Presenting...Associate Senior Editor Patience Smith

Patience had a rich and varied career prior to becoming an assistant editor at Harlequin in '97, but I'll let her share her information in her own words. I'm delighted to present Patience Smith....

Tell us about you: I started my relationship with Harlequin at fourteen while studying for final exams. I had pulled an all-nighter to study for History and had three hours before my Latin exam. To get through that day, I had to drink many Tabs and read a romance.

After stealing Harlequin Presents from my roommate’s pile, I devoured them when I should have been studying declensions and conjugations. I wound up getting a C on the History exam and an A—would have been an A+ if I hadn’t skipped an entire section due to sleep deprivation spaciness—on the Latin exam. I credit the romances for helping me ace Latin.

I continued to read romances during those times when I should have been doing something else—like writing my master’s thesis, doing lesson plans, typing memos for lawyers and answering phones for oil traders.

Role at Harlequin: I’m the Associate Senior Editor for Silhouette Intimate Moments which will turn into Silhouette Romantic Suspense in February 2007.

A lot is happening in Silhouette Intimate Moments/Romantic Suspense. The line has already changed editorially in that we are looking for suspense in every book—though the romance is the heavy focus. We’re looking for highly romantic, passionate category romances set anywhere in the world and containing some element of suspense.

The SIM/SRS team has revamped the covers, which will begin a transitional phase in October 2006. And the line changes its name and introduces its new covers starting in February 2007. Very exciting!

The feedback for the changes in the line has been overwhelmingly positive.

Did you always want to work in publishing? I’ve always loved reading and writing, so I knew I would wind up doing something with words, if only to do graffiti in bathrooms.

If not, what else did you want to do? I wanted to be a movie-star, but because I don’t like auditioning, memorizing lines or starving myself, this didn’t work out.

Also, I can’t act.

Did anything surprise you about the editorial role? It surprises me how little time there is to edit, but also how much fun it is to see a line evolve over a year—and to be a part of it.

What are most challenging/most satisfying aspects of job? The most challenging aspect is gathering all the materials in order to make deadlines. I have to rely on many people, which I’m not used to.

The most satisfying aspect of the job is the interaction with authors and editing. My favorite time of day is early morning when I first come to the office. It’s quiet and I usually spend the first hour just reading before noise levels rise.

Anything make you totally insane? Doing things at the last minute. Most of the time, it’s my own fault.

Can you finish the sentence: "If I read one more story with…. I will fall asleep." If I read one more story with the hero and heroine bickering for no reason, I’ll fall asleep. Same goes for the heroine stating at the beginning of the story that she doesn’t have time for a man and is too focused on other things.

Or “I wish I could find a story that….” I wish I could find a story that makes me cry. That happens every now and then and it’s always a treat (waterproof mascara is a good investment). That’s when I know I have to have the book.

Favorite recent film/film of all time: Favorite recent film: The Devil Wears Prada. Favorite movies of all time: Jaws, Notorious, Heat, The Hours, All About Eve, Hannah and Her Sisters, Silence of the Lambs

Favorite meal: To eat: Steak, mashed potatoes and peas (and cheesecake). To make: cupcakes. And I excel at overcooking rice, vegetables and pasta.

Most amazing recent purchase: I bought in one week a new big TV, computer and cell phone but have trouble working all three of them. I have discovered the magic of texting, which annoys my friends and family since I’ll send them really important messages like, “Hi.”
Hobby? Knitting, watching movies, collecting elephants (not real ones)

Most surprising thing about you we’d never guess in a million years? I’m known in my family for using a lot of foul language, which I think I inherited from my grandmother. Also, I read tarot cards, did calligraphy professionally for fifteen years and was the ace pitcher on a co-ed softball team all through high school.

Guilty pleasure you refuse to feel guilty about? Watching Dr. Phil.

Most interesting thing you've done lately? This is not so much interesting as it is obsessive—In the last seven months, I’ve knit ten pairs of slippers, four purses and two Peruvian hats, all of which I’m going to sell.

Inspiring event? In August, going to a family reunion and seeing so many interesting, fun people in one room. It made me realize how lucky I am.

Today’s favorite expression or quote? "Whatev”, which I got from Senior Editor of Special Edition Gail Chasan. Who has the time to add the extra syllable?

