Hey Romance Lovers!
We've been busy behind the scenes, and we've got a whole stack of announcements lined up that we're absolutely bursting to share with you. Over the coming weeks, they're going to come thick and fast, so rather than give everything away at once, we're going to let each announcement have its moment in the spotlight.
We're building something we're genuinely proud of with RLF: a festival that celebrates romance as the literary genre it is, brings our community together, and shines a light on the brilliant authors, local businesses and creative talent we have right here on the island of Ireland and across the UK.
We're committed to making it inclusive, welcoming and diverse, with something for readers across the romance spectrum.
And we're kicking things off with a rather lovely announcement… Please give a warm RLF welcome to Shauna Mairèad, who'll be joining us as a signing author!
Shauna writes dark, emotionally charged romance-where magnetic villains meet their match in fierce heroines, and darkness mingles irresistibly with humor. Born and bred in Dublin, Ireland, Shauna blends her distinctively Irish wit and irreverent style into stories filled with passion, intrigue, and a healthy dose of romantic chaos.
Shauna is a self-confessed character tormentor and master of emotional whiplash. She thrives on crafting messy, complex dynamics that feel as real as they are unhinged. She's drawn to morally grey love interests, vulnerable strength, and the kind of tension that smolders slowly before it snaps. Her readers know to expect layered storytelling, raw vulnerability, and a touch of madness stitched into every page.
We also have a new vendor joining our ranks, Romance Society Bookshop! Northern Ireland's first ever romance only bookshop coming soon to Coleraine.
Harlyn and Frankie are transplants from the United States to Northern Ireland. Even though they were from the same place, the same state even, they didn't meet until circumstances brought them to Coleraine and each other. With a shared love of reading, romance, and the community that welcomed them home, these New Yorkers are bringing their dreams to life in a place that means everything to them.
Tell your friends!
Until next time,
Happy reading!
Victoria Denault
Victoria Denault loves ocean air, seventies music, strong heroines and flawed heroes.
Victoria, her husband and her dog Maximus split their time between Canada and France where they live in a 225 year old home with character and more spiders than she cares to think about. When not writing books she can usually be found on a beach somewhere. She's a proud Canadian who speaks fluent English, French and hockey.
Tickets: Tickets are available to purchase here, at https://romanceliteraryfestival.eventbrite.com
The Butterfly Book Club
The Butterfly Book Club is a monthly subscription box with a twist. Each month, they collaborate with an indie author to produce an exclusive edition book design, which will be sold in a monthly readalong package. Readers who purchase a package will be added to a readalong group for that book, to read the book together and discuss the book with each other and the author, who will also be in the chat! This is a great way for bookstagrammers and authors to make new connections.
Choose Cheese
Choose Cheese is a Carrickfergus-based husband-and-wife team with a serious love of all things cheesy! Fully registered, insured, and proudly holding a 5-star Health & Hygiene rating, they create gorgeous charcuterie boards and an irresistible range of sweet and savoury treats. From cheesecakes and pretzel bites with nacho cheese to pickle dips, cinnamon rolls, cakes, and four flavours of sausage rolls, there'll be plenty to tempt you at RLF.
Preorder form is coming soon!
Fated Folios
Fated Folios is a small bookish business run by Hannah, an avid reader, artist and lover of all things romantasy. Creating romance-inspired bookish goods and gifts for your reader’s armoury, Fated Folios is all about bringing a little more magic to your reading journey and making every reader feel like the main character. From bookmarks, prints and stickers to gifts for book lovers and book clubs, each creation is inspired by the stories, tropes and fictional worlds we love escaping to.
Aroma Outpost
Aroma Outpost. Serving speciality coffee, matcha, açaí bowls, iced drinks and sweet treats from our mobile coffee trailer. Brought to you by Aroma Coffee House, Larne.
Pagan McGrath - Audiobook Narrator
An Irish-South African actor and narrator based in Ireland, Pagan has over a decade of experience in the acting industry. Her work spans audiobooks, video games, and animation, bringing stories and characters to life across a wide range of genres.
She is proficient in a variety of accents, including Irish (Dublin, Neutral, Northern), American (General, Southern, New York, California), British (RP, BBC, London, Neutral), as well as French, German, Russian, and Slavic accents.
For Monster Romance and very dark romance titles, she narrates under the pseudonym Cate Morrigan.
Listen to Audiobooks narrated by Pagan on Audible.
If you're a published author and want to join us for our day two author event, you should grab a ticket. They're limited and going fast.
Jess Snyder
Title: The Six Foundational Elements of Romance Fiction
Description: Conquer the structural elements of character-driven fiction to write romance novels that readers love. This course teaches romance fiction from a structural standpoint. You'll learn about goal, motivation, and conflict, which are the cornerstones of fiction writing. But then we dive deeper to cover character arcs, flaws and stakes, which are vital in character-driven stories like romance. You'll understand how each element hinges on the others to build the infrastructure of your story, and you'll gain the confidence to utilize these elements to improve your own books.
Prework: Watch the 2009 film The Proposal, starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds
Tracie Delaney
Title: Is TikTok dead? Marketing in 2027 and beyond
Description: The landscape of publishing is a never-ending rollercoaster and the last couple of years has brought challenges including AI books flooding the market, and social media and advertising platforms “not working” any longer. In this session we’ll discuss the various ways we can still get our books in front of rabid readers, and talk bluntly about what it takes to succeed in 2027 and beyond.
How else to keep up to date with our shenanigans? Attendee's Facebook group, Facebook page, follow us on socials: @romanceliteraryfestival, or check out our website.
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