Mills & Boon Extended Guidelines

MILLS & BOON® HISTORICAL ROMANCE
(HARLEQUIN® HISTORICAL)

LENGTH: 70,000 to 75,000 WORDS
SENIOR EDITOR: LINDA FILDEW
OFFICE: LONDON
No. of books per month: 6
Length: 288 pages

Historical Romances promise the reader richly textured, emotionally intense stories that encompass a wide range of historical periods. The central relationship is the key driving force, set against an accurate backdrop. Readers should feel as if they are there. The well-observed details of costume, social behaviour - even a touch of the politics of the day - will all enhance the colour and authenticity of the story.

These novels are for born storytellers with a love of history, who have the ability to bring a period vividly to life, and to create characters that involve and absorb the reader from page one. You don't need to be a professional historian, although you should have an understanding of, and a keen interest in, the periods you are writing about. Your enthusiasm will convey itself to the readers. Research is fundamental to writing a Historical Romance and you will need to learn the strict discipline of what will make it into the story - and what will need to be left out!

Time periods
We encourage manuscripts set in widely diverse historical time periods, from ancient civilizations up to and including the First and Second World Wars. Regency tales remain ever-popular with our readers and cover the range from drawing-room antics which scandalise the Ton to the salacious underworld inhabited by pickpockets and prostitutes to the hazardous battlefields of the Peninsular War. We are also looking for novels set during the Viking invasions through to the turbulence of the Middle Ages, from Elizabethan England to 20th Century families at war. Western American and Australasian settings are also welcome, with highly dramatic and emotional stories unfolding in the wilderness at society's edge. Stories set in Europe - for example, the turmoil of the French Revolution as seen through the eyes of a native French hero and heroine - are also of interest to us.

Remember that it is important to bring a period to life by researching hard. Think BIG when creating your setting - a large historical canvas that throws a reader back in time and gives them an insight into not just the thoughts, but also the customs, tastes, intrigues and scandals of the day. But, be careful not to let the history eclipse the all-vital developing romance, which should remain central to the plot.

Characterisation
Effective characterisation is key. A reader must be able to relate to the characters, to understand what drives them and identify with their emotions and motivations. They must be convincing, grounded in reality, because, despite their living in a time distant from ours, the emotions they experience will be the same then as now - love is timeless.

It is important to create heroes and heroines who complement each other, who are charismatic and inspirational, but who have a strong internal and emotional conflict. Heroes must be strong, dependable and commanding - the kind of man you would fall in love with - while the heroines are spirited, sometimes wilful but always sympathetic. You should strive to create fully rounded characters within the conventions of your chosen period (even if they choose to go against convention in the course of the story!). Look at all layers and facets of human behaviour - mental, physical and emotional - and use tension as well as rapport. If they are antagonistic towards each other at times then there must be a reason behind this hostility, and this should be balanced with lighter and perhaps more playful moments. This helps give texture, depth and pace to a storyline.

Because of the longer length of these novels, there is scope to develop strong secondary characters. Genuine historical personalities such as kings, queens, statesmen, etc., do not usually feature as either the hero or heroine, but can be used to bring a touch of the real world to the storyline. Secondary characters can be used to highlight further aspects of the main protagonists' personalities. They can also have points of view and stories of their own - just as long as they neatly interweave with the main story and don't threaten to take over.

When it comes to dialogue, aim for clarity and a realistic turn of phrase. Ask yourself whether your characters' language sounds contrived when they banter with each other, or do they sound true to life and animated. Historical dialogue is a specific skill. Beware of over-using slang expressions or making the language too ornate and flowery. Purple prose is definitely not where we are at! It is generally wiser not to overdo period language and dialects as the result could be the opposite to that sought - there's a danger that it could sound stiff and stilted. However, it is always better to allow your characters to come alive through dialogue rather than through lengthy explanations in the narrative.

Sensuality
There is no limit to the level of sensuality if it seems appropriate to both the characters and the story. Emotional responses are as important as any physical responses. If the story is sexually explicit, the scenes should not be inserted gratuitously but evolve naturally out of the developing relationship.

These guidelines are just a guide to help you approach your writing. They are not definitive because we are always open to new ideas - such as first-person narratives or different settings and periods. It is a good idea to tackle your manuscript with an innovative eye - endeavour to be original rather than derivative - although you might find it helpful to read some recently published novels to understand what we are currently acquiring. We look forward to hearing from you.

