Five Minutes Peace

The New Romantics

Seven British romance novelists - Lucy Diamond, Kate Harrison, Matt Dunn, Veronica Henry, Milly Johnson, Jojo Moyes and Sarah Duncan - have banded together under the name The New Romantics. They aim to promote their chosen genre (much like the crime writers that formed The Murder Squad).

Romance is a massively popular and hugely varied genre that gets continually derided (or ignored) by both the media and literary establishment. And it's a genre that focuses on subjects that are traditionally 'female' - love, relationships, the domestic sphere, and family. Interesting, no?

The New Romantics are standing up to say 'we are intelligent professionals and we are proud to write and read romance'. Hurrah for that.

There's also a fab competiton running on the site to win a novel a month for a year. The closing date is 8 May so don't delay!

Harper's Bazaar Orange Short Story Competition

Wannabe a writer? Fancy trying your hand at a short story? Write a 2000 word story (the subject is 'mother') and submit it here by Tuesday 14 April 2009 and you'll be in with a chance of winning £1000 and publication in Harper's Bazaar.

The two runners-up will receive £500 each and all three finalists will be invited to attend a writers' masterclass and lunch at Random House. What are you waiting for?

Prince Jake competition - the winners!

Thanks for all the entries to the Prince Jake competition. The winners of two books each are:

Wendy Bloom
Antonia Chitty
Leanne Lawless
Julie Mirowski
Luisa Plaja

Your books will be winging their way to you... just as soon as I can get to the Post Office!

WIN! Prince Jake books

Yes, it's our first Five Minutes Peace competition!

We've got five copies of each of these wonderful Sue Mongredien's Prince Jake books to give away.

And all you have to do to be in with a chance of winning is email your name and address to keris@fiveminutespeace.co.uk before midnight GMT on Saturday, 28 February. Good luck!