Comic book character that embodies characteristics you most admire? I sort of like Marv from Sin City. He’s done some evil deeds, but his heart is mostly in the right place. At the other end of the spectrum: Wonder Woman. Lynda Carter has always been my hero! I even bought her album.

Superpower you would enjoy having? Ability to beam myself places without going through the pain of traffic, driving, sitting in cramped places for hours, living through turbulence.

If you had a magic wand that would allow you to do one thing Naughty and one thing Nice, what two things would you do? Naughty: I wouldn’t protest if a magic wand allowed me to steal several million dollars from a bank without anyone ever finding out. Basically, anything having to do with theft, as long as I don’t have to be punished for it later. Nice: Put the cast of the Jon Stewart show in the Oval Office.

Least favorite characters in fiction and why? Rochester and Heathcliff because they’re just too much work. Also, this is wrong and bad of me, but because I had to read Le Petit Prince so many times, I came to despise him.

What do you have on your bulletin board? A picture of Ganesh—the god that removes obstacles. A lot of charts for deadlines and an 8x10 glossy of Keanu Reeves, courtesy of Marie Ferrarella.

Looking for… New authors for SIM/SRS. This line has a strong author base and we’d love to add new voices. As always, I’m looking for a book that will sweep me away and make me forget about day-to-day responsibilities (like studying for Latin and History exams).

Bought several great… Veteran authors to contribute to Silhouette Intimate Moments/Romantic Suspense. Rachel Lee, Catherine Mann, Lindsay McKenna and Susan Grant will contribute short stories for two separate military Christmas anthologies to be published in 2007 and 2008. And six authors—Marie Ferrarella, Caridad Pineiro, Lyn Stone, Nina Bruhns, Kathleen Creighton and Karen Whiddon—came together to create a new royal, international themed continuity, MISSION: IMPASSIONED, which will happen in 2007.

Just about to publish…. Lindsay McKenna's paranormal romance, UNFORGIVEN , which is in the launch month of Silhouette Nocturne, is about to hit bookshelves in October.

This story is amazing. Jaguar shapeshifters, the fight for good and evil and falling in love with the enemy—oh my!

I read it in one sitting.

Congratulations...

To Susan Wiggs for hitting the top 15 New York Times Bestseller list with her MIRA title Summer At Willow Lake on August 27th, 2006, her debut on the published list. Totally fabulous! I love Susan's writing!

To Maria Snyder for her Luna title, Magic Study being selected as an October Book Sense pick. Her first book, Poison Study also got a starred review in Publishers Weekly when it came out and was also selected by Booksellers as a Book Sense pick. Both fabulous stories. Available in
eBooks or Audio.

To Charles Davis for getting a starred Publisher's Weekly review for his MIRA title Angel's Rest, a touching, heart-tugging tale of childhood, place and the shifting currents of innocence and awareness that coming of age brings. A lovely story.

To Deanna Raybourn for getting a starred Publisher's Weekly review for her first book Silent In The Grave coming out in MIRA in January, 2007. It's a fascinating, unusual and compelling mystery. Worth the wait!

To Pam Jenoff for her debut novel coming out from MIRA in March, 2007, The Kommandant’s Girl for getting a starred Publisher's Weekly review.

To Crystal Green for having a very cool video clip for her upcoming October Silhouette Bombshell, Baited. You can check it out on www.YouTube.com if you search on Baited-Book-Teaser (or just click on this nice link!)

To the queen of romance Nora Roberts, for her always stellar bestseller performance on her most recent titles, Dangerous (Risky Business, Storm Warning and The Welcoming) and By My Side (From This Day and Temptation). I know I shouldn't have favorites, but I do have a soft spot for Storm Warning!

To Silhouette Nocturne , for being born this October! Happy Birthday!

Lindsay McKenna's Unforgiven and Kathleen Korbel's Dangerous Temptation are an amazing pair of stories to launch the line with. Of course, I am only speculating, knowing those authors, because I can't get hold of copies of the books for love or money! While I managed to snag a cool Nocturne bag at the RWA, do you think I was smart enough to score books? Noooooo. Why do I want to fill my suitcase with my own books, I thought. Well, eventually the excitement will calm. Surely? As someone who loved Shadows, it's really exciting to see the market has "grown into" this genre, and to be fully participating in it again!

To Vanessa Del Fabbro for winning the 2006 Christy Award for excellence in Christian fiction in the Contemporary Series category for her Steeple Hill title, The Road to Home.