MILLS & BOON® MEDICAL ROMANCETM
ON THE PULSE...

MILLS & BOON MEDICALROMANCE
LENGTH:  50,000 - 55,000 WORDS
SENIOR EDITOR:  SHEILA HODGSON 
OFFICE:  LONDON
No. of books per month: 6
Number of pages: 192 pages

Welcome to the world of Medical Romance - the series where surgeons and midwives, nurses and paramedics quite literally meet their match! 

These up-to-the-minute romances offer all the elements of TV medical drama - a gamut of emotions, pulse-raising drama and both tender and passionate romantic relationships.  They capture the pace, caring, tensions, dilemmas, traumas and triumphs of today's medical professionals.  Emotions are always intense as our heroes and heroines struggle daily with life and death (and life and love!) decisions.  The novels offer a wealth of experiences, from the breathless energy of the Hospital Emergency Room to the warmth and tenderness of family practice. 

These are character driven, highly emotional stories.  They may be set in the world of the medical profession, but are still romantic fantasies albeit with a realistic set of emotions, conflicts and scenarios that readers can truly relate to.

Heroes and Heroines
The heroes and heroines are dedicated, attractive, honourable, and human - people who will move mountains to save a life or resolve a medical problem - the kind of people who we all dream of having on our side in an emergency.  They are strong, intelligent and successful and respected.  They might be any kind of doctor, or surgeon, a specialist nurse, nurse practitioner, paramedic, midwife, ambulance crew, medical-rescue staff, forensic practitioner, police surgeon, medical rescue worker, etc.  One of them could even be a member of other emergency services such as a fire-fighter or a police officer. 

Mostly our heroes and heroines are both medical professionals as this allows them to work together and to be involved together in the medical drama.  The stories can work if only one of the central characters is a medical professional, but the other needs to be involved with the medical drama, too (e.g. a member of the emergency services).  What's important is that there is plenty of scope for contact and communication through action and dialogue, involving rapport as well as conflict.  The world of medicine is rich in human drama and the emotional ranges should be fully and deeply explored.

Settings
There is a huge range of settings in Medicals.  Locations include North America, UK, Europe, Australia and many other international and exotic locations.  Medical romance readers have a global readership.  Popular medical backgrounds include the Emergency Room, Special Care Baby Units, Emergency Response Units, midwifery and maternity, paediatrics, town and country family practices, busy city and small rural hospitals, general surgery, forensic medicine, air, sea, ground and fire rescue backgrounds etc - as long as they all involve medical personnel.  We are always keen to see stories set in new areas of medicine or new geographical locations. 

Secondary Characters
Dealing with secondary characters in short contemporary romance is always a challenge.  Medical romance does offer the scope to develop secondary characters, including medical colleagues, patients, and other emergency-related professionals.  The key is not to distract from the central relationship, while allowing communication and involvement between hero and heroine and their patients and colleagues.

Themes
Children are always popular in Medicals, and the younger the better.  They can form part of the hero and heroine's conflict, and storylines featuring medical personnel struggling to meet the demands of a medical career plus a family, plus renewing a romantic relationship or struggling with the demands of a new one, are very popular in Medicals.  Particularly strong are stories featuring heroes/heroines who are single parents.  The other way to involve children is via the medical setting - Children's Doctors and paediatric departments are great.

Emergency - A&E/ER settings, emergency response units, or similar, which can also involve other emergency services such as fire-fighters and police, are terrific settings for Medicals What we're looking for here is stories in the ER mode:  the life-on-the-edge drama, fast-moving pace and intense emotions we see in hospital dramas.  There is lots of scope for excitement here along with that great sense of community: staff with their own issues. 

Midwifery - This could be either midwives in the community, attending home births, or set in a maternity unit.  All those different permutations of labour and the ‘ahh' factor of a baby at the end of them, and some emotional issues too, make this area of medicine a perennially popular one.  You might also consider themes such as IVF, Infertility and Surrogacy.

Mediterranean Doctors - By that we mean dishy, Italian, Spanish, Greek and French medical heroes are winners with Medical readers.  They can be set in the country of their birth, always interesting to see how another country's medical system works, or somewhere else.

Medical Rescue - There are several routes to explore here:  International Rescue; Ground Rescue; Air rescue; Sea Rescue and other emergency services - e.g., paramedics working with the fire service, as well as Flying Doctor services.  All of these types of units and settings give great scope for Medical personnel working in adventurous, exciting and sometimes dangerous locales and situations.

