Vernal Falls, and the two Barbaras to Mirror Lake, we headed for Sonora, a gold rush town from the 1850's. Good thing we'd already checked out of our motel - as we made the turn for Sonora, we saw the road we would have taken to the motel was closed. The fire was spreading and the road closed due to even heavier smoke. Can you imagine all our clothes and things being there and we stuck 20 miles away in Yosemite Park? We found a nice motel room in Sonora, and the first thing we did was take hot showers. Then the rest of the evening and most of next day we finally worked on our workshop. As Jessica said on our way to San Francisco, it was good that things happened as they did. We got to know each other very well on our late night balcony talks and were more candid and forthcoming when working on the program than we might have been otherwise. After the conference, one of my editors visited Yosemite. The fire was out, the air crystal clear and she had a wonderful visit. How sad that my two writer friends missed all that. So the best laid plans...






Yet we had an adventure few share and grew closer because of it. Have you ever had a vacation that didn't go at all as you'd planned? Did it turn out to be even more special because of it? I have a book out in January, Nanny to the Billionaire's Son. In it the heroine has always wanted to be a National Park Ranger. Only, her goal is to work in any of the western parks and she ends up in Mesa Verde. It's a beautiful park as well, but nothing compares to Yosemite when the air is clear! Sam should have gone for Yosemite!

Contests you don't want to miss!

Several of our authors are holding contests! Read on to see what freebies are available to readers and aspiring authors!

Liz Fielding is running her Here Come The Grooms contest with Kate Walker and Anne McAllister again this year. Visit her blog during the last 2 weeks of January for more details on how to enter: www.lizfielding.blogspot.com

Myrna MacKenzie runs a quarterly contest on her site. The current contest runs until February 15th and the prize is fab - a $25 Amazon Gift Card, an autographed book, and a keychain. Two other winners will each receive a book and keychain. To enter visit her site at www.myrnamackenzie.com.

Melissa McClone runs a contest every week on her blog. She picks a winner from those who post comments and they can choose a book from a list of novels ranging from category to paranormal. http://melissamcclone.blogspot.com

Donna Alward has two contests this month - one for newsletter subscribers (if you aren't a subscriber, sign up boxes are on her website and blog) and the other for aspiring authors.

Aspiring authors can send a pitch to donna@donnaalward.com all this month (any subgenre of romance is acceptable). Donna will pick 5 pitches to send a first chapter, and the winner will get a partial critique and Donna as a mentor for the remainder of 2009.

Complete details of both contests on her site at www.donnaalward.com

January Releases

Luke: The Cowboy Heir

by Patricia Thayer

Luke never saw himself as a cowboy. But he is a Randell, and the land is in his blood. Now it's calling him back. Blond beauty Tess Meyers is waiting for Luke. Ready to fight for the ranch she and her little daughter call home. She thought she was prepared, but that was before she caught the piercing gaze of the tycoon cowboy….

The businessman in Luke would evict them without a care. But the cowboy in him has different ideas. They come with his land—and he's here to lay claim to what's his.

Read Excerpt

Nanny to the Billionaire's Son

by Barbara McMahon

For one night, Sam Duncan is determined to dress to impress and let her hair down. It's New Year's Eve, and with her hands on the hottest ticket in town, she finds herself dancing with billionaire Mac McAlheny!

When the clock chimes twelve, reality strikes! Sam doesn't belong in Mac's world—in fact, her stolen night costs Sam her job! But Mac comes to the rescue and makes her nanny to his adorable little son, Tommy. Everything about Mac seems like a dream, but the butterflies Sam feels are definitely real….

Read Excerpt

The Snow-Kissed Bride

by Linda Goodnight

A secluded cabin nestled in the Rockies is the perfect place for Melody Crawford to hide from the world. With her two faithful dogs, she fearlessly puts her life on the line to rescue missing people…but the rest of her life is a mystery. Ex-army ranger John North needs Melody's help—she knows the unforgiving mountains better than anyone. Melody sees John as an outsider, but this enigmatically beautiful woman calls to the man inside him. She needs to trust him, and, come what may, he'll break down her barriers—kiss by snowy kiss….

