Harlequin’s team of over 40 editors working in London, New York and Toronto has more than 700 years of collective experience! An editor is the author’s partner, collaborator and champion, committed to working with the author to produce the best book possible. When you publish with Harlequin, you receive best in class expertise in romance writing and career support. Get to know our editorial team below and find out what they’re looking for!
Helena Bacon is an Assistant Editor for Harlequin Presents, who joined Team Harlequin in 2023. Storytelling has always been one of the great loves of her life: after growing up in a household full of books and working as a bookseller as a teen, she went on to study English Literature at University College London. Now she gets to read romance all day and help authors and their protagonists find their HEAs – and she wouldn’t have it any other way! She’s always on the look-out for new voices and fresh takes on beloved tropes, especially from queer and other marginalized perspectives. (And, for the curious, her other great loves are her partner, the sound of church bells, and her cat, Orson Welles.)
Safiya Tariq is an editorial assistant for Harlequin Presents, having joined the team in 2024. After completing her BA in English Language and Literature at UoM, she immediately dived head-first into the Presents empire of luxury, glamour and jet-set thrills! In her spare time, she is immersed in Medieval, Old Western and Renaissance media through TV shows and video games – with a dash of The Real Housewives. A sucker for nostalgia, she (regularly) revisits childhood cartoons and finds even more enjoyment in them than she did before… She enjoys looking for new authors who can push the limits of outrageousness and drama whilst still making her laugh out loud!
Olivia is the Administrative Assistant for the Harlequin Series Acquisition team, supporting predominantly Harlequin Historical Romance, but also working across Romance, Medical, and Presents.
Olivia completed a BA in English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, where she made her love of reading into a full-time academic pursuit. Her first love, however, remains to be romance – particularly Pride and Prejudice! After a brief stint in marketing, Olivia landed her dream job with the Harlequin team where she can read Regency Romances to her hearts content.
When Olivia isn’t reading, she can be found wandering museums and jetting off on a city break to explore! She is on the lookout for new, exciting, and diverse voices.
Rachael Nazarko is an Assistant Editor at Harlequin. After completing a PhD in Latin American literature, she spent some time teaching Spanish and bookselling before realising her dream lay in editing books, not just devouring them! She spent two years at HQ Fiction, before joining Harlequin in late 2024.
When she’s not doing her dream job of reading for a living, Rachael loves baking, swimming, hiking, travelling, and dragging her friends to Shakespeare plays (because Much Ado is the original enemies-to-lovers!)
She’s always on the lookout for diverse new voices. She particularly loves LGBTQ+ stories, and anything set in the Mediterranean or Latin America is a must-read!
Kat Resurreccion is an Editorial Assistant for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. Prior to joining the editorial team, she worked as a Harlequin Proofreader and Copy Editor. Kat’s love of love stories began in high school, when her mom gifted her what was affectionately called her “Pandora’s Box” of romance novels. Since then, that collection has outgrown its box and spilled onto bookshelves, bedside tables, coffee tables, the occasional dining chair…any flat surface really! And though she tends to favor historical books, Kat welcomes any recommendations with diverse voices, enemies-to-lovers or forced proximity (there was only one bed?!).
Amanda Sun is an Assistant Editor with Love Inspired and joined the team in 2024, although she’s held previous roles at Harlequin in marketing, social media, and copy editing. She has a BA in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology from UBC and a Publishing Certificate from TMU, and has worked as an editor with literary agencies, other publishers, and as a freelancer. Amanda is also an award-winning YA and Fantasy author and brings that experience and passion to her work with authors. She is always looking for moving stories with diverse and relatable characters. She loves horses, cross stitch, and growing heirloom vegetables. Find her on Instagram at @AmandaSunBooks.
