Writers will have the invaluable opportunity to talk directly to an agent from a literary agency or an editor from a SFFH publisher about their work, seek advice about any stage of the writing process, and receive direct feedback on pitches and ideas.

Meet our Agent

Maddy Belton from Madeleine Milburn Agency

Meetings will be 15 minutes long, and there will be a £25 fee.

Please select which Agent you’d like to speak to on booking. Please note spaces are limited.

By booking tickets for this event, you are committing to submitting your query letter and the first 2000 words of your work (or less) by Monday 21.09.2026

Please send your material to admin@cymerafestival.co.uk

Booking Deadline Monday 21.09.2026

Please note that our Agent One to One sessions book out very quickly.

Digital Agent One to Ones will take via Zoom. Participants will receive the Zoom link 24 hours before the meeting via email.

Writers will have the invaluable opportunity to talk directly to an agent from a literary agency or an editor from a SFFH publisher about their work, seek advice about any stage of the writing process, and receive direct feedback on pitches and ideas.

Meet our Agent

Mia Dakin from Greene and Heaton

Camille Burns from Solas Literary Agency

Meetings will be 15 minutes long, and there will be a £25 fee.

Please select which Agent you’d like to speak to on booking. Please note spaces are limited.

By booking tickets for this event, you are committing to submitting your query letter and the first 2000 words of your work (or less) by Monday 21.09.2026

Please send your material to admin@cymerafestival.co.uk

Booking Deadline Monday 21.09.2026

Please note that our Agent One to One sessions book out very quickly.

Digital Agent One to Ones will take via Zoom. Participants will receive the Zoom link 24 hours before the meeting via email.

Workshop a ballroom scene from a buffet of romantasy ingredients! Enchanted blades concealed in corsetry. Politically fraught partner-pairings. First touch, ghostly dance cards, poisonous music. Balls often mark a midpoint in a 3-Act story structure: let's explore why it gives us so many tools to send a main character reeling. 

Your Workshop Leader

Hannah Kelly is a fantasy writer & illustrator. In 2019 she won the Moniack Mhor Emerging Writer Prize for her speculative fiction and she is currently writing her YA Fantasy series for Victoria Hobbs at A.M.Heath. Arthur Rackham, Brian Froud and Alan Lee are her constant inspiration for worldbuilding. 

About the event:

 Running time: 105 minutes including breaks

Venue: Braid Room

 Tickets: £20.50/ £18.50 (plus 50p booking fee)

 The event will be take place in-person. Workshops are not recorded. Workshops are not included In a weekend pass.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

There are countless ways to fall in love. Luckily, there are just as many ways to add a little magic.

Edited by Marie O'Regan and Paul Kane, The Hopeless Romantic's Guide to Enchantment brings together twelve romantasy stories from writers including Jen Williams and L.R. Lam.

Bitter rivals discover they may have more in common than murder, childhood nemeses reunite to face a common enemy, and overworked servants attempt to manoeuvre their bosses into a universe-saving marriage. Travelling from Regency England to a mysterious Romanian forest, a city made of flowers and a sinister faerie train, these tales put rivalry, friendship, second chances and happily-ever-afters under a distinctly magical spell.

Join Jen Williams and L.R. Lam as they discuss their stories, and the art of crafting the perfect Romantasy short fiction.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow A Court of Thorn and Roses fans for some friendly book chat.

Will contain spoilers!

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

Venue: Lomond Room

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow A Court of Thorn and Roses fans for some friendly book chat.

Will contain spoilers!

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

This event will take place in Zoom Meetings. Please register here

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Drop in for some crafting!

Activities on offer will include

• Flower Crown Making

• Book Bedazzling

• Fan painting

Activities will be free and drop-in. Donations are encouraged to help us cover the costs for materials.

About the event

Venue: Cheviot Room

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Sometimes the monster is the thing you were taught to fear. Sometimes it’s the thing you can’t stop wanting.

In Annie Summerlee’s The Book of Blood and Roses, vampire hunter Rebecca Charity is undercover at a university in the Scottish Highlands, searching for a lost compendium of ways to kill vampires and bring her one step closer to avenging her parents. But then she meets Aliz Astra, heir to one of the most powerful vampire families—and the most beautiful woman Rebecca has ever met. She is everything Rebecca has always hated, but also everything she has ever wanted, and now she doesn’t know if she wants to kiss or kill her.

