Sordid affair? Confess online
2007-09-28 08:33
Toronto - Overcome with guilt
about a sordid affair or a secret facelift? A new interactive
website is giving people an opportunity to anonymously confess
their sins online.
Harlequin Enterprises, one of the world's largest
publishers of romantic fiction, launched the site for people to
post their guilty pleasures, and for others to peruse them.
It is also encouraging those who have confessed their
indiscretions to take part in an interactive survey that will
form the basis of of its annual Romance Report which will be
published in January.
"It really spawned from the reality shows and the talk
shows and people opening up their lives and crying, not
necessarily with the people they love but with strangers
because it makes you feel better or it somehow cleanses you of
your demons," said Marleah Stout, a spokesperson for the
company.
The internet already offers a variety of confessional sites
ranging from mysecret.tv, launched by a US evangelical
network, to postsecret.blogspot.com, a blog and art project in
which people write their secrets on hand-made postcards.
But Stout said the site is more geared towards romance.
"Although sometimes shocking and unexpected, confessions
are also extremely romantic, bringing us closer to the people
we love by revealing ourselves to them," said Stout.
But Stout admitted the site is sure to draw plenty of
cheating confessions and material that is much racier than most
of the material in its romance novels.
The site, www.harlequinromancereport.com, is divided into
into eight sections - one for each of the seven deadly sins
and another for those hard-to-categorise indiscretions, secrets
and fantasies.
Stout said the idea for the confessions site came after the
Toronto-based company's highly-publicised casting call last
spring for average men, not models, to pose for their book
covers.
"It's all about real people and real feelings."