Resources for Romance Writers

Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you got at least one card!

In view of the occasion I thought I'd share some of my top resources for romance writers. I don't put myself in that category personally, though I've had my moments. For example, my first published book was How to Find Your Ideal Partner, and my first published short story was a teenage romance. I also co-wrote the scripts for the Cyberbabe and Cyberboyfriend entertainment CD-ROMs published by Lagoon (these were both quite sweet and innocent, I must emphasise!).

There's no doubt that there is a huge appetite for romantic fiction, and with electronic publishing now starting to take off in this field as well, the prospects for romance authors have seldom looked brighter.

First up then is Charlotte Dillon's Resources for Romance Writers. I realise I'm cheating a bit by including a site that lists resources, but Charlotte's site is beautifully written and designed, and it also includes lots of useful, practical advice for budding romance authors. Highly recommended.

My next site is eHarlequin. This is the website of Harlequin, Silhouette, Spice and various other romantic fiction imprints operated by the oldest romance publishing company of them all, Mills & Boon. I'd particularly direct you to their Learn to Write page. This includes writing guidelines and submission samples for many of their imprints, as well as writing articles, updated monthly, from editors and authors. Check out too the current romance writing challenge - deadline 21 February.

Finally, if you are interested in writing the more explicit type of romance, you should visit the Erotica Readers and Writers Association website. This does include some "adult" material, so please read the warning before you click through to the main part of the site. Inside, you'll find all manner of information and resources for writers of this type of fiction, along with pages of calls for submissions from publishers.

Good luck, and good romance writing!