Newsflash! Avon Seeking Submissions from Debut Authors

This information was posted to one of my writing lists today. Avon has decided to dedicate 2008 to finding debut authors! Take a look at their guidelines. How To Submit A Manuscript *Please note Avon's new submission policy To submit your romance or women's fiction (only), please query first. You must query by e-mail. When you do so, please put QUERY in the subject line. Due to the overwhelming amount of spam e-mail received, subject lines that have manuscript titles often do not reach the editors. Your query should be brief, no more than a two-page description of your book. Do not send chapters or a full synopsis at this time. Also, please not send attachments—THEY WILL NOT BE OPENED. You will receive a response—either a decline or a request for more material—in approximately one to two weeks. Please e-mail your query to: avonromance@harpercollins.com. Include a stamped, self-addressed envelope big enough to contain your manuscript, in case we have to return it to you. We cannot reply to submission materials without a SASE. And be sure to keep a copy of your manuscript! Please send either a query letter, or the first three chapters (50-100 pp) and a 5-10 pp synopsis of the whole story –- not the complete manuscript. If we like that partial, we will ask to see the whole manuscript. Please do e-mail manuscript submissions or query letters. Send your manuscript to any of the following Avon editors: >CarrieFeron, Executive Editor >Lucia Macro, Executive Editor >Lyssa Keusch, Senior Editor >Micki Nuding, Editor Avon Books 10 E. 53rd St. New York, NY 10022 Because of the many submissions we receive, it takes four to six weeks to answer a query letter and three to six months to evaluate a manuscript. If you haven’t received a response after that time, please drop us a postcard listing your name, address, phone number, title of manuscript, whether it was partial or complete, when you originally sent it and to whom. We look forward to receiving your submission to Avon Books Good luck! *Info via the January, 2008 Romance Writers Report & Avon Website.

Finishing Your Novel

Check out this writers resource by Timothy Hallinan. There's a section on his website entitled Writers Resources, where he guides and encourages struggling writers to finish and/or begin their book.

I’m offering the Writers' Resources section, which is intended to get people to that blessed point where they can type the words THE END. So if you’re among those who want to finish (or even begin) a novel, check this section out – there may be something that you’ll find helpful.

I spent half a day reading through Timothy's exercises and suggestions. Hopefully, this will help with finishing my own WIP's. If you're experiencing the same dilemma, I suggest you go on over and read Timothy's suggestions. Happy Writing

Wrter or Author?

“A writer is someone who finishes.” -- Thomas Farber

Writer

• One who writes, or has written; a scribe; a clerk.
• One who is engaged in literary composition as a profession; an author; as, a writer of novels.
• A clerk of a certain rank in the service of the late East India Company, who, after serving a certain number of years, became a factor.

Author

• The beginner, former, or first mover of anything; hence, the efficient cause of a thing; a creator; an originator.
• One who composes or writes a book; a composer, as distinguished from an editor, translator, or compiler.
• The editor of a periodical.
• An informant.
• To occasion; to originate.
• To tell; to say; to declare.

Writer or Author. Which is the correct title if you're unpublished?

There's a post at The Writing Life that's similar to this one, with a few links to other blogs on the subject. The more I read what other writer's thought and felt about this, the more I realized I wasn't alone.

I read somewhere that the term "Writer" is described as - one who writes, especially as a business or occupation (author, journalist, etc.) and the term "Author" is described as - one who makes or originates something; creator. The writer of a book, article, etc. For some reason, I feel uncomfortable calling myself an author. In my mind, I won't earn that title until I'm published. Until then, I'm a writer.

The term "author" to me, refers to someone who has a written a book (or article or whatever) that you are able to purchase, either online or at a brick and mortar store. It has a cover, an ISBN number and a Publisher. The lucky ones who've had the good fortune to accomplish this, IMO, are authors. Until you're published, you're a writer. Right...?

Happy Holidays!

Free eBooks At eHarlequin Dot Com

Did you know eHarlequin was giving away a FREE ebook every day from December 25th thru January 1st? I didn't, but I do now - and so do you!

Whether you're trying this portable format for the first time or you're a seasoned downloader, you'll love our special offer this month—get a FREE eBook each day from December 25 - January 1. Simply add today's featured eBook to your shopping cart and use the corresponding coupon code at checkout—you'll automatically get today's eBook absolutely FREE!

