The annual Halloween pumpkin carving contest is kind of a big thing here on the fourth floor of Harlequin. That’s the Direct to Consumer department for non-locals. We take our pumpkins seriously because—as everyone knows—Halloween is an important holiday.

There’s a change in the air in the days leading up to the judging. People bring in strange packages. Secret plots are hatched. And finally the carving begins. Groups of people huddled around a round orange gourd, brandishing knives and pulling out guts.

Kind of gruesome, innit?

Barron brandishing his pen knife at the offending pumpkin.

It’s madness for a few hours on an ordinary day while people work together to create something fun and creative.

The ravenous Seymour, from Little Shop of Horrors.

And we remember why we liked Halloween in the first place.

Dressing up for Halloween? Want to win an eBook reader and other prizes? Here’s a reminder on how you can do both with this Costume Contest—but time is running out to enter!

eBook retailer Omnilit and Sony are co-sponsoring an online Halloween Costume Contest with Harlequin — with a grand prize of a silver Sony Pocket Edition Reader (one of their new eBook reader designs, worth $199!). Other prizes include Omnilit $50 gift certificates for the Prettiest, Scariest, and Sexiest costumes!

To enter, take a photo of yourself in your Halloween best; then, become a fan of Omnilit’s Facebook page to post the picture on their “wall.” Your friends on Facebook can “vote” for you by clicking on your picture and posting a comment. No purchase necessary to win!

Deadline for photos and votes is midnight Pacific Time, October 31st, 2009. For full official rules, visit Omnilit’s Contest Page.

Good luck and Happy Halloween!

By Joanne Grant, Harlequin Presents editor

Back in early July, I announced our third writing competition on I Heart Presents. To enter the competition you need to submit a compelling first chapter of a Harlequin Presents or Modern Heat style story, with a short synopsis, and if your entry captures our imagination—you could win an editor for a year!

But do not worry if this is the first you have heard of it, because the competition is still open, in fact you have until November 2nd to enter! To date, we have had over 60 entries, but from past experience we know to expect the entries to come flooding in that final week, and that those 60 will turn into hundreds!

Maybe this is all news to you, or maybe you have been contemplating entering the competition but just haven’t yet got up the courage to press that ’send’ button yet. Well, here is some information to get you motivated!

Our previous contests Instant Seduction and Feel the Heat, had a high calibre of entries. So high in fact, that we have since bought our two winners: Lynn Raye Harris and Lucy King!

Lynn won the Instant Seduction competition and her winning entry, and debut novel, Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge was published in Harlequin Presents, August 2009.

Lucy King won our second competition Feel the Heat, aimed at Modern Heat editorial. Her winning entry and debut novel Bought: Damsel in Distress will be available from Harlequin Presents in January 2010.

But the successes do not stop there! Earlier this year, we were thrilled to buy another talented new author, Tina Duncan, who first caught our eye when she entered the Instant Seduction competition in 2008. Although she didn’t win, or even place as a runner-up, Editorial saw her potential and kept working with her until we finally bought her book, Da Silva’s Mistress, which will be available in Presents Extra in January 2010.

So, could you be our next competition winner or catch our editors’ eyes as a potential new writer?

More details can be found at www.iheartpresents.com and writing guidelines are available on eHarlequin.com, but in brief:

by Lora Jaggassar, eHarlequin.com Bookstore Manager

I’m so excited, and I’ll tell you why…

But first, let me introduce myself. I’m Lora, eHarlequin’s bookstore manager. Every month, I put together special offers and work with an amazing team to get our books up on the site and out in our eNewsletters. Yay team!

Ok, enough of that, here’s the real reason I’m excited… Today only, on October 27, we’re offering exclusive access to our BOGO sale. Yep, you heard me right — Buy One Get One Free (BOGO!). This offer is good for one-day only. For every featured book you buy, get a 2nd title FREE with coupon code TWOFORONE*!

If you like it, don’t miss out on other offers like these. Just sign up for our Members-Only Deals newsletter, it’s free and sent directly to your inbox!

