Are you tired of hearing me whine? I know I am. So, today I’ll point you all over to New Voices.
I’m going to assume most of you know what it is. If you don’t, and you’re a romance writer, definitely go take a look.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to enter yet. Partly because of the aforementioned identity crisis. I think for Harlequin/Mills & Boon you really have to know where you fit to be successful. I did see that Sarah Mayberry is one of the mentors and her book Her Best Friend is listed as an example of contemporary romance. This does make me a little more open to the idea of entering than I was a few days ago because Ms. Mayberry is by far my favorite Harlequin/Mills & Boon author and I really enjoyed Her Best Friend for its realism.
I am also waiting to hear back on my requested revisions. If you have a contract with any publisher, you can’t enter New Voices. If I hear back from them by the end date of entries, that might factor into my decision as well.
So, what about you? Are you entering? If so, you should go over to Lacey Devlin’s website. She was a great cheerleader last year and is stepping up to do the same this year.
Even if you’re not entering, you can read other’s entries and leave feedback. I know I got a lot out of the feedback I received last year. If you’re honest (without being unnecessarily snarky), it really can be helpful to another aspiring writer.
Nicole Helm 
I’ll decide for you… You’re entering. Hop to it! 😉
I don’t know if this makes a difference but you can enter NV (not being under contract) and then retract your entry at a later stage because you’re too fabulous to be mixing with the rest of us 😉 I really hope your revisions go well.
The fabulous thing about M&B is that if you think your writing fits somewhere and you submit to one line if an editor sees potential but thinks you’re better suited to another line they will go to the trouble of passing it on. I think that’s really lovely, especially considering editor workloads. I hope you find the best fit for your voice soon, Nic!
P.S. Thanks for the shoutout 🙂
Haha, thank you for making that decision for me! I do think I will probably enter, but I am going to wait until towards the end of the submission window and really think about what I want to enter. Last year I entered on one of the first days, and then later wish I’d submitted a different WIP. I’m giving myself time this year and not jumping the gun.
If I don’t hear back from the publisher with my revisions by then, I won’t let that stop me from entering, definitely.
The shout out is richly deserved for all you do encouraging those entering (and on the fence about entering, lol). I love how you highlighted three people already on your blog.