Love at First Listen: Romance's Audiobook Era

Romance-Con | Presented by Toledo Library

Join our panelists and audiobook narrator Jason Clarke for a conversation about how narration brings characters to life, broadens accessibility, and how hearing their stories impacts authors.

At each program, authors will speak, followed by a question-and-answer session. This event is free, and tickets are not required.  For other Romance-Con events and offerings, visit toledolibrary.org/romance-con.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Jason Clarke is an actor and musician living in New York City. He is an Audie award winner (Best Romance, King of Envy 2025), as well as a SOVAS nominee for his work on "Instant Gratification", and Birthday Suit--nominated for Best Audio Drama 2019. When he's not in the booth, he enjoys exercise, hiking, writing and making music with his friends. He likes to think he's getting better at cooking, but it's possible those who taste his food are just being nice.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Elle Wright is an award-winning author of edgy contemporary romance loaded with heat, humor, and scandal. Her novels feature strong, intelligent, courageous, beautiful, yet flawed, heroes and heroines of color. A proud Michigander and University of Michigan alum (GO BLUE!), Elle lives her own friends-to-lovers romance with her real-life hero of many years. She is also mom to three young adults who inspire her to be better.

Sherelle Green, a USA Today bestselling author, is known for her addictive, high-stakes mafia romances and the gritty empire she’s built through her books. When she’s not writing, Sherelle can be found scouring different shops to add to her coffee mug collection, traveling the world to experience new cultures, or losing herself in the pulse of the city streets she writes about, drawing inspiration from every shadow and stolen glance.

Lindsey Lanza is a book lover and romance author from Columbus, Ohio. She is a tech start-up enthusiast by day, a voracious reader by early mornings, nights and weekends, and now writes love stories when she gets a spare moment. You can most often find her laughing about nothing with her husband Erik, perusing a dessert menu, consulting clients on zoom calls or obsessing over her two dogs.

Stef C.R., project leader by day, romance author by night, lives in West Michigan with her husband and not one, not two, but three cats. When she's not working or writing stories, she spends her time reading fantasy and romance, endlessly cheering on the Red Wings, Charles LeClerc, and listening to Noah Kahan. 

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

Accessibility Details: Located on the first floor, accessed by elevator and/or stairs. All doors will feature an automatic function or be propped open 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.