*Valid until October 27, 2009, 11:59 p.m. EDT. One-time use only. Not to be used with other offers or coupons.

by Don Lucey, Senior Writer, PR Communications

Debbie enjoying tea with her many fans

Cedar Cove is Debbie Macomber’s fictional community that she has featured in books like 92 Pacific Boulevard, A Cedar Cove Christmas and her Cedar Cove Cookbook. Not only have fans of these books made them a #1 New York Times bestselling series, but in the last week of August some 10,000-12,000 fans from 42 states and six foreign countries (Canada, Brazil, the Netherlands, South Africa, Germany and Japan) descended upon the little town of Port Orchard, WA to celebrate as it transformed itself into the fictional community of Cedar Cove. As part of Harlequin’s public relations team I had the honor of attending the festivities.

Cedar Cove Days banner hangs across main street

As a thank you for all the work organizers had put in bringing Cedar Cove Days from the germination of an idea to reality, Debbie held a pre-event barbecue for the volunteers at her beautiful home overlooking Sinclair Inlet on Puget Sound. Her son Ted tended the grill & I can personally attest to his skills.

Celebrations officially kicked off at a grandstand on the waterfront where the state senator, congresswoman and town mayor spoke and presented Debbie with the key to the city—the first such award in the history of Port Orchard. But what very few people know is that Debbie had already been busy shooting live television interviews from 4:00 am to 10:00 am. I have no idea how she managed to be so lively and charming over the rest of the day.

Over the next four days we were privy to behind-the-scenes peeks at the real-life inspirations for Debbie’s Cedar Cove novels. Tours were led by Debbie’s four grown children who provided us with insights that only a family member could know. Teas at the Victorian Rose Tea Room and knitting at Debbie’s Yarn Shop also gave fans an opportunity to spend quality time with their favorite author. And a great Q&A session with Debbie and her editor, Paula, had everyone in tears at one point when Debbie described the premise of her next Blossom Street book, Hannah’s Choice—trust me, you’re going to be moved!

We all got dressed up for a brilliant cruise on Puget Sound that included a dinner at Kiana Lodge on Agate Passage, just across from Bainbridge Island. Each member of the Macomber family shared memories of life with Debbie, and Ted had the entire assemblage singing his fresh Cedar Cove Rap—“Cedar Cove, y’all/ Cedar Cove, y’all…”

The highlight of the entire celebration for most people, however, was the Character Parade. Thousands of fans and residents lined the route as marching bands interspersed vintage cars carrying local townspeople portraying characters from the novels. The parade was followed by a sock hop at the grandstand and drinks at a beer garden hosted by Debbie’s husband, Wayne.

Debbie riding high through the Character Parade at Cedar Cove Days

City council declared Cedar Cove Days a resounding success which was rewarding news as all of the proceeds from the events are earmarked for various community projects. As Cedar Cove Days drew to a close and everyone got ready to return to their homes, we all remarked on how beautiful the weather had been—sunny and high 70s. It certainly didn’t seem to be the typical Pacific Northwest climate. Mother Nature must be a Debbie Macomber fan, too.

Click here for more pictures of Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove Days!

Finally, here are the names of the winners in our Susan Wiggs Lakeshore Christmas contest! Congratulations Melissa, Rissa, Sherry James, Lisa Boggs and Barb Ledbetter!

They say you can’t fully understand someone until you walk a mile in their shoes. So recently as part of the White Ribbon Campaign I decided to take part in their first ever event in Toronto called Walk a Mile in Her Shoes.

Men walk a mile in women’s high heels to raise funds for the White Ribbon campaign to end violence against women.

Why did I get involved? I’ve been blessed with two beautiful little girls and I want to make the world a better place for them. Also after speaking to Harlequin colleagues about my intent to strap on heels, one confided she was a victim of spousal abuse but managed to get out of a horrible situation and make a better life for herself. I think one doesn’t need any more motivation than that.

