by Kate 
When it comes to romance novels, everyone is hung up on the endings. (No, not those endings. Mind out of the gutter, people!). I’m talking the happy-ever-after endings that pretty much define the genre. Detractors deride it: why read a book when you already know where it’s going to end up? Cynics sneer at it: so unrealistic! Readers demand it: in fact, not a small group of genre enthusiasts read the end first to make sure that the book is going to deliver the closure they require.

But where’s the love for the beginnings? Romance novel endings may be variations on a theme, but every new beginning is unique – new characters, new situations, new emotions, new hopes. A world of endless possibilities, the future sun-soaked and beckoning. Who knows where the path will lead, what monsters will be encountered, what friends made along the way…what rewards will welcome the dusty, road-worn traveller when he or she reaches her final destination.

Yep, there’s definitely something about beginnings – and the adventure a new beginning entails – so I’m super excited about this, the beginning of the adventure of Harlequin Escape. You’ll be able to get most of the information you need from the website, including submission guidelines and where and how to buy our titles. What’s not there are the hopes and expectations, the excitement and the possibilities that the Harlequin Escape team has for our new project. We’re as giddy as debutantes at their first ball, as excited as a slayer meeting her first vampire. We can’t wait to discover new authors and introduce new stories, can’t wait to start travelling the road ahead of us. And we sincerely hope that you’re up for that road trip too.

All that’s left is to pick the soundtrack…