A Valentine for Harlequin's Anniversary

by Catherine Mann

  4. The group of writers for the Love Inspired lines. They are so supportive and helpful to each other. I love seeing them at the RWA and ACFW national conferences. It’s part of the reason I attend. I feel like I belong to the Steeple Hill sisterhood (sorry, for the couple of men who write for the line).

  3. The eHarlequin boards are a fun place to hang out. I have met some really nice people on the forums and have enjoyed getting to know them. I love the opportunity to interact with readers from around the world.

  2. Selling my first inspirational romance to Love Inspired in 2000. The Power of Love was a story that was inspired by the Lord. This sale changed the direction of my life. The story was about a child with a disability and his effects on different people. I love writing about people with a disability. I taught Special Education for twenty-eight years, and the children I worked with were wonderful. They showed me the world through their eyes, and I loved what I saw. I’ve had an opportunity to share that with my readers.

  And my number one moment is (a drum roll, please):

  1. Writing for Harlequin’s Steeple Hill has given me the opportunity to write about something I’m passionate about—the Lord. I am able to write about the power He conveys in people’s lives and how He can make all the difference in the world in some gritty situations.

  —Margaret Daley

  www.margaretdaley.com

  #20

  I was supposed to write about a Harlequin moment, but come on, one Harlequin moment? Harlequin sold more than 130 million books last year. One moment? Out of all that? Riiight.

  So instead, here are Ellen’s Top Four Moments. And a P.S.

  The Call

  October 2006. I had a feeling Harlequin was going to buy my manuscript. (This was mostly based on my utter lack of information about the industry. Doesn’t matter. I had a feeling.)

  I also had a friend who’s a literary agent. She wrote letters of introduction to several high-powered romance agents who all turned me, my manuscript, and my feeling about an imminent deal down without a second look. (This perhaps should have changed that whole feeling thing…luckily I’m stupidly optimistic.)

  So this friend who doesn’t rep romance and swore she would be useless to me, but understood my insecurities and my need for a compadre in the whole almost-a-deal situation, took pity on me and allowed me to call her my agent.

  That’s how it happened that one morning while I was sitting in my cubicle at work, my friend called and said she’d gotten a voice mail from Laura Shin who would be calling back that afternoon.

  Me: I hope she’s not calling to reject it. (I mentioned the insecurity, right?)

  Agent/Friend: They don’t call to reject things.

  Me: It could be a new policy.

  Agent/Friend: Try to cover up the mental instability when you talk to her, okay? Your book is good. She wants it.

  So it’s not really The Call. It’s more A Call About A Voicemail. But it’s the memory I treasure because it was me and my friend and the book we’d worked on together.

  It’s a Harlequin moment I hold onto.

  My Mom

  I didn’t know what it was at the time. I’m not even sure I knew the word for it. But my mom went through a serious depression when I was in high school and college. Not having a word for it made it hard. The fact that it was my mom made it harder. The part where my family doesn’t talk about difficult stuff made it impossible. It was confusing and scary and a weird, hard time.

  About the only thing my mom did was read. We had always shared books and I grabbed this one way to keep my mom with me. We weren’t talking about any of the stuff we probably should have been, but we talked. About Harlequin romances. The characters and the writing, the things we liked or disliked. Anything, just to have something to say while we were hoping things would get better. Eventually things did get better, but by then the romance habit had me tight.

  When my mom downsized her romance collection recently, I pulled out a set of Silhouette Intimate Moments I remembered from that long ago depression. Those books are all-time keepers for me because they remind me of how my mom and I hung onto each other when nothing else seemed to be working at all.

  My Dad

  Any points I lost by not being able to choose a moment get made up here because I have a Harlequin moment about my dad. How many people can say that?

  Here’s the first thing about my dad. My dad is that dad. Don’t talk to him at a cocktail party unless you want to hear what his children are up to. In detail. That dad. The one who wants to share each of his kids’ accomplishments.

  In 2007, after a lifetime of scribbling and dreaming, I placed a copy of my first published novel in my father’s hands. We exchanged a look of pride and relief and love. Then I made him swear he would never, ever open the book no matter what. (This is what happens when uptight people write romance novels. They don’t want anyone, especially their fathers, to read about the S-E-X.) So he swore and that was fine. For three days. Then he called and announced my mom had made him Cliffs Notes and he was now prepared to read my book. Cliffs Notes? What?

  My mom made him a list of possibly offensive pages where he’d need to avert his eyes and then paper clipped the really dangerous ones shut. Because my dad is better at following directions than I am (hello, third moment…), he was able to read my book with his Dad blinkers on.

  Why is this one of my moments? Knowing the kind of old school Irish Catholic Dad Man he is, that he wanted to share this book with me so much that he’d brave possible exposure to a sex scene written by his daughter? That’s a moment I’ll be hanging onto for a good long time.

  A Reader

  I have a day job and it will be a long, long time before I make enough money as a writer to even think about giving it up. But the thing about writing, and writing for Harlequin in particular, is that it’s the opposite of being about the money. It’s about the stories and what those stories do for the people who read them. I got a letter from someone who’d read one of my books.