To Tara Taylor Quinn for her next title, In Plain Sight, interview in BookReporter.com, and do take advantage of the $1 off coupon!

To M.J. Rose, whose Venus Fix is one of The Book Reporter's Reading Group Guide titles--check out The Venus Fix Reading Guide .

To Debbie Macomber for her free Podcast on Audible! Not to mention 6 Rainier Drive success on the New York Times list (#3 on upcoming October 1st New York Times list) as well as having not one but TWO Harlequin Ginger Blossom Pink Manga titles (No Competition and The Bachelor Prince) out and available. It doesn't get much better, does it?

To Moi--I will be guest posting on one of my favorite romance blogs, Romancing the Blog on October 10th, introducing myself & what's happening in new business.

There is always something going on...the challenge is keeping up!

Copyright, Digital Coursepacks and a joint announcement from Cornell and the American Association of Publishers

I wanted to share a recent press release from the AAP on copyright. As you can see, it involves college coursepacks. There is more detail, but a significant point is that duplicating material digitally must be treated with the same respect for copyright as if it were physically duplicated.

You may think that is fairly straightforward Copyright issue-reading someone's material whatever the format, is accessing and using their work-but for many, it doesn't seem to be so straightforward. Correcting that perception is an educational process.

And while I expect there are very few enlightened institutions of higher learning where romances are making up many of coursepacks, the principle of copyright is at issue, and that should be important to us all. Especially as it is respect (or lack of) for copyright that is being taught to a new generation.

As almost every academic is a published author and I expect many students hope to make their living creating intellectual property, this should be a core value of our academic institutions. I really applaud Cornell for having stepped up and so compelling articulated the importance of this issue to their institution and to education.

Press Release :

CORNELL UNIVERSITY AND PUBLISHERS ANNOUNCE NEW COPYRIGHT GUIDELINES GOVERNING USE OF DIGITAL COURSE MATERIALS
Jointly Written Guidelines Affirm That Copyright Law Applies to Electronic Course Content

New York, NY, September 19, 2006: As part of ongoing discussions over the manner in which Cornell University provides copyrighted course content to students in digital formats, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) and Cornell recently announced a new set of copyright guidelines to govern the use of electronic course materials on the library's electronic course reserves system, on faculty and departmental web pages, and through the various 'course management' websites used at Cornell. The guidelines affirm that the use of such content is governed by the same legal principles that apply to printed materials.

The guidelines, which were jointly drafted by Cornell and AAP, make it clear that faculty must obtain permission to distribute such works to the same extent as permission is required with respect to reproductions and distributions of publishers' copyrighted works in hard-copy formats.

"Cornell and AAP concur that instructional use of content requiring the copyright owner's permission when used in a printed coursepack likewise requires permission when used in an electronic format," said John Siliciano, Vice Provost of Cornell.

"The Publishers and the authors they represent are gratified that Cornell has responded positively to their concerns and has taken a leadership role on this issue in the academic community," said Pat Schroeder, former Congresswoman and head of the AAP. "With more and more content now available in digital form, it is important to clarify the copyright responsibilities that accompany use of that content,
and to be sure that colleges and universities are enforcing the rules they adopt."

Mrs. Schroeder continued, "AAP hopes that Cornell's actions will set an example for other colleges and universities and provide them an opportunity to review their own practices and institute similar guidelines."

Discussions are ongoing between AAP and Cornell concerning additional approaches that may be appropriate to encourage compliance with copyright law so that instructors' postings of electronic course content conform with legal requirements.

More info on the AAP site:
Press Release

Keep Your Eye on the Donut

A romance is...well, its a story about the challenges of loving someone. And that can mean a lot of different things. Let me just quote from a few submissions to www.writeharlequin.com What is Love in fact:

"Love is trust, and not wanting to change someone, but accepting them as they are. If you can't, then it isn't love. But if you can, that love is the everlasting kind. Now isn't that simple?"
—Bertrice Small

"Love is accepting: the good, the bad, the ugly. "
—Emilie Rose

"Love is pain in your heart at the tear in their eye. Love is when your heart sings at their happiness, even if what makes them happy is the opposite of what you needed. Love is knowing when to hold them tight or let them go. Love is the highest euphoria and the saddest moment in life, all rolled into one. Love is living.
—Sheila Baker

That's not always easy. I remember during a particularlyary difficult dating phase, listening to very anti-guy Punk songs (One of my favorites was the X-Ray Specs, "Guy are Not Proud." Great line in it: "Guys are such creeps, they'll even do it with sheep!" Upon reflection, I hope this was not a negative statement about sheep pulchritude, but focused more on the lack of a true sense of choice and consentual participation on the part of the sheep) and thinking...who deserves this? Who should be on the receiving end of actually having to date guys? And then thinking about making T-shirts that read: Men: They deserve each other. (Hey, it was a difficult time).

