Spotlight on Harlequin/Silhouette
Author: Trish Milburn
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: September 2003

The Spotlight on Harlequin/Silhouette at the RWA National Conference was not taped, so the following are my notes from the two-hour session. Harlequin/Silhouette has been reorganized so that different lines with similar feels are grouped together under a certain banner with a head editor over each grouping and covers that are color coded for easy identification on bookstore shelves.

The Passion lines are headed by Birgit Davis-Todd and are identified by red covers. These lines include Harlequin Presents, Silhouette Desire, Harlequin Temptation and Harlequin Blaze.

Presents is the longest running series and has an international flavor. Five new authors were bought for the line in 2002, and three more have been acquired so far in 2003. The editors like to see the first three chapters and a synopsis.

Desire is headed by Melissa Jeglinski and has American settings and characters. They like alpha males and two fully consummated love scenes. Desires have a bit of a larger-than-life, soap opera feel. They don’t like kids in the books, except occasionally on the periphery. Desire covers are currently undergoing a redesign.

Brenda Chin heads Harlequin Temptation and Blaze. Temptations have a playful, naughty feel and in fact will have “Just a Little Bit Naughty” on their new covers, coming soon. Blazes require a sexual premise to the entire story and push the envelope. Themes include forbidden fantasy, empowered females, erotic thrillers and paranormals that tie in with the sensual aspect.

The lines within the new Tender grouping are headed by Mary-Theresa Hussey. These include Harlequin Romance, Silhouette Romance and Harlequin Mills & Boon Medicals. These books are identified by their teal covers. 

Harlequin Romance is very eager to acquire new authors. Romance is the most international of the Tender lines.

Silhouette Romance captures the “it could happen to you” feel, is traditional and has discreet love scenes.

Harlequin Mills & Boon Medicals is run out of the London office but is very eager to acquire more American authors. These books have a strong medical interaction between characters.

Hussey is also involved with the new Luna line of sf/fantasy books. Luna is set for a 2004 launch, and the books revolve around a central female character and are not so much a romance. It’s not the same as a paranormal romance.

Wanda Ottewell works with Harlequin Flipside, the new romantic comedy line set for an October 2003 launch. These books will run 60,000-65,000 words and will also be heroine-focused but can have the hero’s point of view. The editors encourage the use of first person POV if you want to write the story that way. Unlike Luna, the romance is a strong element in Flipsides. They have an urban, hip, contemporary feel.

The Home/Family grouping is headed by Paula Eykelhoff in the Toronto office. The included lines are Harlequin Special Edition, Harlequin Superromance and Harlequin American. They share the need for home, family and community.

Special Editions emphasize the drama of the domestic. Eykelhoff described it as a close up shot on one woman’s life. There’s an emotional intensity because of the heroine’s need for home and family versus the more contemporary need for independence and a career. The heroine and her life have to be believable if a bit idealistic.

Superromances are about a woman’s life and her world. She’s the center of a network of relationships. They are realistic and the most mainstream of the Harlequin/Silhouette lines. Characterization is key in this line. They encompass a large scope, and the editors are open to various story ideas.

Plot is a hallmark of Harlequin American. They show the pioneer spirit and the feeling for family that characterizes the American people.

The Suspense/Adventure group is headed by Leslie Wainger and capitalizes on the fact that romance readers’ second favorite genre is mystery/thriller. These books, characterized by their purple covers, include Silhouette Intimate Moments, Harlequin Intrigue and the new Silhouette Bombshell line.

Intimate Moments puts out six books a month. They are character and emotionally driven books full of excitement and roller coaster rides. While they’ve done many successful military stories and continue to love them, they are looking for other types of stories. They like to see pure adventure with no bad guy involved.

Harlequin Intrigue, on the other hand, is full of bad guys. In October 2003, the line is going to six books a month from four. These are plot-driven books and blend a mystery with the romance. The popular protector hero/heroine in jeopardy hook is common in Intrigues.

The new Silhouette Bombshell line will be female action stories along the lines of TV’s Alias or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. They can be contemporary, futuristic or paranormal but not historical. The stories can be told in either first or third person, and the length will run 80,000-90,000 words. While there is a hero involved, his role can be minor and there doesn’t have to be a happily ever after at the end. They might not share more than a first kiss. The line will launch with four titles a month, one a part of the Athena Force continuity series. The editors are open to international series where the characters come back in subsequent books, such as in J.D. Robb books featuring Roarke and Eve Dallas.

Steeple Hill Love Inspired also falls under the Harlequin/Silhouette umbrella. This inspirational (Christian) line is headed by Joan Marlow Golan. More information can be found at www.steeplehill.com and at eHarlequin.com, where there are a couple of articles about the line under the Learn to Write channel. Golan says the Christian romance market is growing. Since 1994, overall sales of Christian books have doubled. She’s actively looking for romantic suspense but nothing that’s graphic. Steeple Hill readers also like children in their stories. Steeple Hill is also entering the women’s fiction market with books of 80,000-125,000 words. These books cover the gamut of inspirational fiction — historical, contemporary, romantic suspense and chick lit.

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