Annie Warren is an editor on the Harlequin Historical Romance team. She studied the languages of love (French and Italian) at University College London, and then completed an MA in Publishing, during which time she wrote her dissertation – titled Kiss and Sell – about the future of the romance novel. After graduating, Annie spent some time teaching as well as working as a travel editor and writer for Rough Guides before her love of love led her to her natural home at True Love Towers. Annie is always looking to acquire fresh and intriguing new voices; she’s especially interested in sapphic and queer romances, and also has a soft spot for a rugged hero!
Katarina Hunter is an Editorial Assistant for Harlequin Intrigue, and Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Her long-time love of books lead her to complete a B.A. at the University of Toronto, with a major in Book and Media Studies. While enrolled in the Publishing Certificate Program at Toronto Metropolitan University, she began her career in publishing as an intern at Harlequin in 2023. A lifelong lover of romance novels, she is delighted she gets to spend her days reading them and is looking for books that will keep her on the edge of her seat. In her spare time you can find her spending time with her cat or enjoying all the city has to offer.
Elena is an Editorial Assistant for Harlequin Romance and Harlequin Medical Romance. Ever since she swiped a copy of Twilight off her older sister’s bookshelf (she was Team Edward) Elena’s been in love with romance. After completing a BA in Media, Communication and Cultural Studies at Newcastle University, she briefly dipped her toes into journalism before landing her dream role on the Editorial team at Harlequin.
When she’s not lost in a good book with a cat snoozing on her lap, Elena can be found listening to Taylor Swift and trying her hand at baking. Although she mostly bakes cookies, she also loves decorating the odd cake or two!
Elena is always on the lookout for unique voices, swoon-worthy characters and love stories that set the heart aflutter.
Binti is an Assistant Editor for Harlequin Historical Romance, joining the team in 2023. After spending years working as an optometrist, she followed her heart and transitioned into the world of publishing. She has always loved reading romance fiction and is thrilled to be working in a role where love stories are at the heart of what she does.
In her free time, Binti likes to cook and experiment with different cuisines. She also enjoys travelling and exploring new places. She is always on the lookout for voices from underrepresented backgrounds, and stories with compelling characters you can’t help but root for.
Jenny is Associate Editor for Harlequin Presents. She has a BSc in Psychology from the University of Birmingham, which probably explains why she loves nothing more than diving into the minds of characters! Reading has always been a passion, and she can confidently say that romances are her all-time favourites. She was over the moon to join Harlequin’s UK team at the end of 2021, and feels incredibly lucky to get to read for a living! When she’s not got a book in her hand, you can find Jenny drinking coffee, cuddling her dog or—at any possible opportunity! —on a plane off to explore new places. She is always looking for fresh, exciting and diverse voices for Harlequin.
Emma Cole (she/her) is Editor for Harlequin Intrigue. Previously, she was a freelance copyeditor for many years. In addition to romance, Emma loves horror, sci-fi, and speculative fiction, and her TBR stack never seems to shrink because she is forever buying more books. When she’s not reading, she’s watching classic films or crafting (or both), and doing a bit of short fiction writing. She is on the lookout for stories from underrepresented voices in the genre and is excited to find new and interesting projects for Intrigue: quirky characters, small towns with big secrets, and stories that make her think, feel, and root for a good ending.
Natalia Castano is an Editorial Assistant for Harlequin Heartwarming. Previous to joining Harlequin, she developed her editorial skills in the role of Editorial Assistant with educational publisher Vista Higher Learning, and recently completed the Publishing program at Centennial College. Natalia lives in Toronto and, as a newcomer, she loves exploring the city, reading new and authentic authors, and trying all the coffee shops she can find. She is passionate about reading diverse and original romances that celebrate true love and feature strong characters!
Caroline Timmings is an Associate Editor for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. She has a B.A. in English Literature, Creative Writing, and Philosophy, a M.A. in Philosophy, and a Publishing Certificate from NYU. Caroline has been a romance fanatic since she was in middle school and curiously picked up a Scottish Highlander romance. The rest is history! Caroline is looking to add to the Romantic Suspense line and loves alpha males, confident heroines, and escaping into exciting new worlds every day. When she’s not reading, Caroline can be found hiking, horseback riding, knitting, and taking pictures.
