Tue June 09 - 2:30 PM
Swooning from Book to Film with Kennedy Ryan and Tia Williams
Free Talks
| 60 MINUTES
Reading a romance novel is a uniquely wonderful experience. The worlds that romance novelists create on the page elicit tears, laughter, swooning, and everything in between. And those worlds are very popular, so much so that we are seeing an explosion of romance novel adaptations recently. But what does it take to go from the page to the screen, and how is the world of romance changing as the audience continues to grow? These questions and more will be answered by two of the industry's most celebrated novelists, Kennedy Ryan and Tia Williams. Join us for a conversation where these two legends discuss adaptations, new books, and the wonderful world of romance!
Panelists
Tia Williams
Tia Williams is the bestselling author of The Accidental Diva, It Chicks, and The Perfect Find—now a Netflix film starring Gabrielle Union. Her novel, Seven Days in June, was an instant New York Times bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick. Her NAACP Image Award-nominated bestseller, A Love Song for Ricki Wilde, was named one of the year’s best romances by New York Times and Amazon. Her YA romcom, Audre & Bash are Just Friends, was an instant New York Times bestseller and GMA Book Club Pick. Her latest novel is The Missed Connection. Tia lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Kennedy Ryan
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kennedy Ryan has solidified herself as one of the most influential voices in contemporary romance fiction and is, according to Entertainment Weekly, “one of the finest romance writers of our age.” Well-known for her Skyland series, Ryan writes for women from all walks of life, captivating readers with her fearless storytelling by empowering and placing them firmly at the center of each story. Ryan’s upcoming novel, Score, the second in her Hollywood Renaissance series, will be published May 19, 2026. Score is a contemporary romance novel about a screenwriter (“Verity Hill”) and a musician (“Wright ‘Monk’ Bellamy”) who reunite ten years after a painful breakup to work on a Harlem Renaissance biopic, forcing them to confront their past and present feelings. The book celebrates Black art made by Black artists, a bisexual main character and explores themes of love, mental health, and of course, second-chance romance. In 2022 Ryan made history winning the Audie Award, the highest recognition in audiobook publishing, for her novel Reel, becoming the first Black author to do so in the Romance category. In 2025, she received another Audie Award for Best Romance Audiobook for the second book in her Skyland series, This Could Be Us. Her third book in the Skyland series, Can’t Get Enough, was recently nominated for a 2026 NAACP award in the category of Outstanding Literary Work for the Fiction category. Beyond writing, Kennedy Ryan is a dedicated advocate for autism awareness. She is the co-founder of LiFT 4 Autism, an annual charitable book auction, with all funds going directly to Kulture City, a national autism organization. She is represented by CAA, Untitled, BookEnds Literary Agency, GKSD Law, and 2PM Sharp PR.
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