Falcom Cam Update: July 27, 2011
While Baby Harlequin, Kendall and Quest are still frequently seen around the Harlequin building, they no longer make use of the nesting box. For sighting updates, please visit the Canadian Peregrine Foundation website.

Check back next spring when, fingers crossed, we’ll have more hatchlings on the webcam!

The peregrines’ cross-border romance of that started off with high-altitude flirting has had a happy result – a baby! After challenges with the first two eggs, the peregrines have hatched their third egg.

“We are thrilled with the hatch of baby Harlequin,” said Ms. Hayes. “Quest and Kendal have become part of the Harlequin family and we are looking forward to getting a closer look at baby Harlequin at the banding ceremony that will take place in a couple of weeks.”

The mating pair, identified by the Canadian Peregrine Foundation as Quest, a peregrine falcon born across Lake Ontario in Rochester, New York and her mate, Kendal, a peregrine born at 18 King St. East in Toronto in 2009, have successfully mated for the first time. This is the first-ever satellite tagged bird (Quest) to produce young. In fact, the first two eggs that were laid were rejected by Quest, making it even more crucial for the third and final egg to have a successful outcome.

The Harlequin Peregrine Webcam allows people around the world to get an up-close view of Quest, Kendal and their little hatchling.

Harlequin encourages anyone who wishes to learn more about peregrines, pledge support or discover what they can do to help this threatened species to visit the Canadian Peregrine Foundation at www.peregrine-foundation.ca.

From the link:

SELF PORTRAITS OF ME AND MY BOYFRIEND ROSS.

SOMETIMES WE SIT FOR HOURS STARING AT A SEA SHELL. OTHER TIMES HE’LL HOLD ME BY THE NECK IN FRONT OF THE PYRAMIDS. BUT THERE’S NOTHING WE LIKE MORE THAN NEARLY KISSING EACH OTHER NEAR SOME HORSES. I ALWAYS TRY TO LOOK HOT IN FRONT OF HIM SO HE DOESN’T LEAVE ME.

Last month Alex Holder was asked to submit artwork for International Women’s Day and she decided to recreate some of her favourite Mills & Boon covers. “I have lots of Mills & Boon books that I’d bought purely for the covers, and just thought it would be funny to recreate them with my boyfriend,” Holder told the Toronto Star.

The photos have since flown around the world. When you click the link (and you should because the other photos are golden) you’ll find coverage from the Sun, The Guardian.co.uk, The New York Times and Jezebel.

Yeah, so I’m jumping on the bandwagon a bit late by posting them here on our blog, but I had to share them anyway. After you spend sixty years publishing fiction, we’ve spanned all manner of style–both in cover art and in fashion and hairstyle! Ms Holder and Oli Kellett, who photographed the images, were meticulous in capturing the feathered locks and padded shoulders of 1985 (the year of Dark Obsession‘s publication!) Ms Holder’s boyfriend wasn’t keen on shaving his beard to match exactly. That’s alright, though. It’s a pretty manly beard!

Have you seen the collection? What are your thoughts?

Love Inspired fans, take note! “Love in Faith”, the February edition of Charisma Magazine is dedicated to our favourite inspirational romance imprint. We recently published one of the articles that’s included in the magazine on the Harlequin Blog. Love Inspired assistant editor Emily Rodmell wrote a piece on the rise of contemporary Amish romance called Love: Plain and Simple.

The entire edition of Charisma is available right now digitally. And after you’ve finished reading the articles, stop by www.tryloveinspired.com for a free download!

Manish Singh, country manager for Harlequin Mills & Boon India Pvt Ltd, told Mumbai Mirror, “While there are certain universal traits in our heroes, which resonate across our readership base of 16 to 60 years, Imran Khan obviously has tremendous appeal amongst the younger generation.”

