Contacts:  Sara Kemp/Tori Rappold
                Burson-Marsteller
                212-614-4196/212-614-4201

Harlequin and NASCAR Feature Valentine's Day Sweepstakes with A Chance to Win a Dinner with Motor Sports Star Carl Edwards
 

(NEW YORK) February 14, 2006 - Harlequin, a leading publisher of women's fiction and NASCAR are putting women in the driver's seat this Valentine's Day.  As part of an innovative relationship forged to reach more female consumers, Harlequin will be sponsoring a Valentine's Day sweepstakes to win a dinner with NASCAR driver, Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Office Depot Ford for Roush Racing.

"Harlequin readers love romance and excitement and that is what Carl Edwards and this sweepstakes are all about," says Katherine Orr, vice president of Harlequin Enterprises, ltd.  "What better way to wish our customer a Happy Valentine's Day than to merge two beloved American pastimes.  As our relationship continues to grow, we hope to find more opportunities to get hearts racing."

Female fans interested in the sweepstakes can enter by logging on to www.getyourheartracng.com, a website dedicated to a new series of NASCAR-themed books from Harlequin that marries the worlds of fiction and fervor. The first book in the series, In The Groove by Pamela Britton gives readers a front row seat into the NASCAR world.  It hits bookstores nationwide this month just in time for the Daytona 500.

Track-side NASCAR fans will also have the chance to meet Edwards as he commemorates Valentine's Day and kicks-off the sweepstakes at the Harlequin Fan Forum at the Daytona USA Attraction on February 14th just prior to the Daytona 500.  Britton will also be present to sign copies of her new book.

"I am so excited to be working with Harlequin to reach female NASCAR fans," says Edwards.  Women are important to the sport because they bring so much energy and enthusiasm.  These new NASCAR-themed books show that auto-racing is becoming a bigger part of pop culture and I could not be happier."

The Grand Prize winner will receive a 5-night/6-day trip for two to Charlotte, North Carolina, dinner with Carl Edwards, two tickets to a behind the scenes experience at the NASCAR NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, and $200 spending money. A second and third prize winner will receive items from both Harlequin and Roush Racing, including a copy of In The Groove autographed by Carl Edwards and Pamela Britton.

About Harlequin
Harlequin Enterprises Limited is the global leader in series romance and one of the world's leading publishers of women's fiction, with titles issued worldwide in 25 languages and sold in 94 international markets. The company produces over 115 titles monthly and publishes more than 1,300 authors from around the world. Harlequin Enterprises Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation, a broadly based media company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TS.nv.b). Harlequin's Web site is located at www.eHarlequin.com. Harlequin has offices in 18 countries including Toronto, New York and London. For more information please visit www.eHarlequin.com or press.eHarlequin.com.

About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR), which began in 1948, is the sanctioning body for one of America's premier sports.  NASCAR is the #1 spectator sport, holding 17 of the top 20 attended sporting events in the U.S., the #2 rated regular-season sport on television with broadcasts in over 150 countries and has 75 million fans who purchase over $2 billion in annual licensed product sales. These fans are the most brand loyal in all of sports and as a result, more Fortune 500 companies participate in NASCAR than any other sport.  NASCAR consists of three major national series (NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series), as well as eight regional series and one local grassroots series.  NASCAR sanctions 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 38 states, Canada and Mexico. Based in Daytona Beach (Fla.), NASCAR has offices in Bentonville (Ark.), Charlotte (N.C.), Concord (N.C.), Conover (N.C.), Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City and Toronto.