by Linda Fildew, Senior Editor

We have celebrated some significant milestones over the last few years: Mills & Boon’s 100^th anniversary in 2008, Harlequin’s 60^th anniversary in 2009 and now Harlequin Historical reaches its 1000^th book in July 2010 with Christine Merrill’s deliciously sensual Paying the Virgin’s Price, part of our Regency Silk & Scandal miniseries.

1,000 books – 2,000 years of history featured in Harlequin Historical. We encourage a range of time periods so our novels can be set anywhere from ancient civilisations such as Greece and Rome up to the Second World War.

Mills & Boon launched their historical line – Masquerade – in 1977 with novels by such authors as Jane Wilby – Eleanor and the Marquis – and Marguerite Bell – A Rose for Danger. These London-acquired books were published almost simultaneously by Harlequin, although the covers were different for each market.

The UK & US Covers of Eleanor & the Marquis

It was from July 1988 that Harlequin launched what we know today as Harlequin Historical with books mostly acquired from an American author base. The first two were Satan’s Angel by Kristin James (aka Candace Camp) and Kathleen Eagle’s Private Treaty. Both books were Westerns and established early on readers’ love of the nineteenth century frontier settings. There’s something about the rawness of frontier life, living on the edge of danger, that truly captures the imagination. Westerns still form a key part of the present-day program.

Early Harlequin Historical releases

American settings predominated in the early years of Harlequin Historical although, gradually, other periods were added – e.g. Nora Roberts was the first to introduce a Scottish Highland setting with her Rebellion. The Regency period also proved highly popular and so it has remained to this day.

All our authors are skillful at drawing readers into their characters’ world and effortlessly holding them there from first to last page. Emotions run high. How better to spend a few hours of your time! We know how important authentic historical backgrounds are and our authors find just the right balance between the vivid setting and the stirring romance.

We are proud of the variety we offer in Harlequin Historical from classic Regency drawing room tales to ones which explore the risky underbelly of London life. From Medieval warriors and Viking conquerors to Chinese warlords and Byzantine barbarians, we have books – and sexy heroes! – to suit every mood. In the same month as our 1000th book by Christine Merrill we can tempt you with Alaska Bride on the Run by western author Kate Bridges; strong, sexy heroes in Bronwyn Scott’s Regency Untamed Rogue, Scandalous Mistress and Terri Brisbin’s Medieval The Mercenary’s Bride. Mary Nichols has a hero in conflict in Honorable Doctor, Improper Arrangement and June Francis’s hero flirts with danger in Pirate’s Daughter, Rebel Wife. The Chinese Tang Dynasty is an exciting new time period for us, one that we have never published before. We are happy to announce that we are publishing Jeannie Lin’s award winning Butterfly Swords in October.

As well as the six Harlequin Historicals a month – 4 in Retail and 2 available through eHarlequin.com and Harlequin Reader Service – we also have an online exclusive program called Harlequin Historical Undone! These short, sexy, scandalous stories appear in ebook format. These can feature any time period and you will find that we are exploring new areas – look for our vampire Undone! with Marguerite Kaye’s Bitten by Desire and how about some Sheikh delight in Innocent in the Harem by Michelle Willingham and Arabian Nights With a Rake by Bronwyn Scott! These tasty short bites of stories are just the right pick me up read over a lunchtime or before tucking down for the night.

There’s no better time than now to start reading Harlequin Historical if you haven’t already tried one. Get caught up in our latest miniseries Silk & Scandal, I promise you won’t be able to put these seductive books down.

I’d like to thank all of the authors and readers who have contributed to the success of the first 1000 books in Harlequin Historical. Here’s to the next 1000!

by Malle Vallik, Director Digital Content

Today is the launch of Carina Press, Harlequin’s digital-first imprint. You can check out the available books at www.CarinaPress.com. The blog provides lots more information about the development and planning behind the digital-first  imprint. A small team of us started working on Carina Press back in September. In November we hired Angela James to be the Executive Editor and opened our doors to submissions. We were flooded with lots and lots of fantastic editorial. We are absolutely thrilled to be publishing 37 titles in June as our big kick off.

