Romantic Comedy Panel

Join us at Village Well Books & Coffee for a romance novel panel!

Authors Joss Richard, Elissa Sussman, Kate Spencer, Susan Lee, and Falon Ballard convene to discuss their newest novels, their writing process, and to take questions from the audience. Come ready to chat all things love and spice!

About the participants:

Joss Richard (she/her) is an editorial & social director who’s worked at companies such as Hello Sunshine and Reese’s Book Club, The Walt Disney Company, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Netflix, and Paramount. She’s the creator and host of Three’s Company, Too: A Rewatch Podcast and has been formally recognized with a Daytime Emmy Award. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Richard currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and rescue pittie, Annie.

Elissa Sussman is the bestselling author of Totally and Completely Fine, Once More with Feeling, Funny You Should Ask, and three young adult novels. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their many pets.

Susan Lee is a USA Today bestselling author of both young adult and adult romantic comedies. Her work has been featured in national outlets such as Buzzfeed, NPR, People Magazine and Pop Sugar. After a long career in Corporate American, Susan now channels her energy into publishing Happily Ever Afters for those historically underrepresented in Romance. Aside from books, her many hyper fixations include listening to Kpop, binge watching K-dramas, collecting sneakers, building mechanical keyboards, and obsessing over her diva chihuahua, Buttercup.

Falon Ballard is the USA Today Bestselling author of several rom-coms and the upcoming romantasy Something Wicked. When she's not reading a romance book, writing a romance book, or talking about romance books, you can probably find her at Disneyland.

Kate Spencer is the bestselling author of In a New York Minute, One Last Summer, All's Fair in Love and Pickleball, and The Dead Moms Club, and the recipient of two iHeart Radio Podcast Awards for her work on Forever35. Her work has been published by the Washington Post, Rolling Stone, InStyle, Esquire, and Cosmopolitan. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two daughters.

About the featured titles:

It's Different This Time by Joss Richard:

In this sweeping, second-chance romance, a twist of fate forces two former roommates back into their beloved New York City brownstone, where they must confront the events that led to their estrangement—and the unresolved feelings lingering between them.

Reeling from the cancellation of her hit TV show, June Wood has nothing left to lose when a mysterious email lures her back to the New York City brownstone she once called home. Thanks to a clause in the former owner’s will, she and her old roommate, Adam Harper, now own the multi-million dollar property—or at least they will, in a month once all the paperwork is signed.

Four weeks, then June can return to her life in LA and forget about New York City and everything she left behind. Sure, the fact that June and Adam are estranged and haven’t even spoken in five years, and that their friendship didn’t exactly end on good terms might complicate matters, but this is an opportunity of a lifetime.

As the autumn leaves fall around them, through shared meals and late-night conversations, old wounds and long-buried sparks resurface, and it becomes strikingly clear: June and Adam have unfinished business. Confronted with the consequences of their choices years before, they must now navigate the minefield of their past the best way they know how: together. Second chances are always a risk, but maybe, if they get it right and are finally honest with each other and with themselves, it could be different this time.

Totally and Completely Fine by Elissa Sussman:

In her small Montana hometown, Lauren Parker has assumed a few different roles: teenage hell-raiser, sister of superstar Gabe Parker, and most recently, tragically widowed single mother. She’s never cared much about labels or what people thought of her, but dealing with her grief over the loss of her husband, Spencer, has slowly revealed that she’s adrift in her own life.

Then she meets the devilishly handsome actor Ben Walsh on the set of her brother’s new movie. They have instant chemistry, and Lauren realizes that it has been far too long since someone has really and truly seen her. Her rebellious spirit spurs her to dive headfirst into her desire, but when a sexy encounter becomes something more, Lauren finds herself balancing old roles and new possibilities.

There’s still plenty to contend with: small-town rumors, the complications of Ben’s fame, and her daughter’s unpredictable moods. An unexpected fling seemed simple at the time—so when did everything with Ben get so complicated? And is there enough room in his life for the woman Lauren wants to be? Alternating between Lauren’s past with Spencer and her present with Ben, Totally and Completely Fine illuminates what it means to find life-changing love and be true to oneself in the process.

The Romance Rivalry by Susan Lee:

Irene Park loves romance novels—so much so she’s made a career of them as an online book reviewer with a massive following. But Irene’s real life dating story? Non-existent. So when she starts her freshman year of college, she sets her sights on finding true love using the one thing she really understands…romance book tropes.If only it were that easy.

Enter Aiden Jeon, Irene’s online book review rival and biggest nemesis. When Aiden challenges her to see who can find love-by-trope first, he becomes the one person standing in her way to getting everything she wants both professionally and personally, too. So when the competition takes an unexpected turn, forcing the two of them to have to partner in the ultimate trope, fake dating, Irene is not prepared for everything she believed about romance, and Aiden, to flip on its head.

As Irene tackles the challenges of college life, struggles to figure out what she really wants for herself, all while trying to win the race for love, Irene realizes the answers may not be found in a romance novel. Happily Ever Afters seem so easy on page. But for Irene to find her ultimate HEA, she’ll have to get her nose out of the book and become the main character of her own story.

A Change of Heart by Falon Ballard:

Campbell Andrews despises exactly three things in life: incompetence, tardiness, and love stories. Making partner at her law firm at thirty-four, she has no time for anything or anyone else. And certainly no respect for those who choose love over work. That is, until she wakes up in Heart Springs—her own personal hell.

The good news? She’s not dead. She’s been magically transported to a small town straight out of the Hallmark channel, complete with a meddling mayor, seasonal festivals, and friendly townsfolk. Cam can’t stand it, but in order to make it back to her real life, she has to fulfill three tasks . . . foremost among them, experience true love. It seems impossible. But anything’s possible with a change of heart.

All's Fair in Love and Pickleball by Kate Spencer:

In this sweet and steamy romcom, two rival pickleball players find themselves faking a romance—until they start falling for each other for real.

Bex Martin’s racquet club is her entire world. But the business she inherited from her mother has started to feel more like a sinking ship. That is, until Nikolaus Karras—a former tennis bad-boy with an ego as big as his serve—makes himself at home on her courts.

Niko has something to prove, and a high-stakes pickleball tournament is just what he needs to get back in the game after a career-ending injury. When he is finally able to set his ego aside to ask for Bex’s help, everyone assumes that they are a couple—on and off the court.

But she needs the prize money to save the club, and he needs a win to restore his reputation. So now they have a fake relationship as well as a doubles partner that they can’t seem to resist. Game on!

Host or Publisher Village Well Books & Coffee