A comprehensive one-day festival for romance writers featuring talks, panels, masterclasses, and networking opportunities at the Marsham Court Hotel.
The Romance Writing Festival returns to the Marsham Court Hotel on Saturday 3 October, its second edition following a successful launch. It's a full day for romance writers, from those just starting out to authors looking to publish or manage their professional careers, and it runs from 9:00 am to 11:00 pm.
The programme is split into five talks on the writing process and five inspiration panels. Sharon Kendrick, who's written over 120 Harlequin Mills & Boon novels, talks about starting and sustaining a career, while Jeevani Charika covers how to get through the 'messy middle' of a draft. Gary Dalkin and Sophie Beal focus on refining your work, Alex Thompson from Troubador Publishing takes on self-publishing, and Isabelle Knight looks at author branding. The panels bring in some big names: romance legend Katie Fforde in conversation with Edward Sault from BBC South; Sue Moorcroft and her agent Juliet Pickering on building a career; a contemporary fiction panel moderated by Fee Mak from BBC Music with Suzan Holder, Liam Livings and Abiola Bello; Nikki Moore and Clare Swatman on high-concept storytelling; and Janet Gover with 'Slay the Slush Pile'. There are also literary walks around Bournemouth and strolls along the beach, and the day closes with an evening networking event.
Beyond the main day, there are three 90-minute masterclasses: romantasy with Amy de la Force, a submission pack session with agent Saskia Leach, and historical fiction with Lola Jaye. You can also book 15-minute one-to-one slots with six different literary agents. Both the masterclasses and the agent sessions cost extra and can be booked without a general festival ticket.
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General admission is £125, which covers your welcome tea or coffee, access to the ten panels and talks, a Ploughman's lunch, the evening networking event with a welcome drink, and a £5 voucher for the bookshop. There are no booking fees. If you're coming from out of town, the Marsham Court Hotel is offering rooms for £99 bed and breakfast on the nights of 2 and 3 October with the code BWF26. And if you're around the day before, there's a free Friday Night Social in the hotel bar from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on 2 October—it's open to everyone, but you'll need to RSVP.
