Registration opens:
August 04th, 2025

Susan Lee, C.M. Nascosta, Nikki Payne, and Chip Pons

Romance-Con | Presented by Toledo Library

Bestselling authors C.M. Nacosta, Nikki Payne, and Chip Pons will chat romance, publishing, and how to write swoon-worthy love interests. Participant Q&A to follow.

At each program, authors will speak, followed by a question and answer session. This event is free, but ticketed. A seat-filler line will occur the day of the program to ensure a full house. Ticketed seats will be held until 5 minutes before start time, at which time they will be released. Book signing will occur after the program at a designated time in the library's atrium. For full details on signing times and the other Romance-Con events and offerings, visit toledolibrary.org/romance-con.

If you do not provide an email at the time of registration, please record your six character REF number on the confirmation page or contact the library for assistance. Please be prepared with an ID or library card on the day of the event for swift check-in. For those who provided an email, a confirmation will be sent.

SIGNING AND PHOTO DETAILS

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

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. Kirkus Reviews calls Susan’s voice “honest, fresh and thoughtful”. A graduate of UC San Diego, Susan built a career as an HR executive at some of today’s hottest companies, until she realized that writing love stories was a more impactful and powerful form of resistance and change. Now she channels her energy into publishing Happily Ever Afters for those historically underrepresented in Romance. When she is not writing (or painfully procrastinating from writing), Susan can be found down the rabbit holes of her many obsessions including listening to Kpop, binge watching K-dramas, collecting sneakers, building mechanical keyboards, and obsessing over her diva chihuahua, Buttercup.

For more details on Susan's books or to request a copy from the library, click here.

C.M. Nascosta is a USA TODAY bestselling author and professional procrastinator from Cleveland, Ohio. She’s always preferred beasts to boys, the macabre to the milquetoast, the unknown darkness in the shadows to the Chad next door. She lives in a crumbling old Victorian with a scaredy-cat dachshund, where she writes nontraditional romances featuring beastly boys with equal parts heart and heat, and is waiting for the Hallmark Channel to get with the program and start a paranormal lovers series.

For more details on C.M.'s books or to request a copy from the library, click here.

By day, Nikki Payne is a Civic anthropologist building accessible government services for vulnerable populations, by night she dreams of ways to subvert Canon literature. Hailed as "incandescent" by the Washington Post, Nikki Payne's debut novel Pride and Protest was a Phenomenal Book Club pick and was selected by the Library of Congress to represent the District of Columbia for the National Book Festival. Featured in the New York Times, NPR, Elle, Oprah Daily and BuzzFeed, Nikki Payne is writing black women into their happily ever after.

For more details on Nikki's books or to request a copy from the library, click here.

Chip Pons grew up in a small lake town in Northern Michigan before eventually traveling the world as a photojournalist in the US Air Force, where he met and worked alongside his dream of a husband and better half. He’s spent his entire life swooning over the love stories filling up his shelves until one day, he was brave—or delusional—enough to write his own.

He currently lives in the heart of Washington, DC. and when he is not writing or chasing his pup, Margot, around, he can be found daydreaming of untold happily ever afters or on Bookstagram shouting about the books he loves. And snacking, like, all the time.

For more details on Chip's books or to request a copy from the library, click here.

Sensory Considerations: This program will use dim artificial lighting. All speakers will use microphones.

Accessibility Details: Located on the second floor, accessed by elevator and/or stairs. All doors will feature an automatic function or be propped prior to program start. Tile or low pile carpet throughout the building. Limited free parking is available in the attached garage.

Please call Public Services at 419-259-5293 to request an accommodation at least two weeks prior to the program date.

Romance-Con is presented by Toledo Library, with support from Destination Toledo, the official Destination Marketing Organization promoting the Toledo, Ohio region to visitors, meeting and convention business locally, regionally, and nationwide.