Panels
Make your experience at Steamy Lit Con unique to you. Check out all the panels we have to offer!
Friday, October 31st
Session 1:
10:00AM - 10:45AM
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The Art of the Romance Series and Enhancing Your World
Authors of ongoing romance series discuss the process of constructing a multi-book romance series and the fun and difficulties that come with continuing to build the world along the way, along with exploring new characters, tropes, and stakes. This panel is brought to you by Slowburn.Moderator: Natalie Caña
Panelists: Amanda Weaver, Jaclyn Rodriguez, Madeline Taylor, Mia Heintzelman, Sherelle Green. -
Monstrous Fun, Tentacles, Anybody?
Monster Romance: Orcs, vampires, and creatures beyond—why are readers (and writers) so drawn to love stories that defy the human norm? Let’s dig into the appeal.
Moderated by Elizabeth Stephens. Panelists: Angela Seals, C.D. Reiss, Dalia Davies, L.E. Eldridge, Sajni Patel
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What's in A Beach Read? Is it the setting, the tone, or just that summer feeling? Let’s talk about what makes a romance the perfect escape—and why some books just feel like sunshine. We are hoping to include conversations about how even perceived “beach reads” can speak to or move readers, with the topics they bring up whether connected to identity or experiences such as heartache, grief, fraught familial dynamics, social justice causes, and more. Jasmine Guillory’s work is a good example of how folks perceive her work as a “beach reads,” but they still weave in important topics like fatphobia, ageism, incarceration, interracial romance, and more. This panel will highlight the substance and impact beach reads can have and remind us that all media has its place in publishing and readership.
Moderated by Andie J. Christopher. Panelists: Alexis Castellanos, E.M. Wilson, Lyla Lee, Mia Sosa, Suleena Bibra
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Power Dynamics in Romance: Workplace, Forbidden, and more!
Power Dynamics Office romances are full of tension—both the sexy kind and the ethical kind. How do authors balance real-world power imbalances with fantasy-worthy chemistry?
Moderated by Ava Rani.
Panelists: Cara Tanamachi/Cara Lockwood, J. Nell, Jamie Wesley, Tanvier Peart, Victoria Lum
Session 2:
11:15AM - 12:00AM
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Your MCs might be the perfect power couple, but what about an author and their narrator? Audiobooks open up a new dimension when experiencing a story, from tailored sound design to narrators who infuse characters with personality, emotion, and authenticity. In this panel, we’ll speak with acclaimed authors and narrators to dive into how audiobooks can bring stories to life, and why romance specifically can be experienced best through audio. We’ll explore what makes the creative process for an audiobook different for authors, how narrators approach their performances, and how the two come together to create an HEA for that other important relationship—the audiobook and its listeners.
This panel is brought to you by Audible.
Moderator: Ashley Jordan
Panelists: Cary Hite, Jacqi F. Lynn, Jynelle Brown, Lacy Laurel, Nana Malone -
Butterflies Not Burn: Writing Romantic Tension for Teen Readers
Romance in YA isn’t about spice—it’s about the spark. Join authors Angela Montoya, Bridget Morrissey, Kaitlyn Hill, Addie Woolridge, and I.V. Marie in conversation with Jasmine Guillory as they discuss writing love stories that captivate younger readers through emotional tension, character dynamics, and the timeless appeal of the slow burn. From fantasy settings to real-world romances, they’ll share how they evoke swoon-worthy feelings without going full heat. This panel is brought to you by Love, Underlined.
Moderator: Jasmine Guillory
Panelists: Addie Woolridge, Angela Montoya, Bridget Morrissey, I.V. Marie, Kaitlyn Hill -
Love and Disability: Romance has room for every kind of love story.
How are authors writing disabled characters with agency, desire, and the same shot at happily-ever-afters?
Moderated by M.L. Preston.
Panelists: Caroline Frank, K.C. Mills, Melissa Whitney, Peyton Corinne, Trish Anderson
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The Use of Non-English Language in Romance: From casual endearments to full conversations.