Best First Book:

Carla Capshaw: The Gladiator, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical

Mary Brady: He Calls Her Doc, Harlequin Superromance

Contemporary Series Romance:

Anne McAllister: One Night Mistress…Convenient Wife, Harlequin Presents

Beth Andrews: A Not-So-Perfect Past, Harlequin Superromance

Christie Ridgeway: I Still Do, Silhouette Special Edition

Helen Brenna: From the Outside, NASCAR

Jane Porter: Duty, Desire and the Desert King, Mills and Boon Modern

Jennie Lucas: The Christmas Love-Child, Harlequin Presents

Kelly Hunter: Revealed: A Prince and a Pregnancy, Mills and Boon Modern Heat

Linda Goodnight: The Snow-Kissed Bride, Harlequin Romance

Teresa Hill: Single Mom Seeks…, Silhouette Special Edition

Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure

Jessica Andersen: Mountain Investigation, Harlequin Intrigue

Beth Cornelison: The Christmas Stranger, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

Cindy Dees: The Soldier’s Secret Daughter, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

Elle Kennedy: Silent Watch, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

Kathleen Eagle: In Care of Sam Beaudry, Silhouette Special Edition

Loreth Anne White: Cold Case Affair, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

Tracy Wolff: The Christmas Present, Harlequin Superromance

Contemporary Single Title Romance

Kristan Higgins: Too Good to Be True, HQN

Susan Wiggs: Fireside, MIRA Books

Victoria Dahl: Talk Me Down, HQN

Historical Romance

Betina Krahn: Make Me Yours, Harlequin Blaze

Michelle Willingham: Taming Her Irish Warrior, Harlequin Historical

Inspirational Romance

Carla Capshaw: The Gladiator, Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements

Deanna Raybourn: Silent on the Moor, MIRA Books

Pamela Morsi: Red’s Hot Honky Tonk Bar, MIRA Books

Susan Wiggs: Lakeshore Christmas, MIRA Books

Regency Historical Romance

Elizabeth Rolls: Lord Braybrook’s Penniless Bride, Harlequin Historical

Romance Novella

Amanda McCabe: “Charlotte and the Wicked Lord” in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor, Harlequin Historical

Brenda Novak: “On a Snowy Christmas” in The Night Before Christmas, Harlequin Historical

Courtney Milan: “This Wicked Gift” in The Heart of Christmas, HQN

Deb Marlowe: “Annalise and the Scandalous Rake” in The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor, Harlequin Historical

Molly O’Keefe: “The Christmas Eve Promise” in The Night Before Christmas, Silhouette Special Releases

RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award

Debbie Macomber

Winners of the 2010 RITA Awards will be announced at the 30^th annual RWA Conference in Nashville, TN.

Best of luck, Harlequin authors!

Don’t miss the 2-hour series premiere of Past Life tonight!  It debuts on the FOX network at 9:00 pm EST.

Based on M.J. Rose’s Reincarnationist series, Past Life follows Dr. Kate McGinn (Kelli Giddish), a psychologist who believes in reincarnation, and her partner, a skeptical former New York City cop played by Nicholas Bishop as they solve mysterious crimes based on peoples’ past lives.

For more info on the series, check out the official FOX website. Or watch the trailer below!

And, when you’ve seen the series, stop by and let us know your thoughts!  We’d love to hear what you have to say about this exciting new TV show.

Edit: Just discovered M.J.’s guest post over at Running with Quills about having her book turned into a TV show. Check it out for more insight from the author herself!

How do you celebrate sixty years of pure reading pleasure?  All year, of course!

And you’d better believe that we did—there were so many ways that we celebrated in 2009 that I had to enlist the help of several people to write this post.  Like all good families, we gathered together and put together a celebration of our sixty years in publishing that won’t soon be forgotten.  It took blood, sweat and tears, it filled our heads day and night, but ultimately, it was worth it.  It’s not every year you get to celebrate such a milestone, after all.  It’s hard to see how we’ll top this anniversary off, but I suppose our centennial is coming along…

And I’m sure you’re not entirely surprised.  After all, we did mention it (once or twice…).  In honour of the end of our celebrations, I’d like to take the time to show and tell you just how much celebrating we did.

Come along…

As always, it should begin with the books.  We began 2009 with a monthly series spotlight.  Each month we chose a different book series to spotlight in order to showcase the variety of great reads Harlequin has to offer, starting with Silhouette Desire.  If you saw that little red sticker on your book, chances are you purchased a book in the month we were spotlighting it!

