Meet and Greet: B.K. Borison

On February 28th, I had the pleasure of meeting contemporary romance writer B.K. Borison. Borison is the bestselling author of the Lovelight series, Heartstring series, and the Ghosted series. I'm a huge fan of her Lovelight series and Heartstrings series. A few months ago, she announced she was undergoing a book tour to promote And Now Back to You, the second book of her Heartstrings series. I immediately bought my ticket and eagerly counted the days for this significant moment. Before I get into detail regarding my experience, I want to discuss the Lovelight series and the Heartstrings series in some depth.

I came across B.K. Borison's first book Lovelight Farms online. The person who recommended the book described the series as "cozy" and "swoonworthy," so I decided to give it a chance. The book did not disappoint. Through Lovelight Farms, I was introduced to the charming fictional town of Inglewild, Maryland. Ingewild is remininscient to Stars Hollow, the fictional town of Gilmore Girls, where everyone knows one another and is in everyone's business. Small-town romances are not only comforting to read, but they also offer connection and a sense of home.

Lovelight Farms centers on Stella Bloom, who enters a fake relationship with her best friend, Luka Peters, to enter a contest and win the cash prize to save her tree farm. The story follows the fake relationship trope, and I loved how the situation allowed Stella to act on her feelings and develop a genuine connection with Luka. The next book in the series, Into the Weeds, focuses on grumpy farmer Beckett Porter and social media influencer Evelyn St. James. It's a second-chance story, where Beckett and Evelyn reconnect and are given another shot at love. The third book in the series, Mixed Signals, follows Layla Dupree and Caleb Alvarez. Layla is unlucky in love. Caleb comes to her with a solution. They agree to date for a month, no-strings-attached, to renew her faith in dating. Chaos, and feelings, ensue. I can't say too much about this book because this one was my least favorite of the series. I failed to connect with the story and characters. Business Casual is the last book of the Lovelight series. Nova Porter, the younger sister of Beckett, is trying to open her tattoo studio. Enter Charlie. The two have a one-night stand, but they can't stop running into each other. With each encounter, they gradually realize their deeper connection to each other.

Lovelight Farms and Into the Weeds are my favorite of the Lovelight series. I really connected with these couples, particularly with Beckett and Evelyn. Beckett is a man of few words, and he doesn't socialize with people. Yet he finds a way to communicate his feelings for Evelyn, who brings him a sense of peace and belonging.

Now, without further ado, let's talk about the event.

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Author Talk: B.K. Borison with Jessica Joyce and Joss Richard

I arrived at the event about half an hour early, and there was already a line of people eagerly waiting to get inside the venue. When I was admitted, I received my autographed copy of And Now Back To You. It's such a wonderful feeling holding a coveted copy of a book. I admired the colorful front cover and its crisp, clean pages. I then made my way to the back of the venue, where the vendors were located. A vendor was selling dirty sodas, while another was selling book sleeves. Unfortunately, I did not buy a dirty soda, but I did buy a book sleeve that featured chickens.

I took a seat and waited for the event to officially begin. A few minutes after 8 o'clock, the owners of Heartbound Book Shop thanked us for coming and supporting the event and introduced B.K. Borison, Jessica Joyce, and Joss Richard to the stage. The audience applauded with cheers. Last November, I bought a ticket to an author talk with B.K. Borison, yet, she cancelled. I hoped she would reschedule, and as luck would have it, there I was sitting in the audience, amongst hundreds of people, witnessing one of my favorite romance authors discuss her latest book.

The event was filled with laughter and joy, a marvelous distraction from the events of the outside world. B.K. Borison discussed her fan casting for her adaptation of First-Time Caller (I hope she's successful in getting Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as Aiden and Lucy, respectively). I think my favorite part of the talk was the audience asking questions. There were a lot of great questions, and I was reassured that I was in good company: the talk was full of people who are devoted fans not only to B.K. Borison, but also the romance genre in general. One audience member commented that she liked how Borison does not have her characters directly say "I love you," but implies it through small gestures or feelings. This audience member asked if she comes up with it "on a whim" or with some thought. Borison answered that she does not come up with it off the bat, but puts some work into it. I thought that was a wonderful question to ask because not all "I love you's" are the same: they are tailored to that individual.

Finally, it was time for a photo with the author. I waited in line for almost an hour to get my picture taken with Borison.

B.K. Borison and I smile and pose for the camera.

When my turn arrived, I heard Borison comment on my sweater, saying it looked soft. Though the day was a warm one, I knew the sweater complemented my skirt. We posed and smiled for the camera, and then I said my good-bye, telling her it was wonderful to (finally) meet her. I stood in another line for Jessica Joyce to sign my copy of her book, The Ex-Vows, and I left.

So there you have it, folks. That was my night in Anaheim. I cannot wait to read And Now Back To You, and hope that B.K. Borison tours again.