DATE: February 2023

The Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) are once again celebrating Romance Reading Month and this time we have added something extra. On the 14th February we will be hosting a mini virtual Lit Fest with a variety of panels being held throughout the day, featuring actual powerhouses from both the RNA and the world of publishing.

The event will be kicking off with a Respect Rom Fic panel, hosted by Virginia Heath which will include our Editor of the Year 2022, Sara-Jade Virtue, Brand Development Director, Fiction at Simon & Schuster UK. Sara-Jade has been leading the campaign across publishing to demand respect for the genre. Other panellists include Amanda Ridout, CEO and Founder of Boldwood Books, Winner of the Independent Publisher of the Year 2022 Award, and Susan Watson, Fiction Editor at My Weekly. Other panels will include:

What Publishers/Editors Want hosted by Julia Boggio with Emily Ruston, Editorial Director at Boldwood Books; Emily Gowers, Editorial Director at Storm Publishing, and Literary Agent Hannah Schofield from LBA Literary Agency,

The Key to Writing Bestselling Romance hosted by Catherine Tinley with international bestselling authors, Katie Fforde, Milly Johnson and Julie Cohen, winner of the RNA’s Inclusion Award for championing diversity in romantic fiction.

Research and Writing Historical Fiction hosted by RNA Chair, Jean Fullerton with bestselling authors, Elaine Everest, Deborah Carr and Clare Flynn.

Being a Hybrid author a Romance Now Instagram 1-1 with Fiona Mountain discussing with bestselling hybrid author, Suzy K Quinn,

Editing session with Hayley Milliman, Head of Education + Community at ProWritingAid.

The event promises to be filled with informative and interesting information

Other activities taking place include Love My Library Week and Love my Indie Bookshop Week where readers are encouraged to support their local venues. Libraries and bookshops are the perfect place for writers to meet their readers by arranging readings and meet the author events so get in touch with yours and we will share the details. Week three is RNA Diverse Love Week and we want to shine the light on books written by under-represented authors or feature under-represented characters so that everyone can see themselves represented in a book. The final week will include posts and messages from authors, bloggers and readers to say why they are proud to write and/or read romantic fiction. The month long celebration will be shared across the RNA’s social media so please follow us across all platforms for more information.

Facebook Page: @Romantic.Novelists.Association

Twitter: @RNATweets

Instagram: @romanticnovelists

About the RNA

The Romantic Novelists’ Association (RNA) is a professional body primarily for writers of romantic fiction. Founded in 1960 to provide a voice for romance authors and to be a network for writers, it continues to raise the prestige of romantic fiction and encourage romantic authorship. Their 1000+ membership includes writers across the spectrum of commercial and women’s fiction, along with publishing industry professionals, booksellers, and book reviewers. In addition to organising annual publishing awards, they also host a range of workshops, talks, networking events, a three-day annual conference, and provide support to unpublished authors through their New Writers’ Scheme.

For more information about the Romantic Novelists’ Association, please visit their website: https://romanticnovelistsassociation.org

MEDIA ENQUIRIES:

Annette Hannah

Pressofficer@romanticnovelistsassociation.org