by Amy Wilkins, Harlequin Digital
Have questions about the Harlequin Presents Writing Competition? Looking for new tips? Next week you’ll have a chance to ask Presents editor Joanne Grant in a LIVE CHAT on the eHarlequin.com Community!
The chat will take place on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 11am EDT / 4pm GMT / 8am PDT. (please note the time zones! Don’t want anyone to miss from a simple mix-up 
)
For a better chance that your question will be asked — or if you aren’t able to make the chat — you can submit your questions in advance either by commenting to this post or in this Community thread. The actual event will be a what we call a protocol chat (the moderator will tell people when they ask a question so it doesn’t get too chaotic) so it’s best to try to get your questions in early.
Jayne (our Community manager) will be live-blogging some of the questions and answers on the Harlequin Twitter.
A transcript of the chat will be posted a couple days afterwards on both the eHarlequin Community and here on I Heart Presents.
Pingback: Harlequin Presents Editor Chat | Lynn Raye Harris
This is so so cool, Amy. I will certainly be here. I have to figure out the time zones, but it won’t be too hard.
I’ll have a list of questions, but with all the tips, and plus the valuable information on Lynn Rae Harris’ site a lot of information has been covered.
How many entries have been received, and how many do you expect to receive for the competition?
My series was only my opinion, so be sure to ask the editors for their tips.
They are the fount of wisdom about this topic!
Hi Amy and Joanne,
This is such a great opportunity.
In my first chapter I have two paragraphs of backstory. Is it better not to have any backstory? Or would two para’s be acceptable?
Also, I have a phone conversation the heroine is having with a girl friend. It does have something to do with the circumstances in the next chapter, and the girlfriend will play a part in about chapter four. Is it better not to use this phone conversation? I do feel it is important to the story though.
Thank you,
Suzanne
Oh, I forgot to ask earlier, sorry. I don’t think anyone has asked this question before.
I read ‘damn’ in Presents novels but how far or what don’t you consider acceptable? What words don’t you allow?
What about the Lords name in Vein? ‘God’ I’m not trying to offend anyone, just trying to see if I can use it. (not that I do myself) This is my characters speaking.
Thank you Joanne and Amy,
Suzanne
I’m just going to copy some unanswered questions from another thread in here so they don’t get lost (or in case anyone else was wondering the same thing
)
Is it really a must for the writer’s to be 18 or above?? Would a little younger hurt ? :S
Can partners of contracted authors enter or are they excluded under the family rule?
My question is: is it acceptable to quote from someone like Keats? There’s also one small quote from Dylan Thomas (my heroine is Welsh). My thinking is that as long as it’s in the public domain it’s fine, but a different publisher once told me off for being “terribly worthy” in a submission I sent them.
India Gray mentions Endymion in her latest book, but she sidesteps Keats completely. So I just wondered if this was a problem.
Thanks
My question is about format in a manuscript.
If the word or phrase is meant to be in italics in the book do I use italics in the manuscript or do as a friend told me and show them underlined?
Thank you
Thank you.