• Dec. 25th - The Italian Billionaire's Christmas Miracle by Catherine Spencer
• Dec. 26th - What She Really Wants for Christmas by Debbi Rawlins
• Dec. 27th - The Tycoon Meets His Match by Barbara Benedict
• Dec. 28th - Her Rebel Lord by Georgina Devon
• Dec. 29th - The Executive's Surprise Baby by Catherine Mann
• Dec. 30th - Snowbound with Mr. Right by Judy Christenberry
• Dec. 31sth - Holiday with a Vampire by Maureen Child
• Jan. 1st - Classified Christmas by B.J. Daniels

Head on over and get your free ebook today!

Boxing Day?

Boxing Day (bŏk'sĭng) Date: 1833 n. The first weekday after Christmas, celebrated as a holiday in parts of the British Commonwealth, when Christmas gifts are traditionally given to service workers. I have to admit I've never heard this term before yesterday. I read about it on a few blogs, and thought - what the heck is that? So, like any inquisitive writer, I looked it up. Apparently, Boxing Day is celebrated in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Canada on December 26th or 27th (according to which country), and, it's a tradition that goes waaay back. According to Wikipedia: It was the day when people would give a present or Christmas box to those who had worked for them throughout the year. This is still done in Britain for postmen and paper-boys - though now the 'box' is usually given before Christmas, not after. In feudal times, Christmas was a reason for a gathering of extended families. All the serfs would gather their families in the manor of their lord, which made it easier for the lord of the estate to hand out annual stipends to the serfs. After all the Christmas parties on 26 December, the lord of the estate would give practical goods such as cloth, grains, and tools to the serfs who lived on his land. Each family would get a box full of such goods the day after Christmas. Under this explanation, there was nothing voluntary about this transaction; the lord of the manor was obliged to supply these goods. Because of the boxes being given out, the day was called Boxing Day. In England many years ago, it was common practice for the servants to carry boxes to their employers when they arrived for their day's work on the day after Christmas. Their employers would then put coins in the boxes as special end-of-year gifts. This can be compared with the modern day concept of Christmas bonuses. The servants carried boxes for the coins, hence the name Boxing Day. In churches, it was traditional to open the church's donation box on Christmas Day, and the money in the donation box was to be distributed to the poorer or lower class citizens on the next day. In this case, the "box" in "Boxing Day" comes from that lockbox in which the donations were left. Boxing Day was the day when the wren, the king of birds,[3] was captured and put in a box and introduced to each household in the village when he would be asked for a successful year and a good harvest. See Frazer's Golden Bough. Evidence can also be found in Wassail songs such as: ''Where are you going ? said Milder to Malder, ''Oh where are you going ? said Fessel to Foe, ''I'm going to hunt the cutty wren said Milder to Malder, ''I'm going to hunt the cutty wren said John the Rednose. ''And what will you do wi' it ? said Milder to Malder, ''And what will you do wi' it ? said Fessel to Foe, ''I'll put it in a box said Milder to Malder, ''I'll put it in a box said John the Rednose. etc... Because the staff had to work on such an important day as Christmas by serving the master of the house and their family, they were given the following day off. As servants were kept away from their own families to work on a traditional religious holiday and were not able to celebrate Christmas Dinner, the customary benefit was to "box" up the leftover food from Christmas Day and send it away with the servants and their families. (Similarly, as the servants had the 26th off, the owners of the manor may have had to serve themselves pre-prepared, boxed food for that one day.) Hence the "boxing" of food became "Boxing Day".