In June we will publish about 10 new titles every week on Monday. Starting in July we will publish 2 – 3 new books every Monday. Word lengths range from 15,000 to over 100,000. You can buy the books at the Carina Press site but also at other ebook retailers like Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and Fictionwise.

Why did we decide to create a digital-first imprint? Harlequin has been a leader in the digital space for several years. Our mission is  to offer our readers great content in whatever form she wants, wherever and whenever she wants it. You can see how downloadable ebooks fit in perfectly! In June Harlequin hit a new milestone by publishing 381 ebooks: all of our frontlist (ie. the print books published that month), the 37 Carina Press titles, and over 200 backlist titles (again, part of our goal of making content that was previously out-of-print available to readers).

Carina Press is a logical extension for us as there are some readers who only read digitally (I have to admit I am becoming more and more like that), and it is also possible to publish niche editorial in ebooks that is really challenging to publish in print. The print world has to fight for shelf space in big bookstores and mass market retailers; we have no such need in the digital world. As a result, we can publish much more niche editorial at Carina Press.

Carina Press titles will not be found at www.eharlequin.com because the editorial is so different from the Harlequin promise. We have romance, erotic romance, erotica, science fiction, mystery, thrillers, steampunk, male/male romance and more. And we are looking for more great voices. You can find out how to submit here.

Carina Press – where no great story goes untold. I hope you’ll take a moment to visit our website!

by Olga Kwak, Queen of Her Own Life

If you missed Queens Cindy Ratzlaff and Kathy Kinney stopping by the Harlequin Blog in April, don’t fret! There’s still time to sign up for an exclusive teleseminar and Virtual Crowning Ceremony being held online tomorrow at 3pm EST/12 pm PST at SupremeQueenBook.com.

You’ll get to chat with Cindy and Kathy and discover the secrets to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! If you’ve ever wanted the chance to make a clean sweep and find your Queen voice, here’s your chance now. There are great prizes to be won and (most importantly) you get to declare yourself Queen of Your Own Life! Plus, there are special bonuses available just for registering for the teleseminar. A special THANK YOU to the sponsors who contributed to these fabulous gifts.

Head over to SupremeQueenBook.com and sign up today!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

Wow!  How fabulous were the Coat of Arms and Mottos you posted?  Isn’t it inspiring to see such a loving, generous, honest and brave group of women sharing their powerful core values?  It sure makes us proud to be Queens.

You’ve asked yourself the key questions, decided what to banish and keep and have identified your guiding principals.  You’ve given yourself a strong motto to guide your decisions going forward.  Let’s stop and take a moment on the top of this mountain to see how far we’ve come.  Look back down the mountain and see how the path that lead you to this point was filled with twists and turns that caused you to zig and zag. Notice the many spots where you slipped and fell but got back up again and kept on climbing.  Pay particular attention to where that giant boulder quite suddenly blocked the path completely and you had to make an unwanted left turn, find a new path and continue up the mountain.  You’ve been working hard on this journey and doing a great job.  Take a moment to stand on top of this Windy Mountain and congratulate yourself on being an accomplished traveler.  Take a deep breath, feel the wind in your hair and shout out at the top of your lungs “I am an incredible woman.  Strong, brave, resilient and powerful.  I admire me.”

And now, because we say so, you are officially Queen of Your Own Life.  Here’s the secret.  You always were but sometimes we just need a good friend to hold a mirror up for us so that we can see what everyone else sees—the best of ourselves; the beauty, the grace, the love and the courage.  Let’s be that kind of friend to each other.  Let’s make sure that we hold the mirror up for other women so they may see the best of themselves and be reminded of their worth.

Now to complete your virtual Crowning Ceremony, we’d like you to fill in the blanks in this statement of power.  Then we’d like you to read it out loud and post it here to virtually share it with your new Ladies In Waiting, those agenda-free friends who want nothing for you except what’s best for you.

Statement of power:  I __________________ am Queen of My Own Life.  I will use my power to decide, each day, to live my life without judgment and to enjoy myself fully.  As my first official act, I choose to ______________________________________________________.

