Happily Ever After

Experience a wide spectrum of romantic storytelling as you enjoy chocolate and wine. Enjoy live readings from several published local romance authors. This special evening will showcase the genre's impressive range from sweet historical tales to spicy contemporary encounters. Authors and local booksellers Away with Words and Wicked Words will have books available to browse and purchase.

Whether you're a devoted romance reader or romance-curious, treat yourself to an evening of literary indulgence and special surprises. This 21+ event offers the perfect Valentine's season experience, whether you're coming solo, with friends, or with a partner.

Serena Bell:

 

USA Today bestselling author Serena Bell writes romantic comedies with small towns, big hearts, hot nights, and all the feels. Serena’s books have earned many honors, including a RITA finalist spot, an RT Reviewers’ Choice Award, Apple Books Best Book of the Month, and Amazon Best Book of the Year for Romance. When not writing, Serena loves to spend time with her college-sweetheart husband, two book-loving kiddos, sewing machine, and stash of dark chocolate. (Photo by Susan Young photography)

Julie Farley:

 

Julie Farley loves writing books filled with big families, lots of heart, and plenty of laughs. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and four amazing kids. Julie is co-founder of the boutique publishing company, Fog House Press. She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a graduate degree from DePaul University. When she’s not busy with her family or writing books, you’ll find her volunteering at school, hanging out in the Pilates studio, or watching reality TV of any sort!

Darcy McGuire:

Darcy McGuire grew up in the wilds of New Zealand but happily settled in the Pacific Northwest. She and her handsome and hysterical husband have 2 children, 9 ducks, 2 geese, 1 dog, and 4 cats. By day, Darcy works as a high school counselor, by weekends, evenings, and early mornings, she is finishing books four and five of her debut Victorian Romance series - The Queen's Deadly Damsels - published by Boldwood Books. Darcy loves writing about fierce female protagonists who may dodge daggers and bullets but never seem to escape Cupid’s Arrow. 

Kim Loraine:

USA Today bestselling author Kim Loraine was raised a Navy brat but spent most of her life growing up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. A proper Washingtonian, she's addicted to coffee, doesn't let a little rain ruin her day, and thinks the sun is a gift from God. When not chasing her three minions around, Kim spends her time writing, reading, and binge watching her comfort shows.

Susan Wiggs:

Susan's life is all about family, friends … and fiction. She lives at the water’s edge on Bainbridge Island. In good weather, she commutes to her writers’ group in a 21-foot motorboat. She’s been featured in the national media, including NPR, PRI, and USA Today, has given programs for the US embassies in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and is a popular speaker locally, nationally, internationally, and on the high seas.

From the start, her writings have illuminated the everyday dramas of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances. Her books celebrate the power of love, the timeless bonds of family, and the fascinating nuances of human nature. Today, she is an international best-selling, award-winning author, with millions of copies of her books in print in numerous countries and languages. According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with “refreshingly honest emotion,” and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is “one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book.” Booklist characterizes her books as “real and true and unforgettable.”

Kaitlin Schmidt:

Kaitlin is a queer, neurodivergent author and editor. Her writing passion is queernorm high fantasy with a spicy romantic subplot, and her editing style is to chase down every detail possible until someone tells her to go to bed because it’s 4 AM. With a bachelor's degree in English and a master's in teaching from Whitworth University in Spokane, she began her editing journey as an editorial assistant for the literary magazine Rock & Sling, then went on to copyedit for The Spokesman-Review. She taught high school English for five years in Arlington, Wash., before returning to the editing scene as a freelancer specializing in book editing. Her debut F/F romantasy, “The Cartomancer's Curse,” was released in September 2024.

 

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