On top of that, we did something extraordinary—we started giving away free books.  If you’re a member of our Readers Service, this is not news to you. We’ve been sampling books for almost as long as we’ve been in business. Probably because we’re so confident that you’ll love our books, we don’t mind giving you a couple to try at your leisure.  That said, we launched HarlequinCelebrates.com (now rebranded as TryHarlequin.com), an online library of sixteen free downloadable Harlequins, one from almost each series we carry. They were also available on eHarlequin.com and through various online retailers, eBook and mobile partners.

We wanted to provide a free book to every woman in America and Canada and to highlight the breadth and depth of the Harlequin Series editorial with no strings attached. No DRM. No purchase necessary. No registration. No email sign-up. Just click and download a book.

Our goal was 2 million downloads for the year. We did better than that. We had over 3 million downloads. And that 3M figure is just for the downloads we can track. That does not take into account the pass-along or viral factor.

We would be remiss not to mention the great support generated by the various bloggers, authors and Harlequin fans out there who spread the word about the 60th anniversary.  When you blow by your download target and things go viral there is a reason for that.  We thank each of them for it.

We also had terrific media partners such as MSN and Women’s Day where the 16 titles were promoted to their customers.  On the other side we had digital partnerships with Kraft and Harrah’s to promote our 60th anniversary.  In fact, the Harrah’s online relationship resulted in an offline partnership where our 60th art exhibit ended up as a main attraction in the Paris Las Vegas hotel (but more on that in a minute).

In March, June and September we published the Harlequin Famous First Collection. It featured some of the first Harlequin books by New York Times bestselling authors of today such as Debbie Macomber, Diana Palmer and Linda Lael Miller.

In October we published the Harlequin Vintage Collection—a selection of six vintage books from earlier Harlequin days. And, because we could sense that everyone was feeling the vintage vibe, our Digital Commerce team created a stationery collection based on vintage covers. So now anyone can have a keepsake of their own for the 60th anniversary.

But, of course, we didn’t make it all about the books. We love parties, and what’s a better cause to break out the bubbly than sixty years of sexy, romantic, sometimes suspensful, and always pleasureable books?

In May we kicked off the festivities with an art exhibit in New York entitled The Heart of a Woman: Harlequin Cover Art 1949-2009.  The exhibit includes over 100 works of art, some pieces which have not been seen in close to sixty years!  By presenting sixty years of cover artwork, the exhibition offers a unique insight into the profound changes that have occurred in women’s lives over the past six decades—changes that have been captured and reflected on the front of harlequin novels—from shifts in private desire to the politics of gender.

Isn’t she a beauty? The entrance to The Heart of a Woman exhibit in New York City.

If you missed the show in NYC, it’s not too late.  Currently, the exhibit is showcased at Paris Las Vegas, in partnership with Harrah’s Entertainment Inc.  Las Vegas is known as a place for quick escapes so the tie-in to Paris Las Vegas and Harlequin was a natural match—after all, we’re the kings and queens of quick escapes!  The exhibit will run until the end of February 2010, so do check it out if you happen to be in the area.

In Toronto, Canada, we sweetened the deal even more: Harlequin teamed up with Peek Freans Lifestyle Selections to take a Taste of Mischief with our very sexy cover models.  The boys took to the streets in the heart of Toronto at Yonge & Dundas square, dressed as the dashing heroes straight off of Harlequin Intrigue covers, to hand out Peek Freans cookie samples with a coupon for a free ebook download.

Two of our sexy Harlequin Heroes pose for a candid shot on the streets of Toronto.

As you can see, we went whole-hog on the festivities.  Thank you to everyone who helped us put together an anniversary celebration we won’t soon forget.  I leave you now with one final reminder of why Harlequin is pure reading pleasure: celebrity book readings.

MIRA author Laura Caldwell, who publishes her Izzy McNeil Mysteries series with Harlequin, will be appearing on The Dr. Phil Show to discuss her Life After Innocence Project—a program she developed which is dedicated to helping the wrongly convicted begin their lives again.

Laura’s taping will be broadcast over three days—February 4th and 5th have been confirmed, with the third broadcast yet to be announced. We’ll certainly have more information as it becomes available, so tune in on the 4th and 5th to learn more about Laura Caldwell’s Life After Innocence program.

