by Tessa Shapcott, Executive Editor, Harlequin Presents
Once we had picked ourselves off the floor and recovered from the shock of receiving six hundred entries for our first chapter and synopsis competition, we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck into the task of reading every single manuscript to find our winner.
The whole of the Harlequin Mills & Boon editorial team gathered together in our large boardroom in our offices in Richmond, London, England, having made sure that we had a decent supply of cookies, fruit and other snacks to keep our strength up. Slowly but surely, the towering piles of entries diminished as we entered a multitude of Presents and Modern Heat worlds, meeting some gorgeous Alpha heroes and feisty heroines and a couple of flying vampire trolls from someone who felt that we ought to be venturing into the Paranormal market. Sadly, the trolls weren’t billionaires, so they got their wings clipped.
The editors were struck at just how far news of the competition had travelled — we’ve had entries from all over the globe, including Japan, New Zealand, Demark and Ireland. Also, there were a pleasing number of chapters aimed at our relatively Modern Heat series. The high standard of writing was high and it’s been very hard to choose the winner and two runners-up. Indeed, so good were some of the first chapters that though their writers haven’t quite made it into the top three, they will be hearing from an editor with an encouraging letter and an invitation to send in the rest of their manuscript for consideration.
We have now made our decision as to who the victor is and also the runners-up and we will be contacting them to tell them the good news in the next week. We aim to make an announcement on the site before Easter. In April, we also hope to run the winning entries with critiques as to why they made it to the top and editor Suzy Clarke will also be posting a blog for those who weren’t successful with a few tips on general successes and mistakes, so that you can take something forward for your future writing endeavours.
Finally, may we offer a huge thank-you to everyone who entered the competition. We’ve been touched and, at times, overwhelmed by your energy, enthusiasm, talent and, above all, love of the Presents series.Â
Just a quick thank you to Tessa and the team for running the competition, updating us and having smiles on your faces while you ploughed through all 600 entries.
Thanks again and I look forward to reading the winning entries.
Susieq
You women are truly amazing… thanks so much for all your time and effort!
Here’s hoping your coffee-and-cookies regime didn’t upset anyone’s diet!
)
I concur with texasmom22 – you really are amazing.
For the grit and determination you have shown in wading through over 600 entries, and your detailed attention to each and every one of these entries.
And for having a competition which will enable many of us, not just the chosen three, to live our dreams as we have been given the confidence to take that first step towards sharing our cherished efforts with others.
When can we do this again? lol…..
First of all congratulations to all the editors for reading and judging so many entries, and best of luck to everyone who entered. Really looking forward to finding out who the winner and runners up are!
x Abby
Wow! Thank you so much Tessa and Team for wading through all those entries and announcing a head of schedule. Awesome news. And I really appreciate the fact that follow-up information will be available for those of us targeting the line so that we can hone our craft. That is very kind and thoughtful. I can’t wait to read the winning entries and the comments!
Thank you again for offering the contest. I look forward to many more years of reading great Presents and Modern Heat.
Already? Oh my goodness!
I join the others in thanking Tessa and the editorial team for working overtime to read all of the entries. This was such a wonderful opportunity for all of us aspiring writers. Thank you for offering the contest. I’m excited to read the winning entries!
Good Luck everyone!
Now if I can only keep from checking my email 200 times today… :p
SueB
Many, many thanks to Tessa and team for wading through the piles of entries – literally! I can’t wait to read the winning entries and to gain some further insight into this new field I’ve ventured into when the follow-up information appears. Good luck once more to all those who have ‘dared to dream’ and acted upon it!
By the way Tessa, it was great to see that sustenance was available to you but it appears once crucial item was missing from the appropriate nibbles to accompany reading a romance – a glass of crisp, cool Aussie chardonnay!
Jo
I see Rocky Road MiniBites! And possibly FlapJacks in the distance! If you have to plow through something, those would be snacks of choice.
Many thanks to the editors. Y’all are a brave bunch…those stacks are pretty intimidating!
Wow – I can’t believe you all sat there and went through that many mss in one shot! Thanks heaps for this chance and can’t wait to hear the winners and see their entries.
Thanks to the editorial team in London. I hope this contest will be the first of many.
Congratulation’s in advance to the winner and runners up. Can’t wait to read the winning entries.
Claudia.
OH MY!
Thanks to Tessa and Ed’s for sharing the pics and details for us!
Thanks too for the fabulous contest and all your hard work.
I think you ALL deserve a lovely weekend getaway!
I know! Jennie Lucas can use that private jet she was looking for while on her cruise and swing by to pick you all up!!!
You deserve it, along with our sincere THANKS!
And . . . my bags are out front too — waiting. I’ll bet the rest of us here would all gladly jump on board.
We can stop in on all our alpha heroes in exotic locations!
MARIAN STEVENS
*bites fingernails*
Thank you Tessa and the rest of the team.