In M. Vixen’s The Ranger’s Heart, Yara has only ever known a life of duty, protecting the people of Cel’Fiore from the Abyss, the Realm of Demons. But when alarm bells warn of an invasion, she finds not foul demons but vicious mortals attacking her village. Fleeing the horrors of humanity, she takes refuge in an abandoned tower, where an unnaturally beautiful statue has awoken and now shadows her every step. As the pair struggle to survive, a terrible secret threatens to shatter everything Yara has ever believed in.

In Shannon K. English’s Endless Blue Beneath, Eppie will never be anything more than the outcast girl who kissed the grocer’s daughter. But beneath the water’s surface lies a future she could never imagine. Stolen from the shore and transformed, Eppie is stronger, swifter—and hungrier. When she meets Marie, a beautiful mermaid with a past as shadowed as her raven-black scales, Eppie finds she no longer needs to resist her deepest desires. But with mermaid hunters on the horizon, she must decide whether to protect her new, monstrous family or leave it all behind for a chance to live above the waves once again.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

The characters have been Yearning. Will they, won't they? And when they finally do get intimate, how much do you show on the page? Writing romance requires many layers: lust, love, and all the complex emotions in between. Intimacy can transform a good relationship dynamic into a ship with which your readers are genuinely engaged.

So how do you tap into a reader's imagination and create tension between characters, without it coming across awkward or cringy? Is this connection purely physical, or something else? 

Regardless of how much you reveal, your sex scenes should serve your story. Handled well, intimacy can expose your characters’ deepest needs and insecurities. 

From 'closed door' or 'fade-to-black' all the way through to 'open door' sex scenes, this workshop will help you find and develop your authentic voice in a way your readers will truly believe.

Your Workshop Leader

Katalina Watt is the author of instant Sunday Times Bestselling novel Saltswept (2026, Hodderscape). They were selected for a 2025 Literature Matters Award from Royal Society of Literature, and AIR Literature UNESCO 2024 Writer in Residence for Konstkollektivet in Sweden. They were a finalist for 2023 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine as founding Audio Director for khōréō. They are a Writing Coach at The Novelry and represented by Christabel McKinley at David Higham Associates.

About the event:

 Running time: 105 minutes including breaks

 Tickets: £16.50/£14.50 (plus 50p booking fee)

The workshop will be take place in Zoom meetings. You will receive the Zoom link 48 hours before the event. Workshops are not recorded.

Please note there is no physical space provided at the festival venue to participate in this workshop. Workshops are not included In a weekend pass.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow Dark Fantasy fans for some friendly book chat.

Bring along your favourite books to recommend and swap with fellow readers.

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

Venue: Lomond Room

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Falling in love is complicated enough without ghosts, vampires and a magical talking cat getting involved.

In Josh Winning’s Be Still My Unbeating Heart, Bastian may be a vampire, but he doesn’t bite. Not anymore, at least. These days, he wants nothing more than an Italian holiday with Whitby, his magical talking cat, and perhaps a little holiday romance. What he doesn’t want is to stumble across a dead body on the beach, a girl who appears to have been killed by a vampire. With detective Nico De Luca assigned to keep an eye on him and more bodies beginning to pile up, Bastian, Whitby and De Luca must discover who in Vernazza is framing vampires before it’s too late.

In Nadia El-Fassi’s Love at First Fright, Rosemary is a successful horror author with a secret: she can see ghosts. So when the set of her hit novel’s film adaptation turns out to be a haunted countryside manor, she’s unfazed. What she’s less prepared for is Ellis, the maddeningly handsome, completely miscast actor playing her leading man. As filming progresses and the manor’s ghosts make their presence known, the chemistry between Rosemary and Ellis becomes undeniable. With sparks flying and spirits stirring up trouble, can they face their demons and write themselves a happily-ever-after before it’s a wrap?

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Writers will have the invaluable opportunity to talk directly to an agent from a literary agency or an editor from a SFFH publisher about their work, seek advice about any stage of the writing process, and receive direct feedback on pitches and ideas.

Meet our Agent

Lina Langlee from North Literary Agency

Venue: Braid Room

Meetings will be 15 minutes long, and there will be a £25 fee.

Please select which Agent you’d like to speak to on booking. Please note spaces are limited.

By booking tickets for this event, you are committing to submitting your query letter and the first 2000 words of your work (or less) by Monday 21.09.2026

Please send your material to admin@cymerafestival.co.uk

Booking Deadline Monday 21.09.2026

Please note that our Agent One to One sessions book out very quickly.