Now if you’ve ever been to Harlequin’s offices you’ll see a lot of incredible women work here but some pretty cool men do as well. (And no, I’m not simply referring to the cover models.) So I figured if I was walking a mile in women’s heels then maybe some of my male colleagues might join me. And seven of them from various departments stepped up to the plate and did exactly that. In conjunction with some female colleagues we created a corporate team called “The Real Men of Harlequin” with a goal to fundraise $5,000 for the event.

From left to right: Jayne Hoogenberk, Randall Toye, Stephen Miles, Brian McGroarty, Don Lucey, James Brethet, Sulemaan Ahmed, Michael Rehder, Mark Tang

Well, October 1st came and we wore our best suits, sported our best heels and carried some attractive 60th Anniversary bags, which we used to give away free books while we marched the streets of downtown Toronto. It was a beautiful day as hundreds participated in the event and there was lots of media coverage.

How did we do? We beat our $5,000 target and collected over $7,500. That was more money than any other corporate team! The event itself raised over $81,000 to date, which is pretty good for an inaugural year. Even the shoes were donated after the walk to women’s shelters and other organizations that help abused women get into the workforce.

I can’t put into words how proud I am to work with people who really embraced this cause. Be it colleagues who walked in heels, volunteered at the event, donated money and/or their time. And it doesn’t stop here. Other Harlequin employees quietly go about their business and fundraise tens of thousands of dollars for other noble causes every year such as the Weekend to End Breast Cancer and the United Way to name but a few. I think that speaks to the character and social-mindedness of Harlequin employees across the globe who want to give back to their communities and society.

And yes, our feet were in pain after the walk as some of us were brandishing band-aids. I nearly wiped out three times so you’ll never see me grace the fashion catwalks of Paris or Milan anytime soon. Subway grates are not a man’s best friend!

Who knew wearing high heels was so complicated? Candidly, I’ve no idea how women do it after having walked a mile in their shoes. But I’m glad we did it and you can count on ‘The Real Men of Harlequin’ being back next year.

by Executive Editor Marsha Zinberg

“Pardon my Body”? “I’ll Bury My Dead”? Such phrases might sound a bit jarring to an ear attuned to the more evocative and romantic titles usually associated with Harlequin. So what are we doing publishing books with such kitschy titles?

The short answer is that they are a small sampling of the type of fare our company began with. And this collection seemed a logical contribution to our 60th anniversary celebrations. Harlequin mounted an art exhibition in May, entitled The Heart of a Woman, which got people from many departments poring over old covers. Soon we had postcards and notepads—not to mention business cards—created that trumpeted our roots in the late 1940s. And folks both within our building and in the broader publishing community seemed completely taken with this vintage art. So why not publish a few of the texts that accompanied them?

The assignment: Go through our publication list (from Day One!) and look at the accompanying covers. Choose six books and reprint them, EXACTLY AS THEY WERE THEN, as a small collection to celebrate our sixty years in business. Let’s do them in October…that should give you guys loads of time!

Well, ok. We don’t need to create new art. We don’t need to edit the text. Should be a walk in the park, yes? Not so much, we discovered.

First roadblock: We did not possess physical copies of the books. In Harlequin’s early days, before people began thinking about “posterity”, it likely didn’t occur to employees that we might actually want to keep one copy of each book! We’ve been doing that for decades now, of course, but apparently we didn’t sixty years ago. So we actually had to make use of the Internet, and hunt down in used book stores the titles we couldn’t locate. It goes without saying that we had no digital files of either the text or the art, so the text had to be painstakingly key-stroked to create new text files, and the cover images had to be digitized as well.

Next: choosing the books. We had a few limitations here. We wanted books whose cover art appealed to us, and we had to be in physical possession of the book, but in some cases, once we started reading the text, we simply couldn’t see publishing the story, for a host of reasons….content, language, political correctness, etc. Several were eliminated, no matter how striking the cover!