Besarta Sinanovic is an Assistant Editor for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. She received her BA in English and American Literature from New York University in 2019. Besarta has been an avid romance reader since high school and is passionate about reading and sharing diverse stories that connect people. As a native New Yorker, she loves exploring her city and trying new coffee shops with friends when she’s not reading. You can find her raving about romance books on Instagram and TikTok at @BesReadsRomance.
Errin Toma (she/they) is an associate editor for Afterglow Books, Carina Press and Carina Adores. She joined Harlequin in 2019. Before that, she worked in various publishing positions across the industry. She’s thrilled to be reading and editing Romance and is looking to build her list with trope-heavy stories featuring a fresh and flirty voice, high sensuality, and compelling stakes, especially from BIPOC and/or queer authors. When she’s not working, she’s busy spending time with her friends & family, watching true crime and paranormal documentaries, and constantly re-arranging her bookshelves to fit more books.
Katie Gowrie is an editor for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. She graduated from Carleton University with a degree in Journalism and English Literature, but a short stint on the municipal politics beat affirmed for her that her true passion for storytelling lies in fiction. After completing her publishing certificate, she got her first job in publishing in the Harlequin proofreading department. She loved it so much, she’s been with the company for ten years. She finds it rewarding to have worked on such a range of romance titles and is incredibly inspired by the people who write them. She’s currently on the lookout for uplifting contemporary romances and thrilling romantic suspense featuring strong, relatable protagonists! When she’s not reading, Katie loves watching crime shows and historical dramas, travelling (whenever she can), and hanging out with her family.
Charlotte is the senior editor for Harlequin Romance and Harlequin Medical Romance. After completing a degree in Sociology from Durham University and briefly trying her hand at being a sports teacher/coach, she rapidly realised that reading romance for a living was where she truly belonged. Especially after years’ worth of practice! And joined True Love HQ in 2016. She loves nothing more than curling up in front of the fire, in an armchair, with a book and a glass of champagne nearby. She’s always on the look out for new voices – especially featuring billionaire heroes and the strong women who challenge them!
Melissa Endlich is the Senior Editor for Love Inspired and Love Inspired Classics. Melissa’s love affair with romance novels began when, as a young adult, she stole her mother’s copy of Kathleen Woodiwiss’s A Rose in Winter and swooned over the dreamy hero. And she’s been swooning over dashing knights, hunky cowboys and sexy single dads ever since. Though she’s a native New Yorker, Melissa is also a romantic who believes in true love. She feels blessed to have landed her dream job at Harlequin Books, and still loves working with her amazingly talented authors every day.
Tina James is the executive editor for Love Inspired Books. She also manages the Love Inspired Suspense series and the Love Inspired Trade Program. From the moment she learned to read she could usually be found at a bookstore or the public library searching for a good book. She has been with Harlequin since 1995 and has had the opportunity to work on many series lines and special projects. Tina is looking to acquire high-intensity inspirational romantic suspense stories for Love Inspired Suspense. And she is looking for compelling stories in a variety of genres for the Love Inspired Trade program. You can find her on Twitter @tinacjames.
Susan Litman acquires fast-paced romantic suspense for Harlequin Intrigue. She joined Harlequin as an Assistant Editor on the Intimate Moments series in 2002 after several years working in film development in New York. She then joined the Special Edition series team as first Associate Editor and then Editor, acquiring contemporary romance. She has focused her strengths on author development, working with authors including New York Times Bestseller Allison Leigh, USA Today Bestseller Tif Marcelo, Brenda Harlen and Jennifer D. Bokal. Susan also played an instrumental role with Harlequin’s Tough Justice digital-first serialized novels and the long-running Fortunes of Texas and Montana Mavericks franchises. She attended Sarah Lawrence College, and has a cookbook collection that is outgrowing her shelves at an alarming pace. Follow her on Threads or Instagram at @insusieskitchen if you want to know what concerts she attended this month.
