We’re so excited that Harlequin editorial assistant and blog contributor Grace Thiele is officially joining the SYTYCW team! She pens insightful posts and brings lively discussion to the mix. Welcome, Grace! Just a few questions… How did you get started at Harlequin? Did you always know you wanted to be a romance novel editor? The truthful answer is – no! It…
Category: Harlequin Editors
Romance 101: Hooks and Themes
by Grace Thiele Hello, dearest authors! This week in an extremely wind-swept London, I’ll be writing about how to blow editors away with thrilling new takes on … bestselling themes and hooks! Now, I’ll let you in on a Harlequin secret, direct from Editorial. In an increasingly competitive romance fiction market, every single book has…
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Advice from the Archives: It’s Just A Big Misunderstanding…
We’re back with more brilliant advice to help you get the best out of your stories! This week we have a great post from SYTYCW 2014 on coincidences, contrivance & misunderstandings – enjoy! Avoiding the pitfalls of contrivance, coincidence and misunderstandings in a story usually comes down to the characters’ conflicts – how internal or external they…
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Advice from the Archives: Making the Most of Your Happy Ending
by Patience Bloom Shall we state the obvious first? The ending of a romance novel must be happy. No surprise there. If we know the ending already, why do we keep reading the story? Because over the course of the book, the reader becomes invested in the characters and their unique journey. The road from…
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The Plot Thickens…or How I Came to Like Fish
by Patience Bloom Some of us lack the gift of plotting. I’m not naming names here, but it’s not everyone’s forte. Now, you may create glowing characters and write sparkling first drafts, and yet plots are not your thing. Even after you’ve read Robert McKee’s STORY and Christopher Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey, highlighting important sections,…
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Beta Heroes: Why You Should Write One (…and How)
by Katie Gowrie It would be an understatement to say alpha heroes are popular in romance novels. Something about a guy who’s tall, dark and in control is just so appealing. But the romance genre encompasses all kinds of heroes, like gamma heroes (a hybrid of beta and alpha), and theta heroes (the dark and…
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Editor Profile: Meet Laurie Johnson!
We have a visitor to the SYTYCW blog! Please give a warm welcome to Laurie Johnson, who is an associate editor for Harlequin Presents, as well as working with authors across all UK-acquired series: Presents, Romance, Medical, Historical and Dare. Here’s a little bit about Laurie… How did you get started at Harlequin? Did you…
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Romance 101: Secondary Characters
Harlequin insider Grace Thiele talks you through bringing those wonderful secondary characters to life! Bonjour, aspiring authors! It’s my pleasure to be returning to Romance 101 – and I’m so excited to be writing about the use of secondary characters! In short, this is any character aside from your hero and heroine. These feats of the imagination…
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Write Your Romance in 150 Days!
By Senior Executive Editor Birgit Davis-Todd I’ve always been a numbers person. For me breaking down a task by the number of hours or days needed to complete it helps me achieve my goal successfully. You can take the same approach when writing a book. Most authors need around five months—or 150 days!—to write a…
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My Secret Crush: Keanu Reeves
By Anonymous In the Harlequin office lurks a worshipper of Ted, Jack, Neo, Shane, Matt, Julian, and most recently John Wick. Over several decades, Keanu has shown us the depth needed in any romantic hero. He chills, he thinks, he studies chemical compounds, he builds houses, he chases Dracula, he crashes cars, and he confounds us…