Join fellow Dark Fantasy fans for some friendly book chat.

Bring along your favourite books to recommend to your fellow readers.

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

This event will take place in Zoom Meetings. Please register here

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Love can give you something worth fighting for. Revenge gives you something worth burning the world down for.

In Julieanna Mac’s Born from the Broken, six years ago Elira’s husband gambled their unborn twins in the Quadrant Trials. He thought he was outsmarting them, until he died screaming and the empire took her children anyway. Now Elira has entered the Trials herself, determined to burn the world down to get them back. But the man who kept her alive—the protector she was falling for despite every vow she made—has been lying the whole time. With trust scarce and survival far from guaranteed, Elira must decide who to trust and whether getting back what was stolen from her is worth losing herself.

In L.K. Steven’s Silvercloak, the Bloodmoons ruthlessly murdered Saffron’s parents two decades ago. Hellbent on revenge, she lied her way into the elite Silvercloak Academy of detectives with a single goal: bring the Bloodmoons to justice. Descending into a world where pleasure and pain are the most powerful currencies, Saff must commit truly heinous deeds to keep her cover and her life. But there’s also her growing feelings for the kingpin’s tortured son, and a curious prophecy foretelling his death at Saff’s hand. With each day testing her loyalties further, Saff’s web of lies becomes harder to spin.

In Sarah Gallego’s Throne of the Wolf Queen, Queen Sorrow has survived monsters, a coup and defied the gods. Yet now she faces not just an army, but the man who holds her heart. Matthias was once Sorrow’s shelter and her strength; now he is a weapon in the cruel hands of the empress, hunting her without mercy. Sorrow will do whatever it takes to reclaim her stolen throne and save the man who still makes her burn. But time is running out, and when there is nowhere left to run, she must discover whether love can save them both—or whether the bond between them will obliterate their kingdom.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

How do you write a paradox; high stakes cosy fiction? Join Helen Comerford, author of cosy, romantic, apocalyptic YA fiction, for an exploration of story problems and raising the stakes. Focus in on the comforting world of cosy fiction and develop your own story problems to bring your narrative to life.

Your Workshop Leader

Helen Comerford writes funny and fantastical tales, with diverse casts of characters, for children and young adults. She is fuelled by a love of all things super-powered, feminism, and chocolate raisins. When she’s not writing, you can find her hiking around the Welsh countryside with her dog, Cocoa. She is represented by Christabel McKinley at David Higham Associates.

About the event:

 Running time: 105 minutes including breaks

Venue: Braid Room

 Tickets: £20.50/ £18.50 (plus 50p booking fee)

 The event will be take place in-person. Workshops are not recorded. Workshops are not included In a weekend pass.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow Paranormal Fantasy fans for some friendly book chat.

Bring along your favourite books to recommend and swap with fellow readers.

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

Venue: Lomond Room

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Their love could save the world—or burn it down.

In Chloe C. Peñaranda’s final instalment of the Nytefall trilogy The Dark is Descending, Star Maiden Astraea is reeling from a shocking betrayal and must race against time to break the curse imprisoning her lover, Nyte. The only way to save him may be to ally with a deadly threat. As daylight fades and devastation looms, Astraea and her companions embark on a quest to recover the Maiden’s shattered key—the only weapon that can slay the gods threatening their mortal world. As the blood that binds them becomes a weapon to end them all, two star-crossed lovers must surrender to fate or make the ultimate sacrifice.

In Jean Kwok’s Dominion, Rubi Morningtail has no past and warrior Blake Axefire has no future. Three years after the Annihilation destroyed her homeland and shattered her memories, Rubi lives as an Azure refugee in the Dominion of the Silver Tyger, scraping by as a ribbon dancer and hiding her little bit of singing magic. When she draws the notice of Blake, leader of the royal tyger warriors, he is the last man she should trust. Cast into the brutal Bonding, Rubi does the unthinkable: she survives. Now she’s stuck on Blake’s elite team racing to reseal the Anchors to the demon realm, while resisting her dangerous attraction to the ruthless warrior who could be her redemption—or her ruin.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

The gothic spires of Teviot Row House harbour the Northern Court. It’s grim up North, but its lords and ladies come together for a night of magical dancing and revelry, and you have been invited …

Venue: The Debating Hall, Teviot Row House, 13 Bristo Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AJ

Price: £100

Included in the ticket price are

• Welcome drink & canapes

• ceilidh & disco

• photography

• craft activities

• storytelling and much more

After a refit, Teviot Row House is now fully accessible. Teviot Row House is only a ten minute walk from our Festival venue at the Pleasance.

