Do you have a romantic novel in you?

Is it based around an original first encounter?

From Romeo and Juliet’s fateful kiss to Elizabeth’s clash with the proud, rude Mr Darcy at the Meryton ball, writers have proved that true love springs from the most unlikely of encounters.

LoveAtFirstWrite is looking for a romantic novel with an original set-up, written with flair and charm, so that its creator can find their happy-ever-after with their new publisher.

So if you are a debut novelist looking for your first publisher, it's time to enter the LoveAtFirstWrite competition in partnership with Corvus and Lovereading. Simply tweet the idea for your novel @CorvusBooks #loveatfirstwrite and send us a book synopsis and first chapter to loveatfirstwrite@atlantic-books.co.uk between 12th September and 12th October 2014.

Entries will be read by the Corvus editorial team, then a shortlist judged by a dedicated panel of experts, including Maddie West, Corvus Editorial Director, Sarah Broadhurst, Lovereading Lead Reviewer, Elisabeth Gifford, author of The Secrets of the Sea House and Lindsey Mooney, Kobo Vendor Manager, UK & Ireland.

Entrants will need to submit the following:

1) A book synopsis

2) The first chapter (no more than 5,000 words)

3) The story can come from any genre of romantic fiction but the entry must show the protagonists’ first meeting.

Entrants must not have been previously published and should be based in the UK or Ireland.

Entrants are also encouraged to tweet how their characters meet in less than 140 characters @CorvusBooks.

The winner will be announced in November 2014, and will have their novel published by Corvus as an eBook and paperback original in 2015.

Good luck & happy writing!

Source: Press release.