Read Excerpt


Cinderella and the Sheikh

by Natasha Oakley

Life has been tough on Pollyanna, who has constantly been at someone's beck and call. So when she journeys to the desert with magnificent sheikh Rashid, it feels like a dream! Charisma. Power. Danger. In just days, Rashid has taken Polly's world and changed it. He can't ever be hers, but what she is feeling is as old as time itself.

Pollyanna came to Amrah to relive her great-grandmother's adventure. But as the fairy-tale trip draws to an end, her adventure—with Rashid—has only just begun….

Read Excerpt

Promoted: Secretary to Bride!

by Jennie Adams

What was I thinking? As if a new dress and a pair of borrowed hopes-and-dreams shoes were going to get me noticed by my scrummy boss! After all, he has barely looked at me in the last three years…

But last night, after Jarrod drove me home from that posh work party, things seemed different, and for one crazy moment I felt sure he was going to kiss me! Oh, well, it will be back to business on Monday.

Read Excerpt

The Rancher's Runaway Princess

by Donna Alward

Brooding ranch owner Brody Hamilton keeps his heart out of reach. But there's something about vivacious stable manager Lucy that brings joy to his hardened soul.

Lucy Farnsworth has just discovered she's of royal blood. She should be glad, but it has blown her world apart, and she finds herself just wanting to be the old Lucy again.At Prairie Rose Ranch, Lucy's found the man who makes her feel she belongs. Only, she hasn't told him she's a princess….

Read Excerpt

Happy New Year from Romance!

Happy New Year from your Harlequin Romance authors! It's hard to believe it's already 2009, and we have tons of exciting things going on this year.



Harlequin is celebrating it's Diamond birthday this year and there are scads of celebratory type things planned including special stories and events from Romance authors. We'll be bringing you news of a special website, online events and best of all FREE BOOKS in the weeks to come!



We have a romance author blogging with us every month on a variety of topics, so you never know what might happen!



We've also got some special posts for those readers of the blog who are also aspiring authors. And we already have two debuts this year from Nina Harrington and Nikki Logan...will another author make that sale and join the ranks?



We'll kick it all off on Monday with our latest releases, so stay tuned!

Happy Holidays from your Romance Authors!

We at Harlequin Romance would like to take this opportunity to say thanks to our readers and offer our Christmas Wishes!

Wishing all my readers, reviewers, authors and editors a joyous and happy Christmas with all your loved ones safe around you, and a peaceful, happy 2009 in which your dearest wishes come true - Liz Fielding

Wishing everyone a safe and merry Christmas.
May Santa stuff your stockings with loads of fabulous Harlequin Romances! - Nicola Marsh

Dear Readers, I should like to wish you all the very best for the Christmas season. May your holidays be filled with joy, grace... and, of course, romance. Not to mention chocolate, and an armful of wonderful reads and somewhere lovely and peaceful to read them!

May the coming year bring you your heart's desire. With warmest wishes, Michelle Douglas

Wishing everyone a Christmas full of blessings and New Year filled with true romance. Lots of love, Fiona Harper x

My wish for everyone this holiday season is Christmas Magic. Make some for your friends and family and take a moment to stop and notice the magic around you. The unexpected smiles, the expression of awe on a child's face, the beautiful music of choirs. - Susan Meier

Warmest wishes for Christmas and for a new year filled with hope for all! Love from Jessica Hart x

I wish readers a happy and safe Christmas with friends and loved ones, and may 2009 be good to us all. Best, Jackie Braun

Wishing for a safe and happy Christmas for All! - Claire Baxter

Merry Christmas and bright holiday blessings to you and yours - here's to a fantastic 2009! - Donna Alward

Wishing you a Merry Christmas full of magic, laughter and love! Melissa McClone

Welcome to Romance, Nikki Logan!

Brilliant news! We have yet another first sale to the Romance line!

Nikki Logan recently sold her manuscript with the working title of "Love on a Rooftop" to Harlequin Romance. It's slotted for release in January of 2010.

You'll be hearing much more from Nikki here on the blog as we get closer to the release date.

For now you can visit her website at http://www.nikkilogan.com.au/

Welcome to the Romance family Nikki!!!!!!!!

And don't forget to enter to win a Shirley Jump holiday title! Just send e-mail to hrablog@hotmail.com with the subject line Shirley for your chance to win!