Stephanie Doig is the senior editor for Carina Press, Carina Adores and Afterglow Books imprints. She acquires and edits across romance subgenres and is always on the lookout for the next book that will keep her reading late into the night. She lives in Toronto, Canada, and on the side, she runs a mediocre Instagram account for her ridiculously cute dog.
Stacy Boyd is a executive editor overseeing Afterglow Books, a Harlequin series featuring spicy contemporary romances, as well as Carina Press and Carina Adores. Before focusing on short contemporary romance, Stacy acquired and edited a wide variety of fiction, including romance, suspense, fantasy and YA. She is a past winner of the PASIC Editor of Merit award and currently works with an amazing group of award-winning and bestselling authors. Stacy holds a B.A. in cultural anthropology from New College, the honors college of Florida, and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two sons. An outdoor enthusiast, she spends her free time running after kids, taming her backyard and improving her jogging distances. Stacy is looking to acquire compelling author voices and stories with strong romance hooks and new twists for the Desire line.
Sheila Hodgson is former senior editor for Harlequin Medical Romance and Harlequin Romance, currently focusing on author management. During 25 years at Harlequin she has managed four romance series and acquired widely for Harlequin Medical Romance, Harlequin Presents, Harlequin Historical Romance and Harlequin Romance. Previously, Sheila was an acquiring and managing editor working on general women’s fiction. She discovered the joy of reading romance novels when introduced to them by her mother and grandmother. Stories, movies, people, history, travel, cooking and swimming are her greatest loves. She feels privileged that her job allows her to indulge her romance reading and adores working with authors and seeing their writing careers develop. Sheila is interested in high stakes, high drama Medical Romances and glamorous, whisk-you-away romances with plenty of sensual tension and emotionally fulfilling (rather than explicit) bedroom scenes for Harlequin Romance. For both series she’d love to see more underrepresented authors.
Shana Asaro is an Editor for Love Inspired, Harlequin’s Christian romance series line, and has been with the company for over ten years. She graduated from Kent State University with a degree in journalism and worked at a literary agency before coming to Harlequin. Shana acquires for both of the Love Inspired series lines (contemporary and romantic suspense) and especially enjoys action-filled suspense romances, sweet contemporary romances set in small towns, storms, dogs and a little bit of humor or quirkiness. When she’s not reading or editing, Shana spends her time with her husband, daughter and crazy dog. She also likes to travel, watch movies, discuss the merits of Gilmore Girls, eat cupcakes and drink Starbucks lattes. You can find her on Twitter at @shana_asaro.
Kathryn Lye is the senior editor for Harlequin Heartwarming and guest editor for several other Harlequin series. During her twenty plus years at the company, she’s had the great fortune to acquire and work with many talented, award-winning authors. Previous to joining Harlequin in 1997, she developed her editorial skills in a number of roles with educational publisher Thomas Nelson Canada. Kathryn holds a B.A. in history and philosophy from the University of Toronto–Trinity College and completed the Publishing program at Ryerson University. An obsessive soccer fan, Kathryn never misses watching a Liverpool FC match, and has joined the board of the Toronto supporters’ club. Kathryn is interested in seeing original stories with touching romances that highlight the core themes of home, family and community.
Kathleen Scheibling is an Executive Editor at Harlequin. Over the years she has run several of Harlequin’s series imprints, including Western Romance, Blaze, Superromance, Dare, and Heartwarming. Her job has allowed her to work with the most professional, intelligent, and inspiring group of writers in the business, including many New York Times bestselling authors. Kathleen is an avid reader, a rabid film lover, a one-time boxer turned yoga/Pilates convert, and a fair-weather distance cyclist.