Curious about the Izzy McNeil Mysteries? Have a look at the Browse the Book widget below for a sample of the first book, Red Hot Lies.

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Yesterday we celebrated the single title nominees for the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Awards, today is about the series nominees! So many great books in 2009 have been nominated. Linked titles are available in our bookstore for sale. However, all titles are available in eBook format! Here they are:

Best Series Romance Novels 2009

First Series Romance:

1. Colorado Christmas by C.C. Coburn (November 2009)
2. Perfect Target by Stephanie Newton (March 2009)
3. No Ordinary Cowboy by Mary Sullivan (June 2009)
4. Better Than Bulletproof by Kay Thomas (January 2009)
5. Double Take by Jenness Walker (October 2009)

Harlequin American Romance:

1. The Marine’s Babies by Laura Marie Altom (May 2009)
2. A Mommy for Christmas by Cathy Gillen Thacker (December 2009)
3. One of a Kind Dad by Daly Thompson (August 2009)
4. The Chief Ranger by Rebecca Winters (June 2009)
5. The Ranger’s Secret by Rebecca Winters (September 2009)

Harlequin Blaze:

1. A Long Hard Ride by Alison Kent (March 2009)
2. Make Me Yours by Betina Krahn (July 2009)
3. She’s Got it Bad by Sarah Mayberry (April 2009)
4. Letters from Home by Rhonda Preston (June 2009)
5. Hot Under Pressure by Kathleen O’Reilly (August 2009)

Harlequin Intrigue:

1. Snowed in with the Boss by Jessica Andersen (March 2009)
2. Christmas Guardian by Delores Fossen (October 2009)
3. Beauty and the Badge by Julie Miller (December 2009)
4. Bravo, Tango, Cowboy by Joanna Wayne (November 2009)
5. More Than a Man by Rebecca York (August 2009)

Harlequin NASCAR:

1. Black Flag, White Lies by Jean Brashear (February 2009)
2. From the Outside by Helen Brenna (April 2009)
3. Running Wide Open by Ken Casper (October 2009)
4. Over the Wall by Dorien Kelly (June 2009)
5. Banking on Hope by Maggie Price (December 2009)

Harlequin Presents:

1. The French Tycoon’s Pregnant Mistress by Abby Green (April 2009)
2. Mistress to the Merciless Millionaire by Abby Green (September 2009)
3. Surrender to the Playboy Sheikh by Kate Hardy (July 2009)
4. The Greek Billionaire’s Secret Child by Catherine Spencer (May 2009)
5. One Night with the Rebel Billionaire by Trish Wylie (June 2009)

Harlequin Presents EXTRA:

1. The Boss’s Inexperienced Secretary by Helen Brooks (September 2009)
2. Veretti’s Dark Vengeance by Lucy Gordon (August 2009)
3. The Christmas Love-Child by Jennie Lucas (November 2009)
4. Powerful Greek, Unworldly Wife by Sarah Morgan (December 2009)

Harlequin Romance:

1. Cinderella’s Wedding Wish by Jessica Hart (March 2009)
2. Invitation to the Boss’s Ball by Fiona Harper (September 2009)
3. A Trip with the Tycoon by Nicola Marsh (September 2009)
4. The Frenchman’s Plain-Jane Project by Myrna Mackenzie (October 2009)
5. Memo: The Billionaire’s Proposal by Melissa McClone (September 2009)

Harlequin Superromance:

1. Next Comes Love by Helen Brenna (October 2009)
2. A Kid to the Rescue by Susan Gable (February 2009)
3. Her So-Called Fiancé by Abby Gaines (September 2009)
4. Daddy by Surprise by Debra Salonen (January 2009)
5. The Mistake She Made by Linda Style (April 2009)

Kimani Romance:

1. Full House Seduction by A.C. Arthur (August 2009)
2. Road to Seduction by (February 2009)
3. Body Chemistry by Dara Girard (January 2009)
4. Temperature Rising by Brenda Jackson (May 2009)
5. Picture Perfect Christmas by Melanie Schuster (November 2009)