How do non-English words shape a romance? We’ll discuss authenticity, accessibility, and the beauty of multilingual love stories.
Moderated by Laura Taylor Namey. Panelists: A.E. Cosby/Anissa Cosby, Eliza McArthur, Julio Maxwell, Kaye Rockwell, Swati Teerdhala
Saturday, November 1st
Session 3:
9:00AM - 9:45AM
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Modern Love: The Impact and Inspiration of Pop Culture on Today’s Romance Novels
Discussing the ways and various forms of popular culture that inspired and helped form our romance novels. Including conversation on the subversions and retellings of these very influences to account for the lacking diverse narratives of some of our faves. This will be a broader discussion of pop culture influences, such as the tropification of romance novels, how nods to BookTok and virtual book spaces show up, and other pop culture moments are weaved in as cultural artifacts in novels.
Moderator: Ali Hazelwood
Panelists: Ava Wilder, Kristina Forrest, Nikki Payne,Rachel Runya Katz, Susan Lee
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Lights, Camera, Passion!: Entertainment-Set Romances:
Romances about actors, writers, and artists let us peek behind the curtain. What makes these meta love stories so compelling?
Moderated by Amy Spalding. Panelists: Carlyn Greenwald, Falon Ballard, Jayci Lee, Joss Richard, Regina Black
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Full-Bodied Romance: Body Neutrality and Fat Main Characters:
Fat protagonists deserve more than just "before and after" arcs. How is romance embracing body positivity without making weight a plot point?
Moderated by Gabriella Gamez. Panelists: Addy DuLac, Alx Chan Yee, J.J. Arias, LaQuette, Rita A. Gordon
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Dark Yet Delicious: Ethics of Dark Romance:
Romance pushes boundaries—but where’s the line between fantasy and harm? Let’s talk tropes, reader responsibility, and the genre’s complexities.
Moderated by Jocelyne Soto. Panelists: Cynthia A. Rodriguez, Elle Diaz, Evelyn Leigh, J.L. Lora, Sade Rena/S. Rena
Session 4:
10:15AM - 11:00AM
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A Whole New World: All About Romantasy
The best of both worlds: high-stakes fantasy with heart-pounding romance. What makes this hybrid genre so irresistible—and how do you balance the two?
Moderator: N.E. Davenport/Nia Davenport
Panelists: A.L. Rivers, Abigail Owen, Ehigbor Okosun, Karen Kincy, Lindsey Kelk -
Bookstagram, BookTok, and You: Digital Etiquette between Authors and Readers
Social media blurs the line between author and audience. How do writers navigate fandom, feedback, and boundaries in the digital age?
Moderators: Taj MCCoy
Panelists: Jo Segura, Julian Winters, Karmen Lee, Sonora Reyes, Whitney Amazeen
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#LOML (Loss of My Life): Love, Loss, and Second Chances
Second chances don’t always mean rekindling old flames. How do romances explore grief, healing, and finding love again after loss?
Moderator: Sheryl Lister
Panelists: Adib Khorram, Diana Quincy, Jeannie Choe, Noreen Nanja, Rachel Lynn Solomon
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Authentically Ever After: Why Authentic Representation Matters in Romance
This panel will be about the power of authentic representation in romance. Reading stories where folks who share salient identities with us, is incredibly powerful and impactful. Books that illustrate whole, layered, but imperfect and evolving main characters and love interests - without reducing them to problematic and antiquated two-dimensional stereotypes - speak to readers more than ever. It shows us that everyone is worthy of being loved unconditionally, and that there is room for everyone to find a HEA. How has writing and reading inclusive and diverse happily ever afters impacted our journeys, and why does it matter?
Moderator: Rae Douglas
Panelists: Annika Sharma, Kay Cove, Meka James, T.L. Martin/Taccara Martin, Tati Richardson/T.M. Richardson