Police Doctors/Surgeons - This may involve medical personnel working with police, and provide scope for some interesting medical drama including forensics.  These heroes and heroines can also be family doctors, performing a dual role, so they can perform a wide range of medical drama. 
Christmas - As long as it features strongly, and involves Christmas being brought into the hospital or other medical setting, Christmas stories are loved by Medical readers.

Practices (Family Medical Practices) - The kind of personal attention and sense of community that this setting can bring to a romance still holds allure.

Medical Repatriation Services - Agencies who call on doctors, nurses, etc, to accompany and repatriate patients back home from abroad and treating them on the way - hopefully bringing them back alive.  These situations have great scope for heroes and heroines to work together intensely in close proximity, and can really bring about some exciting and tender situations!

Contemporary Forces Medical Units - Medical personnel in the forces during times of conflict abroad remain heroic figures.  Again, these units give great scope for intense close proximity, great medical drama, highs and lows and a sense of community and camaraderie amongst unit personnel.

World Aid Medical Organisations - Medical aid units around the world, providing medical services to areas in need provide plenty of scope for heroes and heroines to work closely together in heartrending situations.

International Search and Rescue - Medical teams from international organisations who attend disasters such as earthquakes, major fires etc.  Can provide great medical drama and rescue scenes involving heroes and heroines who are working together in a crisis situation.  This is always a good one for giving rise to intense emotion.  We're always on the lookout for romances involving ever edgier types of medical drama - new areas of medicine that open fresh storyline opportunities. 

Medical Detail
The story should have a strong sense of being in a medical environment from page one.  Medical Romance authors need to give enough detail about treatments and medical procedures for the background to be convincing, and in keeping with contemporary practice and developments.  However, we are not looking for avid technical detail and it's important not to distance the reader with too much.  It is the medical drama, the pace, the excitement and the emotions that come through those situations that the medical background should offer. 

It's important too that the medical drama works in tandem with the central relationship, keeping the protagonists together, and allowing the emotions of the medical drama to propel the romantic relationship forward.  This can help bring their personal emotions to the fore, allowing them to spill out in private.  One of the most common problems we see in medical submissions is that the medical drama and romantic development are kept separate - one should fuel the other.  The Medical drama should provide a catalyst for the relationship, but it is the characters that drive it.

Sensuality
There is a wide range of emotions and sensuality in Medical Romances.  They can be very passionate and sometimes quite sexually explicit, but when this happens it is always tied up with strong emotions and seems entirely appropriate to the circumstances and characters.  DO keep reading our current publications to see where the line is going.  Medical Romance is constantly evolving, so let your imagination run with us!

So I'm not quite sure, but we're definitely checking into it!

Dee

Is that it is a bit separate from M&B romance and that they are not currently taking submissions as 2008 is already set.

Will keep ears peeled for y'all, though!

Dee

No. Editors of commercial fiction need to be able to sway with the market. Now, do they promote head hopping? No, but they're not going to set your manuscript on fire if you switch POV. Also, no, they definitely do not require the first sentence to be active. Promise. :)

Dee 

I will learn to master form, yuck.

Now my testing for 6 credits of English instead of taking the classes seems a very bad idea. I didn't think it would matter with a science degree.

I get good critiques on voice, plot and pacing. I DO get nudged on POV a little and passive tense.

I'm starting book 2 of a trilogy. Is that something Harlequin would be interested in? I figured I would have to try AVON or Ballantine. My word count is going to be kind of high as well.

It really isn't as dull as it sounds!  It's exciting!  I have the urge to break the rules all the time.  And there's benefit in it sometimes, and pushing boundaries.  There's something to be said about calculated risk.

I feel tempted a lot of the time to tell new writers to have patience.  Not only with selling but with themselves.  It might take years for your writing to be ready and it has nothing to do with the level of your education.  EVERYONE has a learning curve.

I have a degree, but when it came time to master the form, uh oh.  It took me nearly 5 years and 10 mss to write a book that Romance bought.  Your comments on passive language etc. reminded me very much of myself and honestly....it was something that time corrected...in conjunction with a lot of writing.  The more you write the more you will improve.  Allow yourself that time, keep telling stories.  And remember too, that even those authors who have published multiple books are still learning all the time.  They still struggle over books and wonder if their work is any good.

FWIW

Donna

Have I hijacked this whole thread?

Good point about not having to pay an agent!