By Alex Stone, author of best-selling psychological thrillers set in Dorset

It was 12:01 a.m. on January 2nd, 2015. While the world was slowly recovering from New Year’s celebrations, I was sat at my laptop, finger hovering over the submit button, heart racing.

Back then, the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme opened just after midnight on January 2nd—and places disappeared within minutes. You had to be quick.

I was lucky. I got in.

But life doesn’t always cooperate with our best-laid plans. My dad fell seriously ill that year, and writing quietly slipped into the background. I didn’t make it to any RNA events in 2015. That golden ticket sat quietly in the background, a promise waiting to be fulfilled.

By early 2016, I was finally ready to take a step forward. In February, I attended my first ever RNA meeting with the Birmingham Chapter. I can still remember how anxious I was walking in—convinced everyone else had already “made it,” and that I’d somehow be found out for the imposter I was. But instead, I found warmth, laughter, and a room full of people who understood what it meant to care deeply about stories.

Determined to make up for lost time, I’d also managed to book one of the coveted places for the Curtis Brown Discovery Day later that month – one day where the team from Curtis Brown took over Foyles bookstore in Charing Cross Road to meet writers face to face and give them feedback.

Upon hearing this, within minutes of meeting me, the writers at the Birmingham Chapter sprang into action, reading my submission and helping me refine my pitch. It may have taken me a year to get there, but I’d finally found my tribe!

Surrounded by support and encouragement, right from that very first meeting, I was no longer an accountant with a crazy impossible dream of being a published writer. I was a writer. One who was now on the path (albeit a long and often bumpy path) to becoming a published writer.

That Birmingham meeting turned out to be one of the most pivotal moments in my writing journey. It was there I met Alison May, an author whose friendship, mentorship and encouragement would become a cornerstone of my creative path.

Another turning point came in 2019, when I was honoured to receive the Katie Fforde Bursary. At a time when life kept knocking me down, that award was the lifeline I needed. Katie’s belief in me gave me the courage to take a much-needed career break—and I used that time to rent a small apartment in Bournemouth, determined to finally give my writing the space it needed.

The rest, as they say, is history.

From that Bournemouth base, I began the next chapter of my writing life—and never looked back. I became a psychological thriller author, living and writing about the coastlines, shadows, and secrets of Dorset.

Which brings me, to something new: The 2025 Romance Writing Festival.

People often ask—why is a thriller author co-creating a romance festival? The answer is simple: because romance is where it all started. And because I believe in the power of community—the kind I found with the RNA.

The RNA didn’t just help me learn the craft—it gave me a place to belong. A writing family. People who showed up for the hard bits, and popped Prosecco for the good bits. Without the connections, craft advice, and emotional support I found there, I genuinely don’t think I’d be where I am.

When Dominic Wong of the Bournemouth Writing Festival and I began dreaming up the idea of a romance-focused offshoot, I knew who I wanted on board immediately. Inviting Alison May to join us in shaping this new festival felt like coming full circle. From that first RNA meeting in 2016 to now—co-creating something special for romance writers, wherever they are on their own writing journeys.

The 2025 Romance Writing Festival is packed with inspiring speakers, workshops, and industry sessions designed to support writers at every stage. With brilliant authors like Katie Fforde, Milly Johnson, Paige Toon, Jo Thomas, Sue Moorcroft, Phillipa Ashley, and many more. It’s shaping up to be something truly special.

You can find out more at romancewritingfestival.co.uk.

Because no matter the genre, writing is never a solo act.

Stay tuned—and if you’re a romance writer (or reader), mark your calendars for 17^th-18^th October 2025.

Category:AlexStoneNews