Our first official acts were very personal and meaningful to us.

Cindy:  My first official act was to choose to take a series of online classes that were so challenging they made my brain hurt.  I was afraid but I did it anyway and today I love the new skills I learned and I feel so proud of myself for having mastered a new skill.

Kathy:  My first official act was to do something everyday just for me.  To take the time each morning to say to myself, “What is one thing you can do for yourself today that will make you happy?”  By the end of the day I make sure I have given myself that gift.

So Queens, there’s one more thing we want you to know.  In order to stay Queen of Your Own Life you need to give it away.  Share what you’ve learned with other women.  Hold your own Crowning Ceremonies.  Feel free to make the ceremony your own.  If you want candles and fireworks, we applaud you.  If you want tea and soft music, we honor you.  If you want beer and bratwurst, we think we know you from college.  We just ask you one favor.  Please come back here or to our Facebook page or website and share your stories.  Help us inspire other women by giving generously of your honesty and talking about your journey.

Let’s raise a cyber glass of champagne and make a toast,  “Hail to the new Queens!  Long may you reign.”  We will be watching and listening to hear of the great and noble deeds you do.

Here’s a fun way to share the Queen message and spirit.  If you have a Twitter or Facebook account, go to GetYourCrown.com to add a virtual crown to your profile photo.

Throughout the next week, we’ll be on a secret give-away mission looking for Queens wearing this tiara.  We’ll be randomly selecting crown wearing Queens to win our fabulous Queen of Your Own Life boxed gift set of philosophy products worth $38.00 retail.  So place the crown on your head for a chance to win.

Editor’s Note: Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, May 2nd, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

 

You are incredible!  You’ve identified what you really love about yourself and learned to admire the woman you’ve become.  You’ve banished those things that no longer work for you and made room for new passions, adventures and surprises.  We were literally blown away by how brave you were in making your banish lists.  We want to personally thank you for taking the time to share those lists with us and with your fellow Queen’s in training.

Were you surprised to see that so many other Queens shared some of the same banish lists?  As we’ve traveled around the country attending Crowning Ceremony’s and hearing women talk about their banish and keep lists, it’s been enlightening and reassuring to see how many of us share the same fears, hopes and dreams.  We’re so much more alike than we are different and that’s a wonderful thing.

Today we’d like to talk about creating your personal Coat of Arms and Motto.  Every Queen needs a crest that tells the world who she is and what she stands for.  We created ours by writing down the names of women we admire ranging from Mother Teresa and Amelia Earhart to friends, family and neighbors.  We then made a list of virtues we most valued in these women such as hopeful, gentle, poised, and strong.  We read the list out loud and choose the four qualities that resonated most strongly for us.  Those four words became our Coat of Arms and the motto we chose is “Because We Say So.”  Mainly because it made us laugh but also as a reminder that we have power and it’s okay to use it.

Now it’s your turn.  You can download a blank Coat of Arms template at the Queen of Your Own Life Web site or you can make one up all on your own.  There are no rules.  Creativity counts, and you get extra bonus points for making yourself laugh.  Seriously, we think this little art project is extremely important in naming and claiming the attributes you most want to be a part of the second half of your life.

We’re looking forward to seeing your Coats of Arms.  Please share them with your fellow Queens in training by posting them here.  It’s almost time for the virtual Crowning Party, so grab your glitter pen and crafting supplies and get moving.  We’ll see you back here next week, same time, same place!

Now Queen Up!

Editor’s Note: Tune in next Wednesday for the next step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, April 18th, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

As noted in the Harlequin edition of the New York Times bestsellers list, Brenda Jackson’s Sensual Confessions hit #25—her highest NYT ranking to date!

The Kimani team is delighted in sharing this exciting news because it is also the first Arabesque title to make the list.

Blade Madaris has watched the men in his family surrender their single status one by one, and he has no plans to join them. But the gorgeous attorney he meets at his cousin’s wedding would make a fine notch on his bedpost. And when circumstances bring them together for six months, Blade formulates a plan to sweep Samari Di Meglio off her feet and into his arms.

