Writing Romance That Actually Works: Tension, Chemistry, and Emotional Payoff, with Jenn Sommersby
Time & Location
Sep 20, 2026, 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Bowen Island Public Library Annex, 430 Bowen Island Trunk Rd, Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G0, Canada
About the Event
Romance is one of the most commercially powerful genres in publishing, yet it’s still often misunderstood, dismissed, or reduced to cliché. In this interactive workshop, author and editor Jenn Sommersby explores what actually makes a romantic storyline work on the page. We’ll look at the difference between attraction and chemistry, how tension grows through scene work and character dynamics, why emotional payoff has to be earned, and what common missteps weaken a love story. Ideal for romance writers and for fiction writers who want to create stronger emotional and relational arcs in any genre.
About Jenn Sommersby
Jenn is a novelist, freelance editor, publishing educator, and Superman nut. A graduate of SFU’s Writer’s Studio (2007), her YA debut, Sleight, was a Canadian Children’s Book Centre Best Book for Kids & Teens (fall 2018) and an Ontario Library Association Best Bets Honourable Mention Book for Young Adults (2019). Jenn was also awarded a BC Arts Council Grant in 2019 for a YA eco-fiction/dystopian novel about water scarcity. She’s written a baker’s dozen books as Sommersby and Eliza Gordon, including best-selling rom-com titles, and her most recent women’s fiction project, Wish Upon a Rosie, released in February 2026. Jenn’s first nonfiction advice/craft/confessional in a new series aptly titled Please Don’t Make Me Read This is scheduled to publish in late 2026.
Visit www.jennifersommersby.com and www.sgabooks.com for more info and to get in touch!