• Australia and New Zealand
• In a similar vein to the United Kingdom (see below), shopping occurs similarly in Australia and New Zealand, although some Australian states, including New South Wales are tightening restrictions on Boxing Day retail trading[1], deferring the post-Christmas sales to December 27. Boxing Day is not formally observed in the Australian state of South Australia, instead what would have been the next working day after Christmas is officially titled Proclamation Day and a public holiday is observed. [9]. However, it is still referred to as Boxing Day.
• Canada
• In Canada, Boxing Day is observed as a holiday, except (in some cases) for those in the retail business. Boxing Day and the days immediately following are when many retail stores sell their Christmas and retired model products by holding clearance sales. Some shoppers will line up for hours at night (sometimes before midnight and after midnight on December 26) for retailers to open their doors. Except in Quebec, retailers often open their stores earlier than usual, such as 6 or 7 am. Some retail companies internally refer to the sales week after Christmas as the "thirteenth month." (See Boxing Week.) It is similar to Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, in the United States. Boxing Day 2005 was the single largest economic transaction day ever in the history of Canadian commerce (according to Visa). Individual big box stores can even gross over CAD$1,000,000 on one single Boxing Day.
• As an exception, most retail stores are not permitted to open on Boxing Day in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador. In 2006, Nova Scotia eliminated a similar ban on Boxing Day openings, although most retailers elected to continue past practice and remain closed that day. In these provinces, most stores offer the same specials on December 27 that they would offer elsewhere on the 26th. This distinction is not well known in central and western Canada.[10]
• In addition to the retail aspect of the holiday, Boxing Day also serves as a second day for families to gather for dinner and to exchange gifts. Boxing Day dinner is, in many ways, just as much a part of many families traditions as Christmas dinner itself.
• Boxing Day has also been referred to as the day that people "box" up their Christmas decorations and put them away until next year.
• European countries
• Boxing Day is a holiday of peculiarly British origin, but in most years it falls on the same day as the Feast of St. Stephen (St. Stephen's Day - 26 December).
• See December 26#Holidays and observances
• South Africa
• In South Africa, Boxing Day is known in the official calendar as Day of Goodwill.
• Ireland
• In Irish it is called Lá Fhéile Stiofán or Lá an Dreoilín — the latter translates literally as another English name used, the Day of the Wren or Wren's Day. When used in this context, 'wren' is often pronounced 'ran'. This name alludes to several legends, including those found in Ireland linking episodes in the life of Jesus to the wren. In parts of Ireland persons carrying either an effigy of a wren, or an actual caged wren, travel from house to house playing music, singing and dancing. Depending on which region of the country, they are called Wrenboys, Mummers or Strawboys. A Mummer's Festival is held at this time every year in the village of New Inn, County Galway, Co. Galway. St Stephen's Day is also a popular day for visiting family members. A popular rhyme, known to many Irish children and sung at each house visited by the mummers goes as follows:
• The wren, the wren, the king of all birds, On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze, Up with the kettle and down with the pan, Give us some money to bury the wren.
• Wales
• St. Stephen's Day in Wales is known as Gŵyl San Steffan. Ancient Welsh custom, discontinued in the 19th century, included bleeding of livestock and "holming" (beating or slashing with holly branches) of late risers and female servants.[1]
• CataloniaIn Catalonia it is called "Sant Esteve" and is a bank holiday, but not in the whole country of Spain.

Phew, all this, and I never heard of Boxing Day? You'd think I under a rock! Here's a few more versions and countries that observe Boxing Day: Dutch: Tweede Kerstdag French: le jour suivant Noël (jour férié en Grande Bretagne) German: 1. Weihnachtsfeiertag Italian: (il giorno di) Santo Stefano Spanish: día de San Esteban, 26 de diciembre Need some help researching Boxing Day? Kids.net.au Answers.com Kids Turn Central Allwords.com Kirk's Weblog Wikipedia So, how about you. Have you ever heard of Boxing Day?

Updated Resources

FYI, I've updated the Resources For The Non-RWA Newbie (pt 3) post with additional resources and links. You can check it out here, or by clicking on the title in the November 2007 section of this blog. Again, if you have a question, have a resource you'd like to share, or if you can't find something I've listed, just let me know by leaving a comment. Also, if this post has helped you in any way I'd love to know about it (still working on my writer's karma). :) Happy Writing!

Interested In A Free Novel Writing Course?

Interested in a FREE 2 year Novel Writing Course? If so, you can read about it here. The two year long course is presented by Lazette Gifford and will take place on Holly Lisle's Forward Motion for Writers forum. Below is a snippet about the course I pinched from the forum. Happy Novel Writing!

Year One topics: Writing Basics: Ideas, Genres, Themes, Conflict and more Character development Worldbuilding Outlining Writing, including what to do when you get stuck Year Two topics: Completing your first draft The second draft Final edits Submission You might also consider buying the 2YN: Year 1 book, which is available in PDF (Download) format and which you can print out. This is the material that I'll present in the class, so it's not necessary that you have it. However, some people have found it helpful to have the book since they can look ahead and do the work in an order that is more natural to them, though they cannot post material before the class is presented on the boards. It is also helpful so you can do the work even if they are not able to get to the computer on days I put the material up. As always, there are no fees or special requirements, other than you be a member of Forward Motion. If you are interested, just post to this thread and I'll add you to the board when it's open.