Silhouette Desire:

1. The Tycoon’s Secret Affair by Maya Banks (August 2009)
2. Seduced into a Paper Marriage by Maureen Child (June 2009)
3. Inherited: One Child by Day Leclare (July 2009)
4. The Heir’s Scandalous Affair by Jennifer Lewis (April 2009)
5. The Maverick by Diana Palmer (December 2009)

Silhouette Nocturne:

1. The Vampire’s Quest by Vivi Anna (April 2009)
2. Time Raiders: The Avenger by P.C. Cast (October 2009)
3. Vanished by Maureen Child (February 2009)
4. The Devil to Pay by Michele Hauf (January 2009)
5. Fury Calls by Caridad Piñeiro (March 2009)

Silhouette Romantic Suspense:

1. In Safe Hands by Linda Conrad (April 2009)
2. Nigh Rescuer by Cindy Dees (May 2009)
3. Silent Watch by Elle Kennedy (August 2009)
4. Burning Secrets by Elizabeth Sinclair (January 2009)
5. His Wanted Woman by Linda Turner (November 2009)
6. Cold Case Affair by Loreth Anne White (October 2009)

Silhouette Special Edition:

1. Once Upon a Wedding by Stacy Connelly (August 2009)
2. The Doctor’s Surprise Family by Mary J. Forbes (May 2009)
3. Always Valentine’s Day by Kristan Hardy (February 2009)
4. I Still Do by Christie Ridgway (January 2009)
5. A Cold Creek Holiday by RaeAnne Thayne (December 2009)

Steeple Hill Love Inspired:

1. His Cowgirl Bride by Debra Clopton (November 2009)
2. Anna Meets Her Match by Arlene James (September 2009)
3. A Ring and a Promise by Lois Richer (June 2009)
4. Home at Last by Anna Schmidt (August 2009)
5. Ready-Made Family by Cheryl Wyatt (April 2009)

Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical:

1. The Maverick Preacher by Victoria Bylin (February 2009)
2. The Hand-Me-Down Family by Winnie Griggs (March 2009)
3. The Marshall Takes a Bride by Renee Ryan (February 2009)
4. An Unexpected Suitor by Anna Schmidt (October 2009)
5. Crescent City Courtship by Elizabeth White (June 2009)

Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense:

1. Hearts in the Crosshairs by Susan Page Davis (October 2009)
2. A Silent Terror by Lynette Eason (March 2009)
3. Perfect Target by Stephanie Newton (March 2009)
4. Fugitive Family by Pamela Tracy (August 2009)
5. Double Take by Jenness Walker (October 2009)

Congratulations to all of the nominees! And we’d like to congratulate the following nominees on their Harlequin Career Achievement Award nomination: Jessica Hart, Leslie Kelly, Emily McKay, Tanya Michaels and Karen Whiddon. Well done, ladies!

With the Golden Globe nominations just announced (go Mad Men!), I feel compelled to tell you about our own award nominees!  The Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award nominations were announced last week and the following single title books from Harlequin are up for awards!

In Best Contemporary & Paranormal Romances 2009:

Contemporary Romance:

Futuristic/Fantasy Romance:

In Best Historical Novels 2009:

Historical Romance of the Year:

Regency-Set Historical Romance:

Historical Vampire/Werewolf/Shapeshifter Romance:

In Best Mainstream & Young Adult Novels 2009:

Mainstream Fiction:

In Best African-American Romance 2009:

African-American Romance:

In Best Romantic Suspense/Intrigue Novels 2009:

Romantic Intrigue:

In Best Erotic Romance & Erotica Novels 2009:

Erotic Romance Historical:

Erotica Fiction:

In Best Science Fiction & Fantasy Novels 2009:

Fantasy Novel:

That’s eighteen nominations! And there’s even more good news: The following authors have been nominated for the Career Achievement Award: Sherryl Woods, Donna Hill and Celeste O. Norfleet. Congratulations to all nominees! The winners will be announced in the June issue of RT Book Reviews.

This isn’t the entire list. Tomorrow I will list all of our series nominees. Congratulations to all the nominees and to Sherryl, Donna and Celeste for their Career Achievement awards.