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Harlequin Series Quiz for Authors: The Answers

November 20, 2017

We hope you had fun with our Harlequin Series Quiz for authors, and learned some things about submitting your manuscript to Harlequin. As promised, here are the answers to Friday’s quiz!

Q: Name three series that publish romances over 70K words. A: Harlequin Heartwarming, Harlequin Historical and Harlequin Romantic Suspense all publish stories over 70K words.
Q: What are two differences between Harlequin Desire and Harlequin Dare? A: Harlequin Desire stories are set primarily in North America and should not feel exotic, while Harlequin Dare features a variety of exotic settings. Desire stories are more romantic than explicit. Dare stories push the boundaries of sexual explicitness.
Q: What are three differences between Harlequin Intrigue and Harlequin Romantic Suspense? A: In Harlequin Intrigue, the mystery is the foundation of the story; the suspense elements in HRS are secondary to the romance. Harlequin Romantic Suspense stories are longer, at 70K words vs. the 55K of Intrigue. Subplots are integral to HRS, but kept to a minimum in Intrigue.
Q: Where should you submit your 70K-word romance that takes place in 1968? A: Unfortunately, a story set in 1968 would not be suitable for our series romance lines. Harlequin Historical romances can take place from ancient civilizations up to and including the Second World War. All other series are contemporary.
Q: How many books per month are published by Harlequin Special Edition? A: Harlequin Special Edition publishes six new books every month.
Q: Name two recent titles from Harlequin Romance. A: Click here for the latest from Harlequin Romance!
Q: Name two authors from Harlequin Heartwarming. A: Click here for the latest from Harlequin Heartwarming!
Q: What two television shows should you watch to get a sense of the plots and romantic tension found in Love Inspired Suspense stories? A: Watch Castle or Bones to get a sense of the plots and romantic tension we’re looking for in Love Inspired Suspense.
Q: What series are part of our “Passion” lines? A: Harlequin Desire, Harlequin Dare and Harlequin Presents would all be considered part of our “Passion” series.
Q: Name three series that feature Home and Family themes? A: Harlequin Heartwarming, Harlequin Special Edition and Love Inspired all feature family and community stories.
Q: What Harlequin series is “The home of the alpha male”? A: Harlequin Presents is the home of the alpha male!
Q: Name three Harlequin authors who began their careers writing for Harlequin Medical. A: Carol Marinelli, Sarah Morgan and Sharon Kendrick (and many others) all began in Harlequin Medical Romance.
Q: What are the most popular settings/themes for Harlequin Historical globally? A: The most popular themes/settings for Harlequin Historical are Regency, Highlanders, Vikings and Medieval.
Q: Where should you submit your paranormal or timeslip romance? A: Unfortunately, since we have stopped acquiring for Harlequin Nocturne, we do not accept paranormal or time slip themes in any of our Harlequin series. We accept unagented paranormal romance submissions for our digital first imprint, Carina Press. If you are agented, consider submitting to HQN.
Q: Name three requirements for Love Inspired. A: For our guidelines for Love Inspired, click here!