Kiley Dunbar has published 13 popular romance novels and her books have been translated into multiple European languages. Her work includes the bestselling Borrow a Bookshop series (for Hera Canelo) and the Highland Repair Shop series (for ‘Publisher of the Year 2025’ Boldwood Books).

Her stories follow typical romantic trajectories moving from heartache, obstacles and adversity, towards community-building and learning, arriving at connection and fulfilment, all while exploring themes of protest, social justice and sustainability. All of Kiley’s books centre around how loving (the self and others) in the modern world remains a radical act.

Kiley talks about her positioning as an academic (researching the romance genre and popular culture) and teaching creative writing on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, while writing two romance novels each year. She’ll explain how her academic grounding in the Victorian popular novel of the 1880s-1900 (the focus of her doctorate and early career publications) continues to shape her work now.

Her talk explains her experiences with the ‘Digital First’ publishing model, how she cultivates a mindset of ‘playfulness’ while being very tired indeed and while evolving her creative practice in an increasingly volatile industry, as well as how writing for romance fans remains her first priority when telling stories, talking about romance reader expectations and the changing landscapes of romantic fiction, along with her hopes and predictions for how the romance industry will change in the coming years.