SUNDAY 30 JULY – 4.30 PM
Workshop – Albers Room
Love em or hate em, romance tropes are here to stay. Join author Abiola Bello, author of delicious Christmas rom-coms like Love in Winterland and Only for the Holidays, as she walks us through a workshop on romance tropes. Learn the do’s and don’ts, the tropes to die for, and the tropes better left behind. More importantly, learn how to lean into the trope, without falling into cliché. Get your hot cocoa ready, it’s Christmas in July!
About Abiola Bello
Abiola Bello is a Nigerian-British, prize-winning, bestselling children's and YA author who was born and raised in London. She is an advocate for diversity in books for young people. She's the author of the award-winning fantasy series Emily Knight and was nominated for the CILIP's Carnegie Award, won London's BIG Read 2019, and was a finalist for the People's Book Prize Best Children's Book. Abiola contributed to The Very Merry Murder Club, a collection of mysteries from thirteen exciting and diverse children's writers which published in October 2021 and was selected as Waterstones Children's Book of the Month. Her debut YA, Love in Winter Wonderland, sold in a six-figure pre-empt and published in November 2022. Abiola won The London Book Fair Trailblazer Awards 2018 and is the co-founder of Hashtag Press, Hashtag BLAK, The Diverse Book Awards and ink! She has appeared in Cosmopolitan, Female First Magazine, The Mirror, BBC1XTRA to name a few. As well as being a writer, Abiola is a professional dancer. She performed for more than a decade in prestigious venues including The Royal Opera House, The Barbican, Sadler's Wells, Hammersmith Apollo and Unicorn Theatre. Abiola has also appeared on BBC's The Apprentice, Got To Dance and Street Dance AllStars The Movie.
