Harlequin launches a new interactive, digital experience 'The Chatsfield'

Romance fiction publisher Harlequin has launched a new, interactive digital series called 'The Chatsfield' that goes beyond the pages of the book. The aim of the digital series created by Mills & Boon is to use all forms of media including print, video, digital, and social to create a unique storytelling experience.

At the heart of this digital experience is The Chatsfield, a luxury hotel filled with style, spectacle & scandal. While there will be a series of main books for readers, fans can explore an entire new world by visiting the hotel's website at www.thechatsfield.com. There, you can interact with hotel staff, "reserve" your own room, or chat with others about your experience in the Lounge.

One of the characters of 'The Chatsfield', Executive PA Jessie Loe, even has her own web series on YouTube. Characters will actually react to fan intereactions as the story progresses over time, too. Harlequin is really bringing these characters and stories to life. That includes incorporating real world elements into the story as well. So far companies like Glossybox, Taj Hotel and Cupid.com have already joined in becoming a part of 'The Chatsfield'.

“At Harlequin we are always seeking to use the understanding we have of our consumers to develop new models and propositions to entertain our audiences," says Tim Cooper, Managing Director at Harlequin UK. "The genesis for this project was to evolve the Mills & Boon Series model around the female consumer of today. Could we best utilise the resources at hand (our authors / brand and team) to tell great stories in ways that would engage and entertain women? Women are engaging evermore with on-going characters and wanting to interact and learn more about them and are consuming content in different formats across different platforms. So I looked to create an intersection between our series publishing programme and other media. A fantastic team, made up of our authors, external specialists and great internal skills, have taken this idea and bought it to life in a very exciting new venture for Harlequin in the form of ‘The Chatsfield’, perhaps the next chapter in storytelling.”

You can begin your "The Chatsfield' storytelling experience by creating a profile at the hotel check in and begin solving the hotel mystery and earn badges in the process.