CALLING UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES: WE WANT TO SEE YOUR MEDICAL ROMANCE!

Are you participating in #MedicalRomanceIncludesYou, our upcoming Twitter and Facebook pitch events for Harlequin Medical Romance? Then be sure to join our Editor Q&A on March 5th at 11 am ET to ask the Harlequin editors all your questions ahead of pitch day! Join the Write for Harlequin Facebook Community in advance to participate in the Editor Q&A! More details on the pitch event below!

Have you been dreaming of captivating readers with a pulse-racing medical romance? Do you have a doctor ready to swoop a midwife off their feet? Or perhaps, it’s a tale of a paramedic who reunites with their surgeon ex for one night of passion…with consequences! We are looking for Medical Romance books from underrepresented authors that will immerse readers in the drama of the medical world. Underrepresented voices includes, but is not limited to, authors who identify as Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC), members of LGBTQ+ communities, marginalized ethnic and religious cultures, and people with disabilities and neurodiversity. 

This is an opportunity to showcase your story idea to the Harlequin Medical Romance editors and maybe get some helpful feedback from Harlequin editors. You may even become our newest author!

The focus of the story must be on the development of the central romantic relationship against the backdrop of a contemporary medical setting. All of our stories feature dynamic and dedicated medical professionals who work together in a medical setting and present a range of sensualities from warm and tender to intense and passionate.

The romance writing and reading community includes people of all backgrounds, communities and cultures who share an enjoyment of stories that celebrate love and happiness. Harlequin is committed to bringing readers a wide range of stories that reflect our diverse society.

#MedicalRomanceIncludesYou is happening on Friday, March 26, 2021 from 8am to 8pm GMT. Here’s everything you need to know:

Hannah Rossiter from the Harlequin Medical Romance editorial team will be monitoring the #MedicalRomanceIncludesYou hashtag on Twitter for book pitches (280 characters max) from own voices authors. Follow Hannah Rossiter on Twitter at @Hannah_ER24 for updates and tips leading up to the #MedicalRomanceIncludesYou Pitch event.

Megan Haslam from the Harlequin Medical Romance editorial team will be monitoring the #MedicalRomanceIncludesYou event on the Write for Harlequin Facebook group for aspiring romance writers. Join the group on Facebook, select “going” to the #MedicalRomanceIncludesYou event and post your pitch (500 characters max) to the event “Discussion” area on March 26.

If Hannah or Megan give your pitch a “like” please send your first chapter and story synopsis for review by submitting via Harlequin.Submittable.com to the Harlequin Medical Romance line. Be sure to include the hashtag #MedicalRomanceIncludesYou” in the subject line, and make sure your submission is long enough. One chapter should be about 3000-5000 words.

All submissions will be read and responded to within 60 days.

Please choose only one social platform, Twitter OR Facebook, to post your pitch. Don’t worry, Hannah and Megan will be reading every single pitch, so as long as you post it once, they’ll see it! Hannah and Megan may, in some cases, respond to your pitch after the 8am to 8pm GMT entry window has closed.

Join our Editor Q&A on March 5 at 11 am ET in the Write for Harlequin Facebook Community to ask the editors all your questions ahead of pitch day! Be sure to join our Facebook group in advance.

You’ll find the writing guidelines and word counts for Harlequin’s Medical Romance series here. There is lots of information on the Write for Harlequin website to guide you on what the Medical Romance team are looking for, so check it out here.

These Twitter and Facebook pitch events are specifically looking for underrepresented voices who love to write Medical Romance. We welcome submissions from all authors at any time to Harlequin Medical via Submittable.

We can’t wait to see your pitches!

The Harlequin Medical Team