From Fiction to Reality: Five Harlequin Authors Nominate Their Real-Life Heroines for the 2015 Harlequin More Than Words Awards

Online voting is now open to the public at www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com.

TORONTO and NEW YORK, May 11, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- For more than a decade, through the Harlequin More Than Words Awards, Harlequin has celebrated the charitable endeavors of women across North America, recognizing them for the significant work they have done to strengthen the foundations of their communities. This year's outstanding finalists were nominated by five popular Harlequin authors: Sarah M. Anderson, Karen Booth, Beth Cornelison, Marie Force, and Heather Woodhaven. The five finalists are posted at http://www.harlequinmorethanwords.com/vote, and the public is invited to vote for their real-life heroines starting May 11, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. ET until June 11, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. ET. The winners will be announced on June 17, 2015, and the three women with the highest percentage of votes will each receive a donation of $15,000 to support their charitable foundations and will be featured in a charity spotlight on Harlequin's blog at HarlequinBlog.com.

"Every year we publish books about resilient, inspiring and compassionate women, but we know that these women don't exist solely between the pages of a book," said Loriana Sacilotto, EVP of Global Publishing. "Harlequin's More Than Words program gives us the privilege of shining a light on everyday heroines, and we are delighted that our authors and readers are helping us honor these remarkable women and their worthy causes."

Maggie Dunne, nominated by award-winning author Sarah M. Anderson, is founder of Lakota Children's Enrichment, a nonprofit that empowers youth on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Harlequin Desire author Karen Booth put forward Lucy Steiner who is a founding member of the Be Loud! Sophie Foundation, an organization that supports adolescent and young-adult cancer patients and their families at UNC hospitals.  Romantic Suspense author Beth Cornelison nominated Megan McClanahan, executive director of the Northeast Louisiana Virtual Clinic, a nonprofit that provides comprehensive health-care services to the low income population in northeast Louisiana. Jennifer Barrera, nominated by bestselling author Marie Force, is program director at Lucy's Hearth in Rhode Island, which helps homeless families locate permanent affordable housing. Jennifer Brost, nominated by Love Inspired author Heather Woodhaven, is founder and executive director of The Job Foundation and is on a mission to give financially disadvantaged children in Iowa the resources they need to achieve economic empowerment.

For more information about each finalist, visit www.HarlequinMoreThanWords.com.

The Harlequin More Than Words program is a philanthropic initiative that aims to raise awareness about worthy causes that are of concern to women and mobilize others to take action in their communities.

About Harlequin:
Harlequin (www.Harlequin.com) is one of the world's leading publishers of books for women, with titles issued worldwide in 34 languages and sold in 102 international markets. The company publishes more than 110 titles monthly and more than 1,300 authors from around the world. Harlequin is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, itself a subsidiary of News Corp and one of the largest English-language publishers in the world. Harlequin has offices in 15 countries, including offices in Toronto, New York and London. For more information, please visit Harlequin.com and Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks. Follow Harlequin on Twitter: @HarlequinBooks.

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SOURCE Harlequin