Are you single, and wondering what seductive spellwork might help you meet the right person? Are you in a relationship, and seeking to spice things up? Are you embroiled in the delicious pain of longing, and casting about for a cure?

This practical workshop introduces you to some basic principles of spellwork, and some specific rituals to help you move toward your loves, boost self-confidence, and navigate desire. You don’t need to have any prior experience, and don’t need to be ‘a witch’ – all are very welcome, and there won’t be any satanic pacts (I promise).

 You’ll leave with copies of the rituals, and one spell to take home.

 Your Workshop Leader

Dr Alice Tarbuck is a writer, author of A Spell In The Wild, and The Modern Craft. Her work on witchcraft has been featured in Nasty Women and The Dangerous Women Project, and she has spoken on witchcraft at Scottish PEN, Wigtown Book Festival, Freedom TV and the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. 

About the event:

 Running time: 105 minutes including breaks

Venue: Braid Room

 Tickets: £20.50/ £18.50 (plus 50p booking fee)

 The event will be take place in-person. Workshops are not recorded. Workshops are not included In a weekend pass.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow Throne of Glass fans for some friendly book chat.

Will contain spoilers!

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

Venue: Lomond Room

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow Cosy Romantasy and Fantasy fans for some friendly book chat.

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

This event will take place in Zoom Meetings. Please register here

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Death may change everything. It doesn’t make desire any less complicated.

In Ann Sei Lin’s Between Ghosts and Gods, Kasu sold her soul to a demon during her lifetime and now works at Camellia House, a high-stakes gambling den in the under-realm. Into this world drops Arun, a prince from the mortal realm desperately searching for his mother. Kasu agrees to help with his search, but as the two become caught in an ever-tightening web of danger and deceit, she is forced to re-examine everything she believes about the gods she worships. And as she and Arun grow closer, Kasu must decide what price she is willing to pay, and how much she is prepared to lose, for a second chance at life.

In Helen Comerford’s Cafe at the End of the World, Lydie, daughter of Death and a retired Rider of the Apocalypse, is obsessed with cosy: cosy books, a cosy job in the family café and a cosy, low-drama life. But then secretive, attractive and above all annoying Kai bursts into the café in a flurry of autumn leaves, with secrets that threaten to change everything. Big, un-cosy things are coming for Lydie whether she likes it or not, and working with Kai might be the only way to protect her town. Provided she doesn’t fall for him first...

In Jen Williams’ The Dreamless, new gods are roaming the earth, and Lucian and Artair, two souls forced to share one body, are prime targets for their wrath. Between them both is Elver: a monster girl caught between the humanity that Artair brought back into her life and the strange obsession that Lucian stirs within her. But Elver has changed too, in ways more terrifying than even she can imagine. With treachery at work in their midst and the world teetering on the edge of chaos and devastation, the battle lines must be drawn before it’s too late.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Drop in for some crafting!

Activities on offer will include

• Flower Crown Making

• Book Bedazzling

• Fan painting

Activities will be free and drop-in. Donations are encouraged to help us cover the costs for materials.

About the event

Venue: Cheviot Room

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Hailed as a billion-dollar industry by Writer’s Digest, romance has fascinated publishers, writers, and readers throughout the decades, making it one of the safest project ‘choices’ for all authors. Always high on best-selling lists, not only because of hot trends and popular sub-genres but also because niche markets have sprouted with the coming of Amazon’s self-publishing platform, romance might seem easy to read, but it’s as hard to write successfully.

In this workshop, we discuss what makes a romance book climb up the ranks. We’ll learn to decode market trends, craft compelling romance beats and characters, and identify which tropes to include. We'll learn the plot points we should spend time with and the recipe for both a clean and spicy romance. Finally, we’ll look at the importance of a logline, a book summary, and a full press kit even before you start drafting.

Whether you are writing commercial, literary, or upmarket romance, understanding how romance works and the expectations the audience has are key - even if romance comes secondary to your main plot.

This workshop is open to writers of any level, blending theory and practice. Writers will come away with industry insights, a brainstorming and writing system they can use for future projects, and specific ideas they can polish for their own romance projects! Let’s crack romance together!

We’ll also be touching on sexual scenes, specifically how to write them and what’s expected of you to include, so please keep this in mind when purchasing a ticket for this workshop.