I'm On A Roll Once Again

I'm on a roll once again - a contest winning roll, that is! In a previous post, I told you about the surprise package I got in my snail mail a couple of weeks back. Remember, the five books and bookmarks I won from Author Ann Christopher November contest? Well, if you'll recall, right after that I won a can of Kuma Sutra honey dust. Then, this past Sunday I got an email notification saying I won the Night Owl Romance Yahoogroup Door Prize. Talk about surprises! LOL Then, guess what? Apparently, my name was picked for Kate Walkers 12 Days of Christmas drawing, because today I received a package (in the snail mail) from Leena Hyatt at My Tote Bag, that included an autographed copy of The Antonakos Marriage by Kate Walker, a Kate Walker promotional pen, a Kate Walker book bag, a hand painted Christmas card and bookmarks. How cool is that? Then today, I was doing my daily blog routine (catching up and reading my favorite blogs), and guess what - when I got to Paperback Writers blog, there was my name listed as one of the three "Bookwish" winners! OMG, what a surprise! What's a bookwish, you ask? *A BookWish is any book of your choice that is available for order from an online bookseller, up to maximum cost of $30.00 U.S. I will throw in any applicable shipping charges involved. Woo-hoo! How cool is that? I'm so excited! I don't even remember entering some of these contests. Even though it may seem like it, I'm not a contest junkie. I don't go looking for them and I don't enter every single contest or drawing I run across, but I do enter a lot (as you can see). What happens is, when I do my unusual, daily routine reading blogs, if there's a contest, I'll enter. Simple. I guess there is something to that old saying "you can't win if you don't play!" Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays

I'm the NOR Yahoogroup Doorprize Winner!

I came home from Christmas shopping today to find the following email in my inbox. What a nice surprise for Christmas - I'm so excited (Oh, by the way, I received the Kuma Sutra Strawberry and Champagene honey dust I won last week in the mail yesterday-yum, yum)! Happy Holidays!

Hi Carol,

You have won a door prize via the Night Owl Romance Yahoo Group.Can you please send me your snail mail address.My direct email is (blank)

Your winnings include -

• -Book Marks and Book Flats from around 15 different authors.
• -Paperback Book - A Restless Knight by Deborah MacGillivray - Signed! If you already have this one I have 3 other choices -http://www.deborahmacgillivray.co.uk/
• -Digital Business card from Vanessa Gilfoy - includes excerpts, book flicks and screen savers - http://www.vanessagilfoy.com/
• -Ghiradelli Hot Chocolate Pack - Double Chocolate
• -Book Flat for Raine, Lords of Satyr #2 - Signed by - Elizabeth Amber - http://www.elizabethamber.com/
• -Mini Flashlight from Catherine Chernow - http://www.catherinechernow.com/
• -Can Cover from Linda Lael Miller - http://www.lindalaelmiller.com/
• -Pens from Cheryl Dragon - http://www.cheryldragon.com/

and much more!

Congrats. Tam

Helpful Verb, Action Verb and Grammar Sites

Here's a few links to some very helpful verb, grammar and descriptive word websites. I printed off the cheat sheets, and refer to them often (especially when I'm stuck). Just thought I'd share. Happy Writing! Cheat Sheets Action Verbs Descriptive Words Transition Words 100 Ways to say "said" Writer's Cheat Sheets Action Verbs 100 Verbs to Write By by Deanna Carlyle Cheat Sheet for Writers! Helpful Grammar Sites Show, Not Tell Guide to Grammar and Writing Grammar Now! (sign up for a weekly email grammar tip) Adverbs Passive Voice Active and Passive Voice What is an Adverb? Transition Words (msn Romance Writing Tips) English Grammar and Mechanics Links Common Errors In English Grammar Girl

My X-Mas List

75% of the blogs I read have posted their Writers Christmas list, so I thought I'd get in on the fun. Who knows, maybe I have a secret Santa somewhere just waiting for me to post this list. :) Word 2007 RWA Membership Subscription to Writers Digest Subscription to Romantic Times Subscription to Wild West Magazine Digital Camera Studs 'N Spurs Calendar Women Writing the West Membership Gift Certificate(s) to Barnes and Noble and/or Amazon E-book Reader (Maybe) So, what's on your X-Mas list this year?

I'm A Winner!