But on that note, there's a very interesting conversation over at Teach me tonight, an academic blog, about male/male romances & why women find them appealing. Let me quote:

"Because, if, as I argue in my article*, romances are actually about watching the hero figure out and confess his feelings, if they're about watching him move from the "masculine economy of use" to the "feminine economy of exchange," then watching TWO men have to figure it out for and with each other is more than twice as wonderful as watching one man figure it out for and with a woman."

I think there are other forces at work as well (two attractive men to watch, no women to "compete" with, etc.) but I found it a very interesting essay—they were using Brokeback Mountain as an example. In Japan there's a whole genre, Yaoi, with nothing but pretty boys, read by women.

I missed seeing that film, but didn't miss all the hype surrounding it, with the words "Gay Cowboys" on everyone's lips and people constantly being asked publicly if they'd seen the film and having to say no, so they wouldn't be forced to present their opinion on gay marriage, gays in the military or Mr. Cheney or Mr. Regan's progeny’s sexual orientation.

But what really fascinates me is the lack of commentary on Talladega Nights and the gay Nascar guys! While they did make the Sasha Cohen/Girard character French, and thus, I suppose, sufficiently "other" he is clearly happily loyally married to a nice man, has a good life, is a talented, successful, honorable guy (who has Elvis Costello and Mos Def hanging out at his house) and when Will "Ricky Bobby" I'm-just-an-Ordinary-American-Guy Ferrel refuses to shake his hand—he kisses him on the lips instead. No comment.

Talladega also presents an interesting take on the permissive father, the absent father, on understanding, forgiveness, and Mom's Rules (or in this case, Grandma's Rules). It's not without its classic qualities, and I enjoyed it, but hey, I like my mac with cheese. It just has to be the right cheese.

Because love, as we see with Little Miss Sunshine too, comes in many forms. So we can all spend a lot of time parsing words and analyzing elements and arguing about what came first (excuse me, I was thinking chicken or egg!) but the real challenge is the complex, multi-faceted nature of love, not the rules that we surround it with.

And when given a chance some people at least, can keep their eye on the donut and recognize that.



_________________________________________________________________
*Frantz, Sarah S. G., 2002. "'Expressing' Herself: The Romance Novel and the Feminine Will to Power," in Scorned Literature: Essays on the History and Criticism of Popular Mass-Produced Fiction in America. Eds. Lydia Cushman Schurman and Deidre Johnson. (Connecticut: Greenwood Press) pp. 17-36. posted by Sarah S.G. Frantz @ Monday, July 10, 2006

Lunch and Learn

Just spent one of the most delightful afternoons at Candy and Joe's—for those who know them, I thought I'd take a photo of them actually in the same frame to demonstrate they actually do intersect in their amazing and peripatetic lifestyle. No, I'm not even going to go into it.

Candy, in my opinion, defines the word Maven as used by Malcolm Gladwell in his book The Tipping Point. If you haven't read it, it's worth checking out. Perhaps one of the early works of non-fiction that really took to heart or simply took good advantage of the lessons of fiction and storytelling and makes for entertaining—as well as instructive—reading.

While I was ensconsed in this lovely spot, eating amazing food, enjoying the conversation of most eclectic, and fascinating group of people—journalists, vintners, actors, filmmakers, psychologists, writers, editors, pick an interesting profession, pick an interesting person, they are there—an interesting challenge was made: are there 32 great romances? Would I be willing to contribute to a collection a fellow guest was compiling? I canvassed everyone for help, but realized as I sat down that it was too awkward to do as a publisher, so I bowed out.

I wanted to thank everyone who contributed their brilliant suggestions—many of which I totally agreed with. However there were a number of titles I hadn't read, so my "TBR" pile has just grown enormously, and I can't wait to get started—thank you for so many excellent suggestions and ideas! I will also be passing on your recommendations to our team for consideration for favorite titles to get back in print, so I assure you, nothing is wasted!