Foreign Editions for December

Retrouvailles à Noël, Michelle Douglas

Quand Sol Adams réapparaît dans sa vie plus de dix ans après leur douloureuse rupture, Cassie est bouleversée… Un seul regard sur celui qu’elle a tant aimé suffit à faire resurgir le passé, réveillant en elle une foule de sentiments mêlés. Car si elle lui en veut toujours d’avoir brisé ses rêves de bonheur, elle doit bien admettre que le temps n’a en rien entamé le pouvoir de séduction qu’il exerçait jadis sur elle...

SCINTILLE SULLA NEVE di CHRISTENBERRY JUDY

INNAMORARSI A NATALE: quando l'amore scalda l'inverno con romantici baci sotto il vischio e promesse di felicità

L'emporio di Sally Rogers è il cuore della cittadina di Bailey, soprattutto nel periodo natalizio, e la sua orgogliosa proprietaria vi lavora ogni giorno fino a sfinirsi. Un aiuto sarebbe un dono del cielo, per Sally, ma a chi potrebbe chiederlo?

Hunter Bedford è giovane, molto ricco e viene da una grande città. Non gli manca nulla, tranne un po' di esperienza negli affari. Per questo è stato mandato a imparare il mestiere in un indaffaratissimo emporio sperduto tra boschi innevati. Non sarà una perdita di tempo? Dopo aver dato un'occhiata all'adorabile proprietaria, Hunter decide di no.

O castelo do amor por Marion Lennox

Se queria casar-se com ela… teria de lhe demonstrar que a amava!

Como viúva e com uma filha, era natural que Susie desconfiasse do homem que acabava de conhecer e que, para além disso, era o herdeiro do castelo onde ela vivia com a sua filha. Obviamente o importante economista nova-iorquino, Hamish Douglas, haveria de querer vendê-lo.

Hamish pensara em transformar o castelo australiano num hotel de luxo… até que conheceu a bela Susie. Por muito seguro que estivesse do sucesso daquele negócio, não podia negar a atracção que havia entre eles e também não podia expulsá-la e à sua filha da casa de que tanto gostavam. Só havia uma solução sensata para Hamish… casar-se com ela.

Porém Susie era a última pessoa no mundo que aceitaria um casamento por conveniência…

CARA COLTER - DOGONIĆ MARZENIA

Gdy Rick dowiaduje się, że Linda, żona jego zmarłego wspólnika, popada w depresję, postanawia jej pomóc. Odnajduje ją na kompletnym odludziu, zagubioną i samotną. Dzięki jego staraniom Linda angażuje się w remont zrujnowanej rezydencji i powoli zapomina o smutnej przeszłości. Chociaż znają się od wielu lat, Rick dopiero teraz dostrzega, że Linda jest nie tylko piękną, ale też wspaniałą, pełną pasji kobietą. On co prawda postanowił spędzić resztę życia samotnie, ale coraz częściej dochodzi do wniosku, że podjął tę decyzję zbyt pochopnie...

Amor imprevisto (TRAMA: NAVIDAD)por Judy Christenberry

La Navidad inundó de magia el rancho… incluyendo a la jefa y a su empleado

Penny Bradford había heredado el rancho de su familia, pero no tenía la menor idea de cómo llevarlo, por lo que contrató a Jake Larson para que le enseñara todo lo que necesitara saber.

Jake creyó que sería muy fácil: dirigiría el rancho y llevaría a Penny de la mano hasta que se diera cuenta de que no estaba hecha para aquel duro trabajo. El problema fue que no tardó en descubrir que ya no quería soltarle la mano nunca más…

GOLDENER OKTOBER IN DER PROVENCE von: JACKIE BRAUN

Ihr geliebtes Weingut Medallion – verkauft an einen Fremden! Doch Juliet gibt nicht auf. Diesem Phillip Holland wird sie zeigen, wer mehr von französischen Weinen versteht, und bald wird Medallion wieder ihr gehören. Aber der amerikanische Winzer ist so ganz anders, als sie ihn sich vorgestellt hat. Er versteht sein Fach, sieht gut aus und ist auch noch sehr sympathisch – so sympathisch, dass Juliet sich unter dem mondhellen Himmel der Provence sehnsüchtig in seine Arme schmiegt. Nur eine Affäre, denkt sie. Und ahnt nicht, dass Amors Pfeil längst ihr Herz getroffen hat …