I just received this in my inbox:

Carol, Congratulations! You won the Karma Sutra Honey Dust from our Blue Moon Magic giveaway. All you need to do is pick your favorite flavor...Original, Strawberries and Cream, or Raspberry. Just email me back to let me know your preference and I'll get it shipped to you. Happy Holidays,

Honey Jans

http://www.angelfire.com/jazz/honeyjans/Twice in a Blue Moon ~ Book 2 Blue Moon Magicwww.loose_id.com One father. Two mothers. Four siblings. One incredible night that will change them all...Forever

Woo-hoo! Can you guess which one I picked? Strawberries and Cream, of course (the dh's favorite *grin*) This is the second thing I've won this past week. A couple of posts down, I blogged about the package of books I got in the snail mail last week. Remember, five books from romance author Ann Christopher's contest? I wonder if this is any indication of how my new year go! Maybe my luck will hold out long enough to snag a contract! Wouldn't that be nice? Happy Holidays!

My New Blog - With Major Problems

Well, as you can see, I've changed my blog template again, with the hopes that the new template would solve my widget and link problems. And it did - to a certain extent. I now have a blogroll, however, there are about eight copies of each link (just shoot me now). How that happened, I don't have a clue. All I know is I have my blogroll. I'm just about ready to give up on Blogger and go over to Wordpress. I've already transferred my posts, and I have a template over there that I actually like. The only thing is, I'm just not 100% sure I want to make the switch. Wordpress had a much nicer and a large template selection. There's also a better selection of websites offering Wordpress templates. I had a hard time finding just one site that offered Blogger templates, much less free Blogger templates. I've played around with the Wordpress formats, widgets and other stuff, and not once did I have a problem with anything. They're very user friendly. I don't know. What do you think? Have you made a transition like this, and if so, how did it work for you? Please leave a comment if you have to let me know the pros and cons of such a move - I could really use some suggestions. *sigh* Happy Blogging!

My New Blog Design

I've been looking for a new blog design for ages. I've surfed and surfed and surfed to no avail. Then yesterday I discovered FinalSense.com. What a great site! They have the best free blog designs I've found so far (and I've done a LOT of surfing). I spent hours trying out new templates, and even more time trying to decide which template I wanted to use. The only thing is, when I made the change, I lost a most of my widgets and formatting. I tried to add the old stuff using the blogger drag and drop option, and it said I'd successfully added the things I wanted, however, they're not there (and yes, I saved everything)! I have a sneaky suspicion that to add the extras, I will have to write them in using css or html (just shoot me now). That's the one thing that's held me back from making this change earlier (besides the fact that I couldn't find a template I liked). So, until I learn to write css or html, or figure out another way to add my blogroll and widgets, I'll have to do without them. That's what I hate about making changes, whether it be to your website, blog or whatever, you always run into some kind of road block. It's never simple. Grrrr! So, if you happen onto my blog, and don't see your blog link, please don't think I've deserted you (and your blog). Just please bare with me until I get this all figured out. In the meantime, if you're thinking about changing your blog and you haven't been able to find a decent template, visit http://www.finalsense.com/. Happy Blogging!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

Woo-hoo! How's this for a stocking stuffer?

Get a Studs N' Spurs calendar at AllPosters.com - Mine's on its way! :)

A Surprise For Me Today!

I received a nice little surprise in the snail mail today. A package of books! How exciting! In October I entered a contest on Ann Christopher's website, and apparently, I was November's Winner - and I didn't even know it! Woo-hoo! Here's what I won:

• Lord Perfect by Loretta Chase
• The Devils Waltz by Anne Stuart
• Just One of Those Things by Candace Hern
• Lord of Fire by Gaelen Foley
• A Passion for Him by Sylvia Day
• Four bookmarks

Well, I'm off to do some reading!

Free Workshop Tomorrow - Fight Scenes or How Butts Get Kicked

Fight Scenes or How Butts Get Kicked Presented by Fiona Jade Tuesday, December 11, 2007 On The EroticRomanceWorkshop E-Loop With erotic romance spanning various genres, fight scenes– be its words, or fists or laser blasts - speed up the action on the pages.Like lovemaking, a fight scene presents similar challenges to the author – depicting simultaneous action in a sequence of phrases,pacing, verbiage, and, well, "punch". This workshop will present butt kicking and still feminine heroines, various ways to hurt a body (if you REALLY have to) and the little known fact rarely depicted on the silver screen - that when one punches something really hard, one's knuckles really hurt. Bio: Fiona Jayde is a pilot, a ninth degree black belt in three styles of martial arts, a computer hacker, a mountain climber, a jazz singer, a weight lifter, a super spy with a talent for languages, and an evil genius. All in her own head. In life, she is an author, insists she is a good driver even though various loved ones refuse to let her drive, possesses a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do and blue belt in Aikido, a web developer, scared to death of heights, loves jazz piano, can bench-press about 20 pounds-with effort, speaks English and Russian fluently, and when not plotting murder and mayhem enjoys steamy romance novels, sexy spy thrillers, murky mysteries and violent movies where things frequently blow up. Her latest series – Urban Myth, Urban Legend and Urban Fantasy is a trilogy of paranormal romances with humans and vampires highly skilled in the arts of combat fighting and training for peace amidst the races. You must be a registered member of the EroticRomanceWorkshop on Yahoogroups to participate. Click on the link above to join - it's FREE! *Reposted with permission from the EroticRomanceWorkshop group.

