Of course, your heroes and heroines have clear goals and motivations that resonate with readers. But what about your villains? Setting up your antagonist with a great motive not only helps you create a more realistic conflict, it strengthens your overall story. After all, overcoming a fantastic villain rather than a boring one gives your heroes a much more satisfying HEA. A fully developed adversary is even more important in a suspense narrative, like in Intrigue, Romantic Suspense, or Love Inspired Suspense. Here are some of our tips for understanding your villain’s motivation. It’s Personal ..read more

In May of last year, we announced that Emma-Claire Sunday was the recipient of the 2023 Romance Includes You mentorship with her book, The Duke’s Sister and I. Almost a year later, we are thrilled to have Emma-Claire join us here on the blog to chat with her editor, Hannah Rossiter, all about the mentorship experience and her debut novel, which releases this September! Emma-Claire, what made you want to apply to the Romance Includes You Mentorship?  Emma-Claire Sunday: Reading a book or watching a movie with a queer happily-ever-after always feels so special, so exceptional. I wish it did ..read more

Synopsis “An outline or summary of the story, including plot and character development, from the beginning to the end. Most Harlequin series request a 3-to-5-page synopsis with submission.” Our Harlequin submission guidelines vary from series to series, but one thing that all our editors require with your submission is a full synopsis. What exactly does that mean? We’re going to help by doing a deep dive into what a synopsis really is, and what we want to see in the ones you send with your submission. Let’s jump in! What is a synopsis? A synopsis is essentially a short version of your entire s ..read more

“A romance driven by your leading characters is key to keeping your plot from becoming episodic. To put it simply, take this advice from Executive Editor Kathleen Scheibling, who quotes F. Scott Fitzgerald: ‘Character is plot.’” Strong traits make characters unique, vivid and complex. They also motivate the character’s actions and behavior, working hand-in-hand with the plot. Think of Jack Dawson in Titanic, determined to be with Rose and unafraid of breaking class rules on the ship and in love. Or Peggy Olson in Mad Men, driven to break into advertising on Madison Avenue in the ..read more

There are three main components in the recipe for a perfect Harlequin romance: establishing the hero and heroine’s motivations from the beginning, ending with a happily-ever-after, and, in the middle, aligning your story with the guidelines of the series you are writing for. For both experienced writers and debut authors, series parameters can sometimes feel restrictive. But exploring the creative outlets within these limits can also be fun and challenging. Here are some tips to explore some creative outlets without stepping outside the series parameters: Be on the lookout for current trends ..read more

Query Letter “A letter accompanying a manuscript submission to a publisher. The query (or cover) letter should showcase the book (plot and marketing hooks) and the author’s professional biography.” That seems like a simple definition, but writing an effective query letter can be surprisingly complex. So today, let’s dig into query letters! What is the purpose of the query letter? When you submit your manuscript to a publisher, you are proposing a business partnership. The query letter is your opportunity to create a great first impression. A good query letter shows an editor that you and your ..read more

This post has been updated from its previously published version. In one of our recent Roadmap to Writing Romance posts, we showed off our top 5 writing resources which included Goal, Motivation, Conflict by Debra Dixon.  This book is a tried-and-true staple that our editors refer to endlessly when discussing characters.  We are so excited for Harlequin Historical author, Catherine Tinley to break down how she uses Goal, Motivation, Conflict to create her unforgettable characters. Writing strong, layered characters that seem real to the reader is a key part of any successful novel. I ..read more

Kate MacGuire has loved writing since forever which led to a career in journalism and public relations. Her short fiction won the Swarthout Award and placed third in the 2020 Women’s National Book Association writing contest. When she’s not pounding away on the keyboard, Kate co-runs her crazy household with her husband, keeping its two unruly teenagers in line in the beautiful woodlands of North Carolina. Drop by katemacguire.com for updates and stories or hang out with her on social media (@katewritesromance). Harlequin: Tell us about yourself. Our readers want to know! Kate MacGuire: Hey t ..read more

Welcome back to the Roadmap to Writing Romance! In the first two installments of this series, we talked about planning your romance novel and finding some incredible writing resources. Now, it’s time to ask yourself another important question: which Harlequin romance series may be right for my voice and story? Come to think of it, what does Harlequin publish? Harlequin has many different romance lines, ranging from sexy contemporary romance to touching family stories to sweeping historical romances. These imprints offer “category romance” stories (see definition below). To help you figure out ..read more

Debut author Maggie Weston’s Widows of West End trilogy will launch with One Night with a Duchess, releasing in October 2024. Maggie is an enthusiast of all things Regency and Victorian. Though she grew up voraciously consuming classical literature, she stumbled upon her first romance novel at age eleven and never looked back. When she’s not writing or researching all the weird and marvelous things our predecessors did, she can be found reading, committing to home improvement and craft projects that she thinks she can handle (but can’t), and watching period dramas with her (begrudgingly) comp ..read more