Valentine’s Day brings thoughts of romance and love, and what a better way to spend it than meeting 17 local romance authors from10am to 1pm at Camille’s Sidewalk Café, 1120 122nd St., Chippewa Falls. Each hour will bring something new: Take part in an author scavenger hunt, win one of two gift baskets, or receive a carnation or chocolate by asking questions of the authors. Readers can also buy the authors’ books and have them signed. Who knows, maybe the authors will come up with a plot or two while visiting with readers!

Romance aficionados can learn little-known facts about the authors. There is literally something for everyone:

• Sharon Balts lives on dairy farm with her husband in northwestern Wisconsin, where she writes Christian western romances about common people with uncommon stories.
• Juls Berghammer writes paranormal, urban fantasy, and contemporary erotic romance.
• Denise Devine, inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder, cannot write a romance without at least one animal, including her very own ginger-orange tabby cat.
Several are mothers, including:
• Michel Prince who mixes sports, paranormal events, and love. Ideas come to her while cheering her son on at sporting events;
• Red-head Ginger Ring, a self-described Midwestern girl and Green Bay Packer fan, writes about classy, sassy heroines in search of love and adventure;  
• K.J. Farnham, a former teacher and mom of five, moved to the Chippewa Valley with her husband’s job transfer, and jumpstarted her romance career by chronicling her online dating adventures in Milwaukee;  
• Stephanie Beck, also known as Stephanie J. Grace, tries to get her husband to act out the naughty things she researches;
• Ashlynn Monroe, a busy mom with a full-time job, creates “romance one word at a time” in the genre of sex, love, and aliens;
• Bria Starr grew up in a small town in Minnesota and is a stay-at-home mom close with her husband and two adorable kids. She writes contemporary and new adult romance.
• S.C. Mitchell, the only man in the group, focuses on paranormal and sci-fi romance.
• Debra Patrow, a breast cancer survivor, writes historical fiction romance, and donates proceeds of her book sales to breast cancer research.
• Beth M. James focuses on strong women characters with elements of romance, like her protagonist in Gitana.
• Helen C. Johannes grew up reading fairy tales and started creating those of her own, such as Bloodstone and the Prince of Val-Feyridge.
• Tina Susedik, another former teacher, not only writes romance novels, like Riding for Love and The Valentine’s Proposal, but also historical nonfiction and children’s books.
• Tina Ness writes adult contemporary romance and feels blessed to be doing what she loves: writing.
• Rae Matthews, who writes romantic comedy, believes, “Life is too short to not laugh as much as you can.”
• Hazel St. James writes contemporary erotic romance, and recently quit her job to write full-time.

More details about the event, the authors, and their books can be found at www.tinasusedik.com.