Write from the Heart—Harlequin Heartwarming Contest

I’m thrilled to be guest posting today because I’ve got big news! Harlequin Heartwarming is holding a writing contest! Starting June 9, we’ll be accepting contest submissions from authors who want to write clean, contemporary romance for Heartwarming.

I’ll post the contest guidelines below, and if you’d like more information, you can check out the Harlequin community discussion forum, the SOLD blog and Goodreads.

We’re hoping for a lot of submissions, so I’m trying to get the word out to as many people as possible. That said, I’d like to finish this post with a few popular search terms…

This cat is certainly grumpy:


Cute puppy has a nap:


Game of Thrones: Is this a fish or one of the warlocks of Qarth? You decide!



We’re looking forward to a great contest with many, many submissions!

All the best,
Dana


Write from the Heart

You could be the next Harlequin Heartwarming author! The Heartwarming team is on the lookout for clean, contemporary romance stories that dig deep into emotion and obstacle for a satisfying read. If you have an idea for a wholesome romance, we’d love to see what you’ve got! This summer, the Heartwarming team will read your submissions in three stages, hoping to find a brand-new Heartwarming author. Here’s how the contest works:

Stage 1 – Make our hearts skip a beat with the first page of your manuscript.

From June 9 to 15, submit the first page of your Heartwarming story to WriteFromTheHeart@harlequin.ca. We’ll let you know by June 20 whether you’ve been chosen to go on to Stage 2.

Stage 2 – Pull on our heartstrings with an expanded synopsis (5-10 pages) and your first three chapters.

Selected authors will have from June 21 to June 29 to submit their proposals. All authors who submit a proposal in Stage 2 will receive a one-page critique of their submission.

Stage 3 — If we’ve fallen head over heels with your story, you’ll have the opportunity to submit your full manuscript to Harlequin Heartwarming.

During the week of July 21, we’ll announce which authors move on to Stage 3 at the Heartwarming Open House during the RWA conference in San Antonio—we’ll also contact the shortlisted authors individually.

Once we receive your manuscript, we’ll read and respond within four weeks.

Each author who submits a full manuscript will receive a personal mentorship with a Heartwarming editor. (Mentorship may last up to six consecutive months and could end in an offer of publication.) 

We’ll be accepting submissions next week, but in the meantime you can prepare to Write from the Heart by checking out the Heartwarming guidelines, reading our blog posts and getting to know the Heartwarming team. One entry per author, please. With such tight deadlines, it’s a good idea to keep writing while you wait for a response. We can’t wait to start reading!

Comments

  1. This is such a great opportunity for aspiring romance authors to have their work seen by Harlequin editors and, perhaps, get a publishing contract with an amazing category line about deeply tender, wholesome romances. (I may be biased, though- lol)

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  3. What a wonderful idea! I am happy to help spread the word. I loved the pictures, too, Dana. Thank you for sharing.

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  4. What fun! Best of luck to aspiring authors!

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  5. How exciting! Good luck to everyone who enters!

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  6. Go, aspiring writers! We're all anxious to welcome you to the fold. (But you can't be better than we are!)

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  7. This is so exciting! I love the opportunities Harlequin offers for aspiring authors.

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  8. Thanks, everyone, for your positive comments! We really appreciate your support. :)

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  9. What a fabulous contest and opportunity! I can't wait to spread the word. Good luck to all who enter!

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  10. I passed this information on to a couple of writers I think may have stories that would fit Heartwarming. Good luck to everyone. What a great opportunity.

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  11. What fun! I can't wait to see what happens! Best of luck to all the aspiring Heartwarmers!

    And, excellent salting of search terms, Dana! I'm off to check out the Harlequin community page!

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  12. How exciting! I'll help spread the word.

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    1. bel
      Tina, great to see you here. Guys, Tina belongs to my local RWA chapter and has been busy writing a Heartwarming. She's an awesome author.

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  13. Love this! I have a story that I think would fit the requirements, but I'm not sure if I should submit (it has linked stories--some of which have a strong faith element. This particular story doesn't. The characters overlap and live in the same town). I have another idea I could test out, but I read a post on a book one of you was working on that sounded similar.

    Whether I submit or not, I love reading the line and am always happy for any contest that may result in multiple new favorite authors to discover!

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    1. Do it! Anything that doesn't fit can be worked over. The first time you write a book, you think every word is eternal - then you realize changes can improve it, or just make it fit an opportunity - like this one!

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    2. Muriel, those are words of wisdom :)

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  14. You are so sweet, Pam. My agent contacted me today to tell me she is excited about my Heartwarming entry. We are going over it tomorrow before we submit.

    Hi, Roz!

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  15. My grandmother started me reading the first Harlequin romances. When I was 12 years old. She was never worried about content that would be too graphic for me. Through-out the rest of her life we traveled to the same places and fell in love with the same hero's through those books. Now, I hope to carry on her legacy through writing for you, Thanks for this opportunity! Lyn Austin

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    1. Thanks for sharing such a lovely memory. Best of luck in the contest, Lyn!

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  16. Thank you for sharing your story, Lyn. It touched my heart.

    The first time I ever saw a Harlequin was at my grandmother's house. Her friend lived in the spare room and she had 3 foot stacks of Harlequins piled against the walls. She saved hundreds of books.

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  17. Is there a submission link or form for the contest? Or do we just submit via the email address provided? Can we submit more than once?Thanks!

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  18. You can submit directly to the email address: WriteFromTheHeart@harlequin.ca. We’re also asking for one submission per author.
    Thanks so much for your questions! Best of luck in the contest!

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