Though Blade is the kind of player Sam has spent years avoiding, a no-strings one-night stand is too tempting to resist. But their sizzling night together comes with unforeseen complications. Blade can’t walk away from the most passionate woman he’s ever met. To break through her resistance, the consummate bachelor will have to bare his soul and confess everything that’s in his heart….

 

Congratulations to Brenda, her editor Glenda Howard and everyone on the Kimani team who worked tirelessly to bring this dream to life!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

We are always absolutely humbled by the grace, honesty and openness of women.  Reading your answers to question number one was so inspiring and uplifting.  Some of you found it hard to say what you love about yourself and we understand.  That’s why such a deceptively simple question can have such a profound impact on you.  But by taking the time to reflect on your life so far and to choose something positive about yourself to take forward into the next half of your life, you took a big giant step toward learning to admire the woman you’ve become.  We salute you, thank you and want to give you a big virtual hug!

Now it’s time to take the next step.  Here’s today’s question.

What do you want to banish from the first half of your life that no longer works for you?  In other words, is there something that you’ve been doing or feeling or thinking that is taking up space in your thoughts that simply is no longer useful?  Let’s name it and ditch it and open up a lot of energy and emotional space for new, more positive thoughts, ideas and actions.

Remember that there is power in sharing your responses with other women.  So post you banish list here and consider it gone from your life.

Once again, it’s only fair that we get the ball rolling with our own personal banish list.

Cindy:  I want to banish letting my weight rule the way I feel about myself.  I kept a diary for years and recently I went back and took a look at it.  Every entry started like this:  “Today I weigh…”  I used the number on the scale to tell me whether or not to feel good about myself.  Now, as I stand on the precipice of being Queen of My Own Life, I banish hating my body.  I will say to myself “I’m perfect just the way I am.”

Kathy:  I banish fear of what other people think of me.   I finally really know that the only person I have to please is myself.  And the better friend I am to myself the better friend I will be to everyone. I banish the feeling that I am “less than.” I am so much more than enough.

 

Everyone has doubts, fears and anxieties.  Those negative emotions often hold us back from achieving our hopes and dreams.  What will you banish to make room for your hopes and dreams?  Saying it out loud has power.  Say it, ditch it and move forward with us to become Queen of Your Own Life.

Editor’s Note: Tune in next Wednesday for the next step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, April 18th, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

By Kathy Kinney and Cindy Ratzlaff, authors of Queen of Your Own Life from Harlequin Nonfiction (April 2010)

There are rituals, ceremonies and celebrations to mark every major transition in our lives; birth, turning 21, marriage, even death.  But there is no really good or positive ceremony to celebrate entering the second half of life.

Kathy: Back when I turned 40, my wonderful friends surprised me with the classic “over the hill” party complete with a gift basket of Depends, black balloons and a coffin shaped birthday cake.  I love that they wanted to make me laugh but I was only 40 – I felt like life was just getting started!  That’s when I began to think “Hmmm, shouldn’t we have a more upbeat and joyous celebration to mark the fact that we’re now women in full bloom.  I wanted to dance, sing and shout because I felt smarter, more confident and beautiful than I ever had as a younger woman.  And I was certain that even though the first half of my life had been pretty great the second half of my life was going to even be better.

Cindy: The more Kathy and I talked, the more we realized that we wanted to create our own ceremony.  We wanted it to give women permission to admire the person they had become; despite and because of all the trials, struggles and triumphs they’d experienced in the first half of their lives.  We wanted to come up with a celebration that was fulfilling, inspiring and plain old fun.

As we talked about how we felt entering the second half of our lives, we asked each other two simple but important questions that helped us focus on what was important to us as women now and how we wanted to live the second half of our lives. We’d like to share those questions with you and invite you to have your own coronation by joining us this week in our virtual Crowning Ceremony.  At the end of the week, we’ll crown you all Queen of Your Own Life and have a whopping great big virtual celebration.  Are you game?