  “My husband died and I’ve been sick. Really laid low. I picked your book up and read it all night long. It helped me forget about my trouble. I had to write to tell you that.”

  I cried. Of course I did. And then I thought, well, that’s something good. One good thing that worked through me into the world. Thank you, Harlequin, for the chance to be part of that.

  A P.S.

  In for a penny, in for a pound right? In addition to the whole “more than one moment” issue, I’m also flouting the length guideline. I’m hopeful that putting the extra words in a P.S. means they don’t really count. (My books are always too long too. Words—they’re my curse.)

  Anyway, I wanted to write about the books I’ve loved, but I ran out of space. So I’ll put them here and hope you might look them up to find out why they’re part of my All-Time Top Harlequin Moments list.

  The time I laughed so much I cried: Strange Bedpersons, Jennifer Crusie (Mira).

  The time I cried for real: The Heart of Devin MacKade, Nora Roberts (Silhouette Intimate Moments).

  The time I found my home: The Homecoming Baby, Kathleen O’Brien (Superromance).

  The time I fell in love with a cowboy because he was afraid of a snake: The Brother Returns, Jeannie Watt (Superromance).

  Thanks, Harlequin!

  —Ellen Hartman

  www.ellenhartman.com

  Making New Friends in the Harlequin Community By aspiring authors @www.eharlequin.com

  #21

  It’s so hard to choose a particular Harlequin moment that is worthy above all. I could go on and on about my favorite Harlequin books or authors, but what has meant the most to me is eHarlequin.

  Whether it’s a source for the latest releases I can buy before they hit the shelf, or to hold me back on those crazy days when I’m about to scream if just one more person says, “When are you going to get a real job?”

  Where else can a writer have access to the valuable advice when an editor slips
into a thread to offer her words of wisdom?

  eHarlequin is the compass to help us navigate through the rough waters to reach our paradise destination—published author.

  —Chelle Sandell

  #22

  I want to talk about Sub Care on the eHarlequin community boards. Here’s the reason I keep going back: Sub Care is the place I could go to where it’s not about who is published and who isn’t; it’s about supporting your fellow writer while in Submission Mania—emphasis on Submission Mania.

  Let me paint the picture for you. I still remember the first time I submitted a query and synopsis to Harlequin. The Kimani line had just opened up and they wanted a cover letter, synopsis and the FULL manuscript. I know when I read that I thought, “you mean the whole book? All of it?” Cue angst. I triple checked the editors name, the New York address, and, heck, even MY name. I stood in the post office, my hands shaking, heart in my throat, but I couldn’t wait to get back on the boards to tell my friends I DID IT. I had finally submitted my book.

  Milestones like that are huge for a writer, and I couldn’t wait to celebrate it. I shared that experience with Sub Care. I’ve since submitted many more times, and every time is just as nerve wracking, but I still can’t wait to go on the boards and say, “I did it.”

  For me, Harlequin has given me more than a favorite moment, but a collection of them.

  —Melissa Blue

  #23

  I have to say, it’s incredibly hard to come up with one single thing that defines my favorite Harlequin moment, because frankly, I’m hoping that moment is still yet to come! As a prepublished, hopeful author, I’m reserving the “favorite” spot for something else - the day I get The Call.

  I’ve been a Harlequin reader since my late teens (which was a shockingly long time ago!), and the thing I love so much about this community, and Harlequin in general is that, no matter how diverse we all are, no matter our political beliefs or our religious differences or even the lines we choose to read, we all believe in the same thing. We all believe in happily ever after. That’s why I read Harlequins, and that’s why I want to write for Harlequin.

  So, since I haven’t gotten The Call yet, I’ll share my second best moment. A few months ago, I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the winners of the Big Finish 2 Contest. Finding out about that has been my favorite moment as a hopeful writer. Like everyone else, I’d submitted my story, and then proceeded to start chewing my nails. A group of us hung out on the Big Finish 2 board, and we all waited it out together. When the day we thought we’d hear came and went, I figured I hadn’t won. And then, a few days later, my husband called me at work.

  “Hey babe, it’s me.”

  “Hi honey. Kinda busy. What’s up?”

  He paused. “Are you expecting anything from Harlequin? By courier?”

  My mind went totally blank, and then I let out a small shriek that I’m sure my entire floor heard. “Ohmigod. Ohmigod…open it!”

  “What is it?”

  I swear, I wanted to smack him. “Just open it!”

  So he did. I could hear the papers rattle. “It says you won a contest.”

  If I could’ve shot darts at him through the phone, I would’ve. I know my teeth were clenched. “Could you read me the whole letter? Please?”

  He let out a big sigh. “Do you want me to bring it to you at work?”

  “YES!”

  He brought the papers over to me at work, and I know I practically snatched them from his hand. I sent him on his way, then I sat at my desk and stared at the Harlequin letterhead for a long, long time, reading the letter over and over again.