OK, you have been so good, I had to share this brief article I read in my September 2006 Natural History Magazine Samplings section (Magazine is yours free just for being a member of the Museum of Natural History in New York, one of my favorite Museums!).

You may ask yourself: Is there any benefit to having a lateralized brain? Let me just share some information from a recent study by Marco Dadda, a psychologist, and Agnelo Bisazza, an evolutionary biologist, both at the University of Padua in Italy that suggests that lateralization may make animals better at the critical skill of multitasking (something you may feel is a skill particularly well developed in women. Well, gentle reader, read on!).

"Goldbelly topminnows are small Central American fish that belong to the guppy family. Female goldbelly topminnows must put up with repeated attempts by males to mate with them. The suitors can be distracting, even exasperating, to females, particularly when they are trying to eat.

"Dadda and Bisazza compared the feeding efficiency of female goldbelly topminnows bred to be lateralized with that of females bred to have no side preference. When there were no distracting males, the two kinds of females caught food equally well. When randy males were present, however, only the lateralized females kept eating efficiently, while still avoiding unwanted advances. Parallel processing seems to benefit from a brain with asymmetrical function. (Behavioral Ecology 17:358—63, 2006) —Stephan Reebs

Doesn't that sort of say it all? Somehow, when it's two Italian guys (with, c'mon, sort of made up sounding names) staring at schools of these adorable Central American guppies, worried about whether their girls are getting enough to eat. Sitting there, describing the importunate and irritating goldbelly topminnow guys...just trying to get on top, one can only assume, taking the girl's side. It's, well, it's beautiful. Food? Sex?

Now you know why you have a right and left brain. Keep them both in working order!

Press Release—the Virtual Event

It's just a sheet of paper. Well, it's not even paper any more is it? Just a collection of symbols on a screen, really. But it's only marginally less crazy than, say, doing a wedding. I'm not kidding!

There's the planning, who reviews it, who writes it, rewrites it, needs to review it again, rewrites it, needs to review it again, rewrites it, needs to review it again, (you get the picture), hey, I've got a great idea, let's put in.... (insert champagne pyramid and/or live links), who is it going to? Oh did you update the mailing lists? Could you do that for me sweetie? Let's see what it looks like if we... Oh, not so good, let's go back to...You know, I think I liked it the first time...no not that first time, the other first time. Yes, that one, but with the bit at the end from the eighth draft. Loved that bit. You know, maybe it should go through proofreading again. Legal already checked it & will have to check it again? You're kidding. Now we've changed it so much everybone that approved it before have to approve it again? Really? And everyone's on vacation right now? Oh, they just changed the order of everything? The logos have been modified? You'll be sending me the new ones shortly. Right away? Please? Everything is being checked to make sure it works when we go live. There's a problem? None of the buttons work? Someone's looking into it? They'll let me know what's happening? No one knows anything so you're just going to make it up? That sounds good. OK. Let's go! Push the button to launch. Oh, it doesn't seem to be working. There is goes! Yes, it launched for sure because I just got an irate email from a vendor complaining we mispelled their name in our release.

Thank you for a lovely party!

According to Malle, who knows these things, there is an Estonian custom that I have to share. Malle says it is a customary practice when you have attended an Estonian event and are thanking your hostess and saying your goodbyes, you also share any helpful comments you might have on shortcomings and how she might improve the event in the future (i.e. dinner was lovely, but very slow and started far too late. And next time, stir the soup before serving it). Pretty special, eh? Wikipedia is missing these bits of color. Malle will need to add them in.

So as you create your event—virtual or otherwise—watch out for those helpful Estonians. They are looking for continuous improvement!

We're delighted to have the eBook site up & running on eHarlequin, to have the adorable Minis available for sale and to be able to offer the Mini Round Robins for a FREE download. I think we have discovered five authors for Harlequin (and counting!) with the Writing Round Robin program—one of them, Mia Zachary—is launching the Mini Round Robin line.

Putting a press release together is as crazy as throwing a major event, but there's no food! Still, it is fun to see all the 'guests' arriving & chatting about your event.

Y'all come on over!

Harlequin Launches eBook Boutique & Announces Birth of the Harlequin Mini!