Now for the books: Remember, our intention was to publish the stories in their original form. But once we immersed ourselves in the text, our eyes grew wide. Our jaws dropped. Social behavior—such as hitting a woman—that would be considered totally unacceptable now was quite common sixty years ago. Scenes of near rape would not sit well with a contemporary audience, we were quite convinced. We therefore decided to make small adjustments to the text, only in cases where we felt scenes or phrases would be offensive to a 2009 readership. Also, grammar and spelling standards have changed quite a bit in sixty years. But that did entail a text edit, which we had not anticipated. AND, we had to clear those adjustments with the current copyright holders, if we had been able to locate them.

And of course, the covers: Though we used the original covers, they had to be scanned and touched up. In addition, we felt it important to give the potential purchasers some context for our decision to publish the books as well as some cues that this was in fact not standard Harlequin fare at all: i.e. these stories are mostly written by men, and romance is not usually a key element in the plot! So we redesigned the back covers and spines, and reproduced the red dye on the page edges, for added authenticity.

Everyone in house has taken such interest and pride in this project, and we’re delighted that the collection is now out in the marketplace. We hope they will also accomplish what the cover art exhibition attempted to do: “offer a unique insight into the profound changes that have occurred in women’s lives over the past six decades—from shifts in private desires to shifts in the politics of gender”!

To purchase books from the Vintage Collection, visit www.eHarlequin.com.

And PS—keep entering the Susan Wiggs Lakeshore Christmas contest!

Hello Readers!

I’m Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, and I want to welcome you to our new blog. The launch of the Harlequin Blog means we have another way to talk with our readers and we do hope you will share your thoughts and opinions with us! Come back to the blog a few times a week to learn about new releases, special events (like the recent Cedar Cove days that Don Lucey from our public relations department will be blogging about), posts from authors and editors, and much more, including secret publishing-house insider information (you’ll be the first to know!).

2009 is our sixtieth anniversary and we’ve been celebrating in style with a fantastic art exhibit in New York featuring the evolution of the Harlequin romance cover and a simply amazing author party in Washington. For sixty years we have provided women with the best fiction and romance in the world.  And we have no plans to stop anytime soon.

Lovely authors at the Washington, DC party!

From L-R: Sharon Sala, Linda Turner, Maggie Shayne, Tara Taylor Quinn, Brenda Jackson

While we have been celebrating all of our established romance series all year long, we’ve also been busy launching brand-new imprints that cater to what women want today, tomorrow and always.

With Harlequin Nonfiction, we’ve provided phenomenal authors new opportunities to reach their readers, to build relationships that transcend the pages of their stories. For example, readers of Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove series love creating delicious recipes from the Cedar Cove Cookbook (much to the delight of their families, I’m sure!)

Harlequin Teen is a new line of books for young women. Our goal is to publish fantastic stories young women can share with their mothers, much like their mothers shared their first Harlequin romances with them. I invite you to try some of the Harlequin Teen books, like Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Take or Gena Showalter’s Intertwined. I know that you’ll be passing them along to everyone you know. They’re just that good.

HQN and MIRA are also buzzing with exciting new releases in the next few months. We’re gearing up for A Creed Country Christmas, a brand new addition in Linda Lael Miller’s Montana Creeds series. Speaking of Linda, you’ll want to catch the trailer for her new McKettricks of Texas trilogy debuting right here. And if you’re more into mystery, Jason Pinter’s upcoming The Darkness will satisfy that whodunit craving. These are just some of the books we want to talk about!

As a special thank-you to readers who find us on our inaugural post, we have a contest! Please comment about any Harlequin book you have read and enjoyed and we will enter you into a draw for a copy of New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs’s Lakeshore Christmas. We’ll be giving away five copies of Susan’s heartwarming holiday tale. Comment with your name and the Harlequin book you read and enjoyed by October 23 and we’ll randomly select five winners to receive this wonderful hardcover book.  Open to residents of the United States and Canada only. One entry per person. For full contest details, click here.

Thank you for joining us at the Harlequin Blog. Don’t forget to sign up for our RSS feed—it’s the quickest way to get our posts. We’re very excited to start the conversation!