Queer love stories, supernatural attractions, unconventional desires and the considerable business of getting two people together on the page.
There’s plenty to get hot under the collar about at this year’s Dandenong Ranges Literary Festival.
Not Your Grandma’s Romance brings together Sandra Carmel, Destiny Davin and Fleur Blüm, with moderator Sarah Lemcke, for a Sunday morning in excellent company.
If romance makes you think of Mills & Boon and Barbara Cartland, this panel will introduce you to some rather different possibilities. Today’s romance writers are exploring queer paranormal love stories, romantic suspense, feminist themes and unlikely pairings that might well surprise your grandmother.
Romance gives writers room to explore some wonderfully complicated territory: what we want, who we’re allowed to want, whose pleasure matters, and how much we’re prepared to risk for love. From the delights of attraction to the darker side of relationships, our panellists will explore the variety of modern romance and the desires, dilemmas and possibilities that find a home within it.
Our three authors approach that territory from different directions.
Sandra Carmel writes romance she describes as “racy, flirty and downright dirty”. Her work ranges across steamy paranormal romance, contemporary fiction and romantic suspense, exploring what lies beneath desire. For readers who like their attraction with a little danger attached, there’s plenty here to be curious about.
Destiny Davin creates steamy stories about love and lust, which she sees as the two components of a strong relationship. A self-described sensualist and romantic, she brings an appreciation for the pleasures of the genre, along with the hope that her adult children aren’t too traumatised by having a mother who writes smut.
Fleur Blüm combines romance with feminist themes, humour and a willingness to explore difficult relationships. Her first novel, Sophie’s Path, let readers choose their way through a branching romantic narrative. Her work now spans eleven novels, including queer paranormal romance, with Burning For You, the third book in a series, due out this November.
With Sarah Lemcke guiding the conversation, we’ll explore a genre where desire can take unexpected turns and the path to love is open to all sorts of interpretation.
Whether you’re a devoted romance reader, a writer wrestling with an uncooperative love scene, or simply curious about what modern romance has to offer, come along.
Remember to bring a cool drink.
Not Your Grandma’s Romance
When: Sunday 11 October | 10.15–11.15am
Where: Belgrave Library
Tickets: $25 / $22