Interview with Paula Eykelhof (HQ Superromance)

Interview: PAULA EYKELHOF
Senior Editor, Harlequin Superromance!
by
Janet Edgar

Paula, thank you for taking the time for this interview. I know you are in the midst of deadlines and I truly appreciate your enthusiasm for telling us a little about yourself and Harlequin Superromances. Did you grow up in Canada? With your busy schedule, do you have time for hobbies?

I grew up in Canada, but was born in The Netherlands. We immigrated to Canada in the late 50s—by boat, an experience of which I have very clear memories. We settled in the Niagara peninsula in southern Ontario and I moved to Toronto in the 70s. As far as hobbies are concerned—the only interest I currently find time for seems to be reading. (Big surprise.) However, I do enjoy theater and movies, as well as gardening and cooking (in theory, anyway).

How long have you been with Harlequin? How did you begin your career in publishing?

I’ve been with Harlequin since 1986; prior to that I freelanced (so my relationship with the company actually began on a freelance basis, in 1983—just after my daughter was born). I initially worked with the Romance and Presents department and was responsible for North American acquisitions for those series; I became Senior Editor of Superromance in 1993. I’ve also worked on a number of other programs and projects, including Stolen Moments, Love in a Chinese Garden (an adaptation of a classic Chinese drama), a number of anthologies and various MIRA titles (I’m Debbie Macomber’s editor).

As for how I got into publishing—I’ve always done related work and my degrees are in English and Drama. Other jobs (besides the freelancing) have included working as a researcher for CBCtelevision, working in PR for the Ontario government Ministry of Housing and a stint as a puppeteer.

Paula, when a manuscript crosses your desk, what elements do you look for in a Superromance novel? Can you give us an indication of what the Superromance reader wants?

What I look for in a proposal is, first of all, a sense of story. And really good writing. I look for a sense of individuality in the writing itself and in the writer’s approach to the story. I look for a romance that’s believable, central and integrally related to the situation and the plot. I look for deeply felt emotion and, of course, characters who have realness and depth and complexity; characterization is definitely key to writing for this series. I also like a background and/or setting that’s made very present for the reader. Needless to say, I appreciate professionalism in all its aspects—and when it comes to a submission, that means clear, correct writing and legible printing.

Although we want individuality, we—like all romance series—can certainly and happily accommodate the classic or popular “themes” and plots (like marriage of convenience, to take one enduring example). However, it’s crucial that you make your story credible in the context of the 21st Century. You should ensure, too, that the plot stems legitimately from your characters and their situation, and is not imposed on them.

I believe the Superromance reader wants a range of stories. She wants books with realistic, mature and sympathetic characters, compelling plots, genuine emotion.

Can you tell us a little about the editors at Superromance? Are you looking for new authors? Has Superromance grown from four to six releases a month? How far ahead are you booked?

The other Editors at Superromance are: Zilla Soriano, who has been with the company—and this series—since 1990. Prior to that, she studied journalism and wrote freelance articles. Laura Shin, with whom I worked on Romance; she worked in television for a while and returned to Harlequin to work on Superromance in 1996. Beverley Sotolov, who worked for Harlequin in the 1980s and then worked for a number of other publishers, followed by a successful freelance career. She joined the Superromance department late last year. Jennifer Tam is our Editorial Assistant; shealso works with Temptation and Duets.

And yes, we are looking for new writers. The fact that, as of May 1999, we moved from four books to six has meant opportunities for a number of new authors. Among our newer authors, watch for work from Rogenna Brewer, K.N. Casper (Ken Casper), C.J. Carmichael (Carla Daum) and Roxanne Rustand. In the coming months, you’ll see books from brand-new authors Susan Floyd (Susan Kimoto), Linda Warren, Brenda Novak, Debra Salonen and Fay Robinson (Carmel Thomaston). We also welcome Eve Gaddy and Anne Haven (Anne Ha) who have been published elsewhere and are new to us.

I anticipate that we’ll have room for several other new writers—and keep in mind that we’re always interested in seeing good, original work.

Paula, can you give us a few examples of what you do NOT want in a proposal?

What we don’t want in a proposal… Cliched or generic or pretentious writing. Superficial
characterizations. Plots or situations that are overfamiliar or too similar to something else we’ve recently published. Plots that are imposed on the characters. Conflicts that are insubstantial or improperly resolved. Your proposal should consist of one chapter and a clear, sufficiently detailed synopsis that fully explains the plot, conflict, motivations and resolution. If, on the basis of that, we want to see more, we’ll let you know.

Are Harlequin Superromances published in other countries besides Canada and the United States?

Supers are published in a number of other countries, including France, Australia, Japan, Scandinavia and more.

Paula, if any of our readers would like to send a proposal to Superromance, what would you need? What is the typical turn around time once a proposal has been
received?

As I indicated earlier, a proposal should be one chapter plus a solid synopsis, together with a covering letter telling us a little bit about yourself, e.g., publication history (if any), how long you’ve been writing, awards (if any), membership in writers’ organizations including RWA, anything else about your background that’s relevant to the story you’ve written. Indicate, too, if you’ve met one of us at a conference or have received an encouraging letter from a particular editor in the past. The proposal package could be sent to any one of us or to my attention; we have a rotational system for evaluating manuscripts. Obviously, if a particular editor has asked for the manuscript, send it to her at the Don Mills address (225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, M3B 3K9). Don Mills is a suburb of Toronto.

Turnaround—to be honest—is not always as fast as we’d like. We were short-staffed for a while; we also have (as you can imagine) pretty full workloads. We try to get back to you in three to four months.

Many of us have recently returned from the national RWA conference in Chicago where we have “pitched” stories to editors. What is the percentage for asking the author to send the proposal in to you -- once we’ve pitched our stories?

If the story you’ve pitched seems to have the qualities and characteristics of a Super, chances are we’ll ask to see it. But a pitch session can only tell us so much—whether your story is likely to be substantial enough for a Super, whether it’s interesting and original and—sometimes—whether you have storytelling talent. It can’t tell us anything about the actual writing or how you’ve handled characterization or your approach to classic elements or your dialogue or your pacing, etc. What really matters is the manuscript itself.

Paula, it has been my pleasure to interview you for The Heart Beat of Denver. Again, thank you for taking the time. We really appreciate it!
Janet Edgar, Newsletter Editor