Toronto, Ontario, August 22, 2006 - Harlequin Enterprises Limited(http://www.eharlequin.com/), the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, today announced the launch of four digital entertainment ventures, specifically: Harlequin Mini ™ eBooks, Harlequin Mini™ Round Robin eBooks, the launch of the eBook Boutique on eHarlequin.com and http://www.writeharlequin.com/, a platform for gathering reader-generated content.
"Harlequin is the brand in publishing that is trusted by women around the world to provide them with great entertainment," says Donna Hayes, Publisher and CEO of Harlequin Enterprises Limited. "We are uniquely positioned to serve their needs and offer entertainment in new digital formats. Put simply, a lot of women are already there, and those who aren't trust us to help them navigate the evolving digital space."
"The modern romance reader has gone digital," says Pam Laycock, Executive Vice President of Harlequin's New Business Development department. "She demands the portability, depth, breadth, immediacy and convenience of romance novels in downloadable formats." Ms. Laycock illustrates this fact by pointing to the success of the company's eBooks on the bestseller lists of many eBook Web sites, including eReader.com, where Harlequin titles out-performed The Da Vinci Code just prior to the release of the film.
Responding to reader demand for even more romance fiction in a digital format, Harlequin is launching the Harlequin Mini eBook. These are short-series eBooks written by Harlequin authors, including New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling writers—ideal for readers who want a "quick fix" but don't have the time for a longer novel. "No other publisher is doing anything like this," says Malle Vallik, Editorial Director of Harlequin's New Business Development department. "These delicious ‘bite-size' stories are exclusive to eHarlequin.com's eBook Boutique." Ten Harlequin Mini eBooks will be available during the August launch of the imprint. Four new Harlequin Mini eBooks will appear every month thereafter. Each story costs only 99¢ to download.
The Harlequin Mini Round Robin eBook is an outcome of Harlequin's collaboration with its readers. These stories are launched by a published author, and subsequent chapters are created—and hotly competed for—by fans and aspiring writers. Many of Harlequin's talented new voices have been discovered through this interactive round robin challenge, including launch author Mia Zachary. The popular Writing Round Robin has been a feature of eHarlequin.com since 2000. This is the first time it will be available as an eBook. As a special introduction, the Harlequin Mini Round Robin eBook will initially be available for free download.
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is at the leading edge of digital publishing, offering about 40 new titles every month in eBook format. As of today, all of these titles will be available in the new eBook Boutique at http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/. It will be the exclusive eRetailer for the Harlequin Mini and Harlequin Mini Round Robin eBooks. eBooks from the eHarlequin Boutique will be available in three formats—Adobe PDF, Microsoft Reader and Mobipocket.
"Harlequin has an unmatched involvement, engagement and participation with its readers," says Pam Laycock. "Because of this intimate relationship, Harlequin is going beyond reader participation in the Round Robin to tap the creativity and wisdom of our global community via http://www.writeharlequin.com/. We ask such burning questions as What Is Love? or What Was Your Worst Date Ever? and anyone and everyone can send in responses. A collection of the most appealing answers will be published in a digital format early in 2007 and then later as a print version."
Harlequin's drive to develop and offer more content in more ways furthers the company's digital strategy, which also includes downloadable audio from Audible.com (http://www.audible.com/), the leading provider of digitally delivered spoken-word audio, and the Harlequin On the Go™ mobile phone content subscription service (HarlequinOnTheGo.com). Readers can keep up with further digital developments on a blog written by a Harlequin vice president at http://www.isabelsblog.com/ or http://isabelswift.blogspot.com/.
About eHARLEQUIN.COM The eHarlequin.com community provides Harlequin with an outstanding opportunity to speak directly to its readers around the world on message boards, in chat rooms and through author blogs. Whether looking to buy the latest books, reading original stories from bestselling authors, or sharing the love of reading with other readers and authors, eHarlequin.com visitors will discover the ultimate online women's fiction experience.

About HARLEQUIN ENTERPRISES LIMITEDHarlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 25 languages and sold in 94 international markets. The company produces over 115 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,300 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.B). Harlequin's Web site is located at http://www.eharlequin.com/. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries, including Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit http://www.eharlequin.com/ or press.eHarlequin.com.

# # #

For more information, contact:
Don Lucey
Assistant Manager, Public Relations Communications
Harlequin Enterprises Limited
(416) 445-5860