Here’s today’s question:  What do you want to keep from the first half of your live, that still works for you?  In other words, what do you truly like about yourself?

Part of becoming Queen of Your Own Life is to share your thoughts out loud with a group of supportive women.  We believe that here on the Harlequin website, you’re safe and supported.  So write out your thoughts and share them here to inspire other women with your courage.

It’s only fair that we start first:

Cindy: I want to keep my sense of adventure.  As a young woman living in Minneapolis I sold my bike, accepted a ride to New York City from a friend and moved there with just $200 and a dream.  I didn’t even image that I could fail and so I didn’t.  I lived there for 20 glorious years and succeeded beyond my wildest dreams.  I want to keep my sense of adventure.

Kathy: I want to keep my sense of humor that has gotten me through good times and bad.  I’ve always been able to see something funny even at the lowest points in my life and that has served me well.  I think of myself as a woman standing with a HUGE pitcher of lemonade in my arms and the ground around me is littered with used up lemons.  I love to laugh and I love to make other people laugh.  I plan to always keep my sense of humor by my side in the second half of my life.

We think it’s time to say, out loud, what you truly love about yourself.  Not just that you’re a good mom, wife, sister or friend but what as a woman makes you good in these other roles.  Don’t be shy.  It’s time to toot your own horn.  If not now, when?

We’re looking forward to hearing your answers to this first important question and we applaud you for taking the first step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life.

Editor’s Note: Tune in next Wednesday for the next step to becoming Queen of Your Own Life! Each week we’re giving away a Queen of Your Own Life beauty giftpack from philosophy (Retail value: $38.00 USD)! To enter, leave a comment here with your response to Kathy and Cindy’s question. Contest is open from today until Sunday, April 11th, 11:59pm EST. The winner will be drawn at random by Kathy and Cindy and announced on Monday morning. Sorry folks, contest is only open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. For full contests details, click here.

Looking for more Queen of Your Own Life celebrations? Head to Facebook to learn about all of the events. And check out the workshops hosted on the eHarlequin Community. And on May 5th, 2010 celebrate Queen Day with Cindy and Kathy. Sign up for the teleseminar here. Finally, don’t forget to purchase the book!

We are very proud to announce that Debbie Macomber has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Romance Writers of America. The award is presented to one author each year to recognize their significant contributions to the romance genre.

The award will be presented Saturday July 31st at the 30th annual conference in Nashville, TN.

From the first novel, Heartsong, to her latest release, 92 Pacific Boulevard, Debbie has touched millions of women with her heartwarming stories and we are very proud to see her achievements recognized.

Congrats!

Editor’s Note: this month is National Women’s Month and starting March 8th, International Women’s Day, we are featuring writers who have shared with us their thoughts on reading romance. Today we’ve asked our editors in New York City (woo, the Big Apple!) to write something. Click here for more blog posts on the subject!

by Mary-Theresa Hussey, Executive Editor, Silhouette

The editor promptly exited the train after snapping this photo.

I read romance on the subway. The subway isn’t the greatest for reading manuscript pages, so it’s with delight I seize on the excuse to read our published books on the subway. I don’t hide the covers and I’m happy when people do an occasional double-take. And if I finish on the subway, I leave the book behind so someone else can enjoy it.

Sometimes you get the people who think I’ve forgotten it (as if!) and try to give it back.

And when I explain I’ve enjoyed it and want someone else to enjoy it, they take a second look at the book. Sometimes I’ve moved to the other end of the car to see if someone will pick it up. I’ll spot guys looking at the cover, moving it around a bit, and then dropping it back. Or women who read the back and then look around, obviously debating about taking it while I quietly, secretly root for them to keep it.

But the people I love—the ones I do this for—are the ones who spot it and grab for the book immediately, smiling. Those moments of instant gratification, that smile, that lightening of spirit, that sheer enjoyment, is why I think romance—and our romance titles—are a strong, empowering, binding force in the lives of women today. They celebrate commitment, reward pain and suffering, and though there might not always be the guarantee of a happy ending, at least there’s hope for it. And these days, that’s something I do wish for everyone.