Johanna Raisanen has worked for Harlequin for over twenty years. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Johanna works on a variety of contemporary romance series and her favorite part about being a Harlequin editor is collaborating with authors to make their books shine. She lives in Toronto, where she likes to walk on the boardwalk along Lake Ontario, go to the movies, and hopes this will be the year the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup. Johanna is eager to acquire sweet, contemporary romances for Harlequin Heartwarming.
Glenda Howard is the Senior Executive Editor of the Harlequin series team in New York, which acquires for Harlequin Desire, Intrigue, Romantic Suspense, Special Edition, Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense. She has been with Harlequin since 2005 and has had the opportunity to work with many award-winning and bestselling authors. And, Glenda still finds it exciting to discover new authors for the series program. In her spare time, she loves to read, travel, watch movies and practice yoga.
Dianne Moggy is Vice President, Editorial of the Harlequin Brand Group. She has been with the company for more than thirty-five years and has worked on Harlequin’s men’s action adventure programs and the company’s branded Series Romance and Trade businesses. She was instrumental in the launch of MIRA Books and, for several years, provided strategic direction and editorial support to all of Harlequin’s Overseas’ businesses. Dianne’s responsibilities now include Series Romance, Carina Press and Harlequin’s Author Engagement team.
Dianne credits her years at Harlequin with providing her with an eclectic knowledge of anti-terrorism groups, innovative ways in which to solve romantic conflicts and the tools needed to manage a miniature poodle that developed an attitude after a certain author gave the dog her own twitter account.
Dianne has a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University and is a graduate of the Radcliffe Publishing course.
Dana Grimaldi is an editor for Harlequin Heartwarming. She’s also a guest editor for Canary Street Press and manages the Worldwide Mystery and Suspense program. When she’s reading submissions, Dana is on the lookout for wholesome contemporary romances that celebrate strong communities, family connections and true love. In her spare time, Dana loves taking pictures of local wildlife and seeking out books, movies and TV shows featuring time travel.
Find Dana on Twitter @DanaGrimaldi and Instagram at @danagrimaldiedits.
Carly Byrne is Senior Editor for Harlequin Historical, as well as working with a number of authors across all four UK-acquired series lines. Carly joined the editorial team at Harlequin’s London office after completing an M.A. in popular literature, and what could be more popular than Harlequin romances! A diehard fan of everything romantic, with a particular penchant for a rugged hero, whether he’s wearing a Stetson, wielding a sword or wildly roaming the Highlands! Carly can’t believe she actually gets to read romances for a living! Find her on Twitter at @CarlyMByrne.
Bryony Green is the executive editor of Harlequin’s series acquisition team in London, which acquires for Harlequin Presents, Romance, Medicals and Historical. A few years ago she also took over the senior editor responsibilities for Historicals as part of her role and has loved getting to know its talented authorbase and the wide variety of stories within that series! She loves working with her own authors – many of whom she’s worked with for a very long time – and she still feels the biggest thrill is finding a new voice for one of the series!
Allison Lyons is the Senior Editor for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. She’s been at Harlequin for more than twenty-five years and has had the opportunity to work with a variety of authors and lines that span the three editorial offices. Allison started reading books by Danielle Steele when she was too young to understand them. But that didn’t stop her. Each story gave her insight into what made two people fall in love. And it especially taught her that they wouldn’t let anything—or anyone—get in the way of that romance. Who knew it was planting the seed for a career editing those very types of stories! She’s currently looking for books that still promise that happily-ever-after, but also include lots of gritty, juicy suspense, especially those that fit the Harlequin Romantic Suspense promise. Reading is her favorite hobby—obviously!—but running has become a newfound passion. Staying healthy is something she does not take lightly, especially in this unpredictable world.
Since joining Harlequin Books in 2005, Adrienne has worked on a number of imprints, series and special projects, giving her a great appreciation for the wide variety of stories Harlequin publishes. She is currently an editor for Harlequin Heartwarming.
Adrienne lives in Toronto, and is renowned throughout the company for her sweet tooth and black thumb.
