As a celebration of romance, it’s also a great platform for authors and books. Jennifer Hallock’s historical romance books set in the Philippines aren’t in our local bookstores yet, but a 2017 live reading (of a sex scene from Under the Sugar Sun) introduced her book to new readers. “Once I got past my initial agony of exposure (Did I write that?!), I thrived on the fact that the audience was feeling the scene just as profoundly as I was. Every gasp, every fan of the cheeks, every long sigh was romance gold. The uncountable hours put into the book paid off in thirteen short minutes,” Hallock says.
Consider including the work of authors who can’t come to the event, but whose books will be a match for the audience anyway. (And send the authors the video!) A recent event in Manila included a reading from A Night at the Mall, F/F romance by Brazilian author M. Hollis. “[Being] able to listen to someone else reading my words and noticing the reactions from the people around was one of the best experiences of my life, even though I’m miles away!”
We’ve done YA themed readings, adult romance readings, prom night, “all authors studied STEM”… It can be a party, for readers and authors. If this seems at all interesting and doable for your own bookish community and you want to try it, you’ll need:
1.At least two actors, or people who can read aloud very well, and feel what they’re reading. This is not an easy a job as it might seem, and you’ll need to give your actors direction so they get the characters right.
2.Scenes from romance books, sequenced into a program. Ideally the scenes are the romantic ones, and a program is fun when you find scenes that cover different, familiar tropes done well. More emotion is better! Scenes that are funny, or angry, or sexy, or flirty, or dramatic, or combinations of those play out well to audiences. Keep it under ten minutes. Secure permission from the author (or publisher) before putting it on your program!
3.A welcoming, comfortable place to have the event in. Check if the space can fit the number of people you expect, and if their sound equipment’s any good. Next thing to check is how welcoming the space is to romance in general, and also to the people you expect to attend. (Some events and spaces that identify as book-friendly aren’t romance-friendly.) Definitely prioritize the places that offer a more accepting, and accessible, environment!
4.An audience. That is: Readers, authors, fans of live performances, students of literature and genre fiction, teachers of literature and genre fiction, publishing industry people. But the priority audience will, and should, be the romance readers.
(Photos, courtesy of: Clarisse David, Veronica Silagpo, Kathrina Galang, Chachic Fernandez, Chachic Fernandez, Kathrina Galang)