  And then I panicked, because I realized the letter said to send the signed, notarized forms back in the pre-addressed overnight envelope-which wasn’t in my packet! There was a phone number to call in case I had any questions, so I called it. I spoke with Adrienne Macintosh, who was wonderful and didn’t laugh once as I stumbled my way through the conversation. All I could think was “I’m talking to a real, live Harlequin editor! Holy cow!”

  She told me she’d get back to me about how to handle the lack of envelope, and I tried to get back to work. I’d sort of managed it when my phone rang, and I looked up to see “Harlequin Enterprises” on the phone display! That was pretty darn cool. Anyway, we got everything squared away, and I sent everything off to Toronto.

  Back to the Big Finish 2 board, though. I’d been asked not to share the information that I’d won with anyone in the Community, so I’d sort of been avoiding posting on that particular thread. Then Olivia Wayne started speculating that if someone didn’t post, maybe they’d won. I was stuck! My husband kept laughing at me as I came up with ways to stay involved on the board without mentioning I’d won, and without lying about not winning. I didn’t even tell my own sister, Nini, because she’s also a Community member. (OK, I’ll be honest…I caved and told her a few days before they announced the winners…I couldn’t take it anymore!!) It was a long couple of weeks before the winners were posted.

  When the day finally arrived, I was so excited to see my name on the Harlequin site!

  So that was my fun moment. I can’t help but think if I was that excited over the contest, what will I be like when I get The Call? That’s my goal these days. I’ve gotten two rejections so far, but I’m still holding out hope and working toward my goal, which is made so much easier with all the great support on eHarlequin, both from Community members and from the terrific authors and moderators who share their love of writing and their immeasurable skills with us in so many ways.

  —Jodie Gergel

  Why I believe in Love

  #24

  How can I not believe in love? To love is to live.

  And how can I not embrace stories of romance? The hero and heroine’s journey toward a ‘Happy Ever After’, told over and over and over again, and in so many different ways, are, to me, stories of the human race and it’s triumph of survival against all odds.

  What matters is in the heart. And you cannot put out that fire.

  —Loreth Anne White

  www.lorethannewhite.com

  #25

  As writers we do our best to show readers a glimpse of love. It can be at various stages of falling in love, but a glimpse is all we can really give anyone. For love is too vast and layered to be easily pinned down onto a page of prose. That doesn’t stop us from trying, but it’s naïve to think that we ever fully succeed. As much as I love romantic stories, they aren’t why I believe in love. They do however allow me to see what’s possible. I believe that’s romances greatest gift. It presents what could be.

  A long time ago I was told that my ‘version’ of love wasn’t realistic and that I should “settle” for reality. For a short period of time, I accepted those words as truth. I later realized that if I couldn’t have my version of love, then I didn’t want love at all. It was a tough decision to make. I had to accept the fact that I might be alone for the rest of my life. I was okay with that. You have to be comfortable with yourself before you can be comfortable with others.

  I suppose that’s why I was so caught off guard when real love walked into my life. I certainly didn’t recognize it. Took a while before that happened.

  Love didn’t come in with a roar. There were no drums beating, harps playing or choirs singing. I didn’t get tingles in my toes or any other extremity. I would’ve probably thought something was wrong with me if I had. LOL! I certainly didn’t get swept off my feet. I’m far too cautious for that to happen. What I did get was an overwhelming feeling of curiosity and an unusual sense of familiarity. I recognized something in that person that I didn’t realize was missing in my life until I got to know them. Put simply, we fit. It has been ten years since that fateful meeting and we still fit. I’d rather spend time with him than anybody. He knows me. REALLY knows me.

  The good, bad and in between. And still wants to hang out with me. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.

  —Jordan Summers
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  www.jordansummers.com

  #26

  In the movie Shall We Dance, written by Audrey Wells (English version), the character of Beverly Clark becomes suspicious when her husband starts to make excuses. Thinking he’s having an affair, she employs a private investigator but when she’s told her husband is learning ballroom dancing, she comes up with the most brilliant line to describe relationships. She says “Marriage is about being a witness to each other’s lives.”

  That comment stuck with me because it made a lot of sense. It’s also true of love. We are a witness to the lives of those nearest and dearest to us, to those we love whether they be partners, children, parents, siblings, friends.

  Falling in love makes us step outside our comfort zones and whether or not the love you find lasts a lifetime or as in the case of some Hollywood stars—a few weeks—it makes you change and change is what makes the world go around. It’s the journey that counts, that personal journey that we’re all undertaking and love is an enormous part of it.

  I love Goethe’s saying “Only the soul that loves is happy” but I have to confess that it’s Mr Twain who gets me every time—“Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of joy you must have somebody to divide it with.”

  —Lucy Clark

  www.luckyclark.net

  #27

  My husband and I met on a blind date set up by an eighth grader.

  The eighth grader was my next door neighbor, her parents were best friends with mine and I remember babysitting her when she was just born. Zoo was working as a tennis pro at the local tennis club where she took lessons.

  At the time Lauren set this date up, I had just broken up with someone and I did not want any more dates. Ever. I was done. Hurt. Over. And she came to my house and asked my mother for a picture, because the guy she was going to set me up with wouldn’t go out with me otherwise.