Writing Exercise

I ran across a couple of really nice writing exercises and thought I'd share.

Enjoy!

• Create a Memory House by sketching a floor plan of any house in which you have lived. Now write a memory in each room. If a memory inspires you, write from it.

Here's another one:

• Take a sheet of paper and write"I remember" at the top of the page, then just write. Keep your hand moving and let the words flow. When you come to a stopping place, take a deep breath, let it out, write "I remember" again and keep going. Come back to this exercise often. Different days evoke different memories. Go back to the memory list later and highlight (or use a crayon to encircle) the ones that seem fresh and full of potential stories.

Free Workshop Tomorrow - Writing From The Male POV

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New Romance Writer's Group Opening Up

I read an article by Barbara Vey at PW today, which told of a new Romance Writers forum, the United Romance Writers Association (URWA). The United Romance Writers Association is a forum for authors to critique, workshop, discuss and share info about the Romance industry. This forum is a private member group FREE to all Romance authors published and unpublished

Although the title says "Romance Writers Association" authors of all genres are welcome to join.

In fact, we have one big fat rule about joining – we don’t exclude anyone. We want you here. We know we can learn from you and from each other.

So, if you'd like to become a part of the URWA community, you can do so by going here. Here's the link to their MySpace page if you'd like to visit.

Happy Writing!

The End

...of the line for me. I didn't make it to the next round of Karin Tabke's First Line Contest. I did make it all the way to round eight, so, that's pretty good, isn't it? It's just so disappointing to get dropped. Guess I'll just keep on, keepin' on! :) Karin Tabke did leave a comment for me. She said, "Carol, for what it's worth, my judge really struggled this week." That was nice, wasn't it? It was a fun contest, and I had a great time. Guess it's back to the drawing board! Happy Writing!

New Contest For Aspiring Harlequin Presents (M&B) Writers

If you're an aspiring writer who plans to target the Harlequin Presents line, this is a great opportunity for you. I write single title, so this contest won't help me, but the writing tutorials on the site will! For those of you who write category - you don't want to miss this! This comes from Executive Editor Tessa Shapcott and it's all about the special contest that Presents (M&B Modern) is running for not yet published writers. Here's what Tessa has to say: INSTANT SEDUCTION A brand new writing competition from the world’s best-selling romance series is about to hit the blogosphere! It’s an exciting time for Harlequin Presents: from January 2008, there will be 12 of our intensely passionate romances available every month. And with this increase of titles comes a great opportunity for aspiring authors – we will be looking to buy more books for publication! The old saying goes that first impressions are lasting impressions – and when it comes to reading a Harlequin Presents, that certainly holds true. If the first chapter doesn’t immediately grip the reader with its pace, passion and intensity, then she won’t continue to turn the pages. So Presents is inviting unpublished writers to show us how they can grab the attention of our readership with first chapters that really sizzle. The INSTANT SEDUCTION competition offers prizes that are chances of a lifetime for the lucky winner and runners-up:

• *First prize – win yourself an editor for a year!
• *Two runners-up will be given editorial critiques of their first chapter entries and also a personal telephone consultation about their writing!

Visit the Iheartpresents.com blogsite for full details of the competition – and the chance to prepare for publication with an exclusive series of writing tutorials prepared by the editorial team at Harlequin Presents, including advice on First Chapters, How to Write a Synopsis, Loving the Alpha Male and Generating Emotional Conflict. Entries for the competition will be accepted as on-line submissions only from 1st January until 14th February 2008. Entries should comprise of the first chapter and a synopsis of a previously unpublished/unsubmitted novel aimed at Harlequin Presents. Address for entries: instantseduction@hmb.co.uk Any further details, and lots of helpful hints on how to write for Harlequin Presents, M&B Modern can be found over on the I heart Presents blog. I wish the best of luck to those of you who enter!