By EMILY REED

Special to the Reporter

NORTH SHELBY – After a successful debut in 2015, the North Shelby Library is gearing up to host its second “Summer Lovin’ Romance Conference” June 23-24.

“We hosted the first ‘Summer Lovin’ Romance Conference’ in 2015, and it was a lot of fun for both patrons and staff,” said Katie Guerin, director of library services at both North Shelby Library and Mt Laurel Library. “We decided at that time that we would host a conference every other summer since it is a rather large endeavor and we want to provide patrons with a quality experience. Many of our patrons are romance readers, and the genre is consistently ranked most popular by readership and market share. There are also a number of library staff members who are fans, and that allows us to have a better understanding of the many different aspects of these books. Romance can encompass historical fiction, science fiction, urban fantasy, Christian fiction, suspense, etc.”

The event will feature best-selling romance authors as well as some debut authors and is geared toward readers of romance and those who are interested in writing their own book.

The event will kick off with dinner and book signings with keynote speaker, Sabrina Jeffries, a New York Times bestselling and award-winning author, from 7 p.m. until 10:30 p.m. on June 23.

Romance readers will get the chance to have dinner and chat with romance authors and other readers, according to a press release about the event.

Book signings will be available after the dinner with some authors in attendance such as Nancee Cain, Carla Swafford, Julie Johnstone, Christine Glover, Brina Cary, T.J. Penn, Lexi George, Kimberly Lang, Christy Reece, Larynn Ford, Marie Nicole Harper and Katherine Kobey.

“We had so much positive feedback from the first conference we knew that we wanted to host another one,” Guerin said. “We are lucky that we have a library that can support such an event and we look forward to another successful program.”

A champagne brunch will kick off the second session of the conference, which begins at 10 a.m. on June 24 and includes discussion panels and sessions during the day.

Guerin said the event is unique in that those attending are treated to a dinner, the chance to meet more than a dozen authors, have a book signing, and a brunch with author-led breakout sessions.

“This event gives people an opportunity to meet and mingle with some of their favorite authors,” Guerin said. “As a librarian and avid reader, authors are like rock stars, and I know a number of people that feel the same way.”

Tickets to the event are $25 per person or $40 for both Friday and Saturday events.

For more information about the event, contact Guerin at 439-5540 or kguerin@shelbycounty-al.org, or reference librarian Michelyn Reid at 439-5510 or nsref@shelbycounty-al.org.