Your Workshop Leader

When she doesn’t edit genre fiction for a living or when she doesn't passionately argue about Greek representation in the Anglophone sphere, Sophia-Maria (she/her) scribbles literary fever dreams and technological horrors inspired by her heritage. Originally hailing from Athens but dropping anchor in Thessaloniki, her work haunts the halls of Apex, the Deadlands, Hexagon MYRIAD, Penumbric, Aurealis and other venues. Her poetry books, a bit goth and a bit cottagecore, linger in bookshops around the world.  She has worked as an Editor-in-Chief at a leading online romance and adventure publishing house, and as a developmental and structural editor for both traditionally published and self-published authors. She’s a member of the ESFF group of writers and Codex. She often waxes poetic about Shakespeare, cats, anime, and powerlifting. Find her online on Bluesky @sophiamweaves.bsky.social and on Instagram @lostlenore_

About the event:

 Running time: 105 minutes including breaks

 Tickets: £16.50/£14.50 (plus 50p booking fee)

The workshop will be take place in Zoom meetings. You will receive the Zoom link 48 hours before the event. Workshops are not recorded.

Please note there is no physical space provided at the festival venue to participate in this workshop. Workshops are not included In a weekend pass.

Dragons may bind them together. Trust could tear them apart.

In A.T. Qureshi’s Rider of Dragons, Genevieve’s family forbids her from joining the deadly dragon races, but she won’t let them stop her. Without her family’s money, nobody will train her, so she agrees to a terrible deal: Qais, an alleged member of a dragon poaching gang, will train her to win if she gives him her prize money. But the races aren’t just about being the fastest. There will be sabotage, attacks and all-out violence. The devastatingly handsome Qais will teach Genevieve to be cunning and cruel, forcing her to answer a ruinous question: to win, is she willing to lose everything?

In L.R. Lam’s Emberclaw, Arcady and Everen have been separated, parted by the Veil. Alone in Vatra, Arcady embarks on their greatest con yet, posing as a noble student at the University and determined to prove their grandsire’s innocence. Imprisoned in Vere Celene, Everen is hated by his kind, but when he is released to defend his people, visions of the past and future haunt him. Between the worlds, an ancient danger is awakening. Together Arcady and Everen can face it—but only if they can find their way back to each other and restore the trust that has been broken.

In MJ Porter’s Dragonbound, Sereh has escaped the tyranny of the local jarl, but the frozen wilds are just as deadly as the life she left behind. When she and her wolf-dog, Arrow, save a mysterious stranger from the glacier, she becomes bound to a destiny she never chose. Erann has secrets about the cold, the land and why the world is changing. As the Long Night stretches on, survival means trusting each other. But beneath the frozen earth, something ancient is awakening, and as their fragile alliance deepens into something far more dangerous, Sereh and Erann must decide whether love is worth risking a world already on the brink.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

The characters have been Yearning. Will they, won't they? And when they finally do get intimate, how much do you show on the page? Writing romance requires many layers: lust, love, and all the complex emotions in between. Intimacy can transform a good relationship dynamic into a ship with which your readers are genuinely engaged.

So how do you tap into a reader's imagination and create tension between characters, without it coming across awkward or cringy? Is this connection purely physical, or something else? 

Regardless of how much you reveal, your sex scenes should serve your story. Handled well, intimacy can expose your characters’ deepest needs and insecurities. 

From 'closed door' or 'fade-to-black' all the way through to 'open door' sex scenes, this workshop will help you find and develop your authentic voice in a way your readers will truly believe.

Your Workshop Leader

Katalina Watt is the author of instant Sunday Times Bestselling novel Saltswept (2026, Hodderscape). They were selected for a 2025 Literature Matters Award from Royal Society of Literature, and AIR Literature UNESCO 2024 Writer in Residence for Konstkollektivet in Sweden. They were a finalist for 2023 Hugo Award for Best Semiprozine as founding Audio Director for khōréō. They are a Writing Coach at The Novelry and represented by Christabel McKinley at David Higham Associates.

About the event:

 Running time: 105 minutes including breaks

Venue: Braid Room

 Tickets: £20.50/ £18.50 (plus 50p booking fee)

 The event will be take place in-person. Workshops are not recorded. Workshops are not included In a weekend pass.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow Cosy Romantasy and Fantasy fans for some friendly book chat.

Optional: Bring along your favourite books to recommend and swap with fellow readers.