Like everyone else I have been camping out on this board. ;-}}
When I opened the site this morning and started to read Tessa’s entry my heart dropped. I had just checked my email and there had been nothing important in it.
Tessa, thank you for the reprieve. I still have a few more days to hope and dream.
Congratulations to the editorial team on doing such a huge job so fast.
And good luck to everyone waiting and chewing their fingernails.
It’s going to be fascinating seeing the winning entries
Kate
Awesome- I can’t believe the height of that stack of manuscripts! Thank you so much to the editorial team for all that hard work.
The wait is nearly over….
Congratulations to the editors on being able to make a decision. I can imagine, looking at the stack of potential in the photo, that it was a tricky choice. Ahead of time is every entrant’s dream – get the angst over and done with! (Then again, I just might be rushing out to the letter box for the next fortnight in the hope that a follow up letter is delivered.)
Good luck to everyone,
May the best story win!
Madeline
Oh my gosh! This is so exciting. Thank you for holding the contest!!
Jeez, 600 entries sounds a lot, and that huge stack of paper makes it LOOK alot. Congrats to all the readers for getting through them!
well done to everyone who entered, wrote, or simply read the updates!I am now regretting making my characters a bit more down to earth, they’re not millionaires. But hey, I can keep trying.
The wait is nearly over for the lucky three and even a few others may be given loads of encouragement to keep writing.
Would it be possible for Tessa to give us some indication of when all hope is lost – the date by which we should no longer bother checking our emails/snailmail boxes?
The date by which I can start growing my fingernails again?
)
That really would be appreciated.
LOL Merbet! I have been checking my email and this blog at least every 20 minutes since I read Tessa’s post on Tuesday!
I know I have no chance of being chosen as my story was thrown together too quickly(I only heard about the contest on the 28th January, and none of my stories I had already started were right for Presents, so I started a new one from scratch) but meanwhile I’m still working on my story… just in case!
If nothing else, it’s been the most fabulous education in Romance Writing. I have learned so much in the last two months and my writing is definitely better for it.
So massive thank yous to everyone on the Presents/Modern Romance editorial team for giving us all this wonderful challenge and giving me a much needed kick start to seriously having fun with writing again! Also thanks to the writers and editors who wrote the “How to Write” articles- they have ben so helpful and I am constantly referring back to them as I write.
Even without being chosen, I think this contest was the best thing that has ever happened to me as a writer.
Ack! Should have checked that more carefully before posting- all those typos!
Congratulations to the editorial staff for ploughing through and reading so many entries!! Good luck to all those who submitted. I’m looking forward to the announcement. This was a wonderful experience for me, and the other hopefuls out there, to get their writing in front of the editors. If not this time, next time. I don’t know about anyone else, but I plan to keep on trying. If not successful this time, try, try again;-)
Patricia
I take my hat off to the Richmond team for tackling that pile of mansucripts. It must have been daunting yet exciting at the same time…looking for gold!
Looking forward to hearing about the winning entries and still chuckling over the vampire trolls.
Annie
An amazing feat to have read through 600 manuscripts in so short a time. I am very much looking forward to hearing about the winning entries and I agree with Patricia that this has been a rewarding experience. Whether or not my work is chosen, I will keep writing and submitting. Congratulations to everyone!
Viola.
Hi there ladies,
Go Raibh Mile Maith Agat!
A huge Irish thank you from this part of the world.
It’s fantastic to see, quite literally, the massive response this competition has received. I personally don’t check the site for any other reason than I love reading the new posts.
I’m not expecting to get the ‘call’ but can I honestly say that I think we are all winners.
I have learned so much in the run up to this competition, have gotten some seriously good advice and most importantly, I have discovered a place where I can mix with like minded people.
There can be no losers as taking that first precious step towards our attempt to become published is surely something worth celebrating? I never had the courage to enter anything but this competition compelled me. So thanks so, so much for that alone.
And I couldn’t agree more, Patricia, if at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. The world will always need romance so the more of us out there trying to bring it through Harlequin/Mills & Boon, the better.
Its a step above greatness that Tess and her team will administer some follow up advice and I look forward to reading that and everything else in the near future.
All the best to everyone.
Those people who’s nails have been sacrificed….go open a couple bottles of something frothy and enjoy the anticipation of the next few days!!
Aideen.
Ooh, I just recognised Jenny from one of the photographs.
anyone else here have the pleasure of attending the workshop in Dublin two weeks ago?
Aideen.
Fun photos! I always have wondered what the Richmond offices look like. Apparently, they’re full of manuscripts and snacks. My kinda place!
I can’t wait to see who’s won. Good luck, everyone!
Jennie
Waiting is made tricky on this side of the world! I keep logging on to see if the winner has been posted yet, but then remember that England is currently wearing night’s black cloak.
Ah, to escape Melbourne until the wait is over…
Best of luck (again)
Madeline