Leading romance publisher Harlequin is making some changes.

One of those moves includes phasing out its well-known Silhouette line.The series will now be called Harlequin instead.

In a letter to its authors, the publisher says the move comes at the suggestion of a leading branding company.

Silhouette Nocturne was already renamed Harlequin Nocturne in June 2010. Special Edition, Romantic Suspense and Desire will debut with their new Harlequin brand in April.

The company believes stamping the Harlequin name on the series will strengthen the brand. Makes sense to me.

The Steeple Hill logo is also riding off into the sunset. It will be replaced by Love Inspired as the primary imprint for Harlequin’s inspirational fiction line.

Read more about all of the Harlequin changes HERE.

What I’m Reading…

By the way, I just finished Liz Carlyle’s latest offering, One Touch of Scandal.

It’s an enjoyable read although I found it to be a slight departure from her previous novels.

The hero, Ruthveyn, belongs to a secret ancient society and possesses dark gifts that he grapples with. He falls for Grace Gauthier, a governess who might be guilty of killing her employer, who was also about to become her betrothed.

Next on my reading list is a throw-back: Mary Jo Putney’s One Perfect Rose, which was re-released by Kensington in April 2010.  

And don’t forget…

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to vote in the Writing with the Stars contest. I am one of 10 finalists vying for the top prize: to be published by Kensington Brava!  In the first round, readers of RT Book Reviews vote for the Best First Paragraph and Last Line.

Click here to read all of the entries.

I hope you will consider voting for my entry, Seducing Charlotte. Be warned though, it’s a little spicy! And, if you want to read more,  here’s a sample of the FIRST CHAPTER.

VOTING is quick and easy. You can click in and out in under a minute. I promise.

My mentor for the Writing with the Stars contest is the extraordinary Mary Wine.

During Round One (Best First Paragraph and Last Line) – in her gentle but tenacious way – Mary urged me tighten up my writing and axed the passive verbs which took some of the oomph out of the entry. Her insight about certain descriptions and word choices editors don’t want to see in a romance novel proved invaluable.  

Mary has also been wonderfully forthcoming in sharing her hands-on knowledge of how the publishing industry works. She generously answers all of the many questions I pepper her with. Not only is her unique insight  fascinating to hear, but it will no doubt help me on my road to publication.

As soon as I found out Mary was my mentor, I ran out and brought her book, To Conquer a Highlander, which takes place in 1437 Scotland. I loved it!

The story involves Laird Torin McLeren, who hopes to prevent war by kidnapping his enemy’s daughter, Shannon. Of course, they fall in love and the historical tidbits sprinkled throughout make this a compelling read.

I’m anxious to read the next book in the series, Highland Hellcat, which focuses on Laird Connor Lindsey. Seeking a strong political alliance, Connor arranges to marry Diedre but when he discovers that she isn’t pure, he steals her sister, Brina, even though she is promised to the church.

Here’s another teachable moment from Mary. I did not know third daughters in late 1430s Scotland were always promised to the church. These daughters knew their fate since childhood and were treated with extra care because of it. That makes the set up to Highland Hellcat all the more intriguing!

You can check out Mary’s mentoring skills by reading the first paragraph and last line of  my historical Regency romance, Seducing Charlotte, by clicking HERE.

If you’d like to read more, I hope you’ll consider VOTING for my entry in the Writing with the Stars contest. I promise it’s very quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute.

If you enjoy the first paragraph, here’s the FIRST CHAPTER.

My manuscript, “Seducing Charlotte,” just took second place in the 2010 Heart to Heart contest sponsored by the San Francisco Area Romance Writers of America. For a better look at the certificate, just click on the image.

By the way, I would highly recommend this contest because it was very well organized and coordinator Bettina Clairmont kept contestants informed as to the progress of the judging and of any delays. And the final judges were an impressive group of industry professionals.

In the historical category, they included Avon Editor Amanda Bergeron,  Barbara Poelle of the Irene Goodman Literary Agency and e-publisher Jessica Schulte, Carina Press. I placed second overall but Avon’s Amanda Bergeron ranked my entry first. So that’s pretty reaffirming!

“Seducing Charlotte” is also a finalist in Kensington Brava’s Writing With the Stars contest. The grand prize is a publishing contract. Check it out and please consider VOTING for me! Click here now to read more.

If the first paragraph intrigues you, here’s the FIRST CHAPTER. To learn more about the plots of both of my manuscripts, CLICK HERE.