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

Venue:

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Sometimes the biggest red flag is exactly what makes them irresistible.

In Roxy Taylor’s Claimed by the Orc King, Thena just wants to survive FantastiCon with minimal human interaction and maximum sarcasm. She didn’t plan for a cosplayer built like a Norse god, painted green, who seems hell-bent on ruining her day.  Viggo Klausson has spent two years in the human world searching for his soulmate. The moment he scents Thena, he knows she belongs to him. Thena, however, doesn’t believe any future she didn’t choose for herself. But when an ancient power wakes inside her, she’s forced to navigate Viggo’s complicated world while fighting against the one thing more dangerous than everything around her: her growing, undeniable attraction to the man who swears she’s his.

In Sarah Rees Brennan’s All Hail Chaos, Rae is a fantasy reader transported to her favourite fictional world of swords and sorcery, castles and monsters. Playing the villainess, she thought she could change the narrative, but this version of the plot is far more deadly than the one she knew. Undead armies roam the kingdom, revolution is brewing, and the all-powerful Emperor—Rae’s favourite character ever, now possibly the greatest monster in the land—wants her to be his evil queen. Romantic in fiction, complicated in reality. What’s a villainess to do? Time for wicked bargains and fake engagements, in a fantasy where the most dangerous thing you can do is believe in someone.

This event will be chaired by Alice Tarbuck

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow Forth Wing fans for some friendly book chat.

Will contain spoilers!

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

Venue: Lomond Room

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Join fellow Forth Wing fans for some friendly book chat.

Will contain spoilers!

About the event

Running time: 45 minutes

This event will take place in Zoom meetings. Please register here

This event is free and no ticket is required - just come along.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

Magic has a way of bringing together the people who were never supposed to fall in love.

In Sangu Mandanna’s A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping, Sera Swan was once one of the most powerful witches in Britain—until she sacrificed most of her magic to resurrect her beloved aunt. Now she runs an enchanted inn in Lancashire, dealing with her quirky guests and longing for a future that seems entirely lost. Then she meets Luke Larsen, the handsome and icy magical historian who could hold the key to restoring her power. Luke has no interest in letting a certain witch past his walls, so no one is more surprised than he when he agrees to help. But as the two work together Sera begins to wonder... could love be the best magic of all?

In Stephanie Burgis’ Enchanting the Fae Queen, Queen Lorelei is a notorious fae seductress with a trail of broken hearts in her wake. But behind her glamorous mask lurks a dangerously intelligent woman who’d do anything to keep her people safe—even kidnap the empire’s most famous hero. The last thing th virtuous high general Gerard de Moireul needs is the Queen of Balravia, who showers glitter and rainbow-coloured sparkles everywhere she goes. They’re opposites in every way, but when they’re swept up together in a grand—and deadly—fae tournament, they discover all of each other’s most hidden truths, and how perfectly they might be suited for each other after all.

This event will be chaired by Kshoni Gunputh.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Venue: Theatre

Price: £11/£9 concession - In Person - or £6 Live Stream - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in person and is broadcast via live stream.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30 November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

 This event is followed by a book signing in the Upper Hall.

Find out more about ACCESS to our events, and for information about TICKETS.

Any other questions? Check out our FAQ.

We are beyond excited to be chatting with Elizabeth Helen on the eve of the publication of Crowned By Roses, the seventh and final book in their bestselling Beasts from the Briar series.

Four handsome fae princes. One awkward bookworm. An Enchanted Vale.

A beastly curse to break.

A why choose Beauty and the Beast Fantasy Romance Retelling that took the Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller charts by storm.

Elizabeth Helen is the combined pen name of sister writing duo, Elizabeth and Helen.

Elizabeth and Helen write fantasy romance and love creating enchanting adventures for their characters. When they’re not writing, you can find them snuggling their cats, exploring their rainforest home in British Columbia, Canada, or rolling the dice for a game of Dungeons & Dragons.

About the event

Running time: 55 minutes

Price: £6 - (plus 50p booking fee)

This event takes place in Zoom Webinar. You will receive the access link by email before the event.

A recording of this event will be available to catch-up on our YouTube until 30th November 2026. Ticket holders and weekend pass owners will receive the catch-up link automatically after the festival. Please keep an eye on your SPAM.

Joining us at the Pleasance? We will be showing the digital events on a big TV in the Lomond Room. Free with a weekend pass, or please purchase a £6 digital ticket.