HBRW 2026 - The Romantasy Phenomenon

It’s a genre that has garnered a huge new following, so find out what makes romantasy so popular. We’ll meet three New Zealand authors making romantasy their own. Ivy Cliffwater is the author of The Shadow Weaver, which combines romance, forbidden powers, and epic battles. Isabelle Taylor writes sweet, spicy monster romance with two series well underway. And New Zealand’s own Queen of Romantasy, Nalini Singh, joins us with a new book in her Guild Hunter series, Archangel’s Eternity. Catherine Robertson leads the discussion.

About the Authors

Nalini Singh is the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and international bestselling author of the iconic Psy-Changeling and Guild Hunter series.
She also writes fun contemporary romances, and atmospheric New Zealand-set thrillers. Two of her thrillers have been optioned for television adaptation.
Born in Fiji and raised in New Zealand, she was first published in 2003. Her books have sold over eight million copies worldwide and have been translated into more than twenty languages, including German, French, Japanese, and Turkish.

Ivy Cliffwater is a debut writer, working fulltime on her writing and building her platform. She lives in Auckland, on the North Shore.

Isabelle Taylor writes sweet, spicy monster romance. She works in a bookstore in New Zealand and has a Creative Writing Masters from the International Institute of Modern Letters.

Catherine Robertson is a bestselling author of thirteen novels for adults and Pearl in a Whirl for children. In 2020, she was the CNZ/International Institute of Modern Letters Writer in Residence at Victoria University. Catherine regularly reviews books for Jesse Mulligan’s Book Critic slot on RNZ Afternoons.

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