Welcome to Authors Dish featuring authors and industry professionals attending the 10th Anniversary Sexy and SaSSY 2026 Signing in Richmond, Virginia. If you are joining us for all the bookish fun or just traveling over the summer we hope their tips or packing ideas are helpful no matter where your travels take you. If you are heading to #SaSS26 next month please don’t forget to pre-order your books early to guarantee your books are waiting for you (details and links can be found on the facebook group page.) If you are bringing your favorites from home don’t forget to make room for all the extra bookish stuff you’ll find while you are in Richmond. May these posts inspire you to shop early, make your lists, and triple check so you are prepared for just about anything.
Thank you to all who have dished and those yet and soon to featured. Stay tuned for more comments and be sure to follow the blog so you don’t miss these posts.
To kick off our series today in the cafe are authors Piper Stone, Sue Langford, Campbell Linden, and Britt DeLaney.
Rae: What genre(s) do you write and what are you currently working on?
Piper: I write in dark mafia, cowboys, alpha military men, contemporary billionaires, why choose romance, shifters, oil riggers, smokejumpers, and science fiction
Sue: Billionaire Spicy Romance. Working on the next book in my Ireland Series.
Campbell: I write later in life, second-chance contemporary romance. My characters are usually in their late 40s to mid-60s, have been widowed or divorced (although I occasionally have an avowed bachelor) and are seeking love and happiness at a later time in their lives.
Britt: I write Romance (Contemporary & Romantasy) as Britt DeLaney, and I’m also an award-winning YA author (L.E. DeLano). I’m currently working on a Rom-Com Beach read and a YA witchy re-telling of the Cinderella story.
Rae: What is your favorite decade?
Piper: I don’t think I have a favorite decade, just bits and pieces from them. Eighties music. The movies of two thousand.
Sue: Now. 80s was crazy fun, 90s was filled with clubs and meeting all the wrong guys. Now I’m in my me era……
Campbell: I write contemporary romance so my favorite decade is now. In terms of my characters’ ages, they are usually older and have older children, who are also fun to write about.
Britt: I love the 80’s! Big and brash and larger than life.
Rae: What five things do you have to pack when attending a conference?
Piper: Comfortable shoes – a must and one I learned the hard way. My purple pens – both ink gel and a sharpie for signing. Water – lots of bottled water. My laptop because I’m always writing even at a conference. My husband – as he’s my brilliantly talented assistant and creative arts director.
Sue: Comfy shoes, books, my AirPods for my audiobooks that I’m listening to, fuzzy socks for the overly cold toes and some snacks.
Campbell: This is my first conference and am sure I am going to forget many things. But I am planning to pack convenient, non-messy snacks, outfits that make me feel good and are comfortable, shoes that are stylish but practical and don’t hurt my feet, pens and a pad or notebook – I love to jot down observations – especially when I travel – and crosswords from the Sunday New York Times magazine (yes, I still get newspapers) that I save for trips.
Britt: Books (of course), fun swag, table decorations, colored pens, and some sort of festive bookish attire.
Rae: What is your snack attack must haves in your day bag?
Piper: White cheddar Cheezits, Peanut M & M’s for my husband, smoked almonds – the spicier the better.
Sue: I try for healthy snacks like kind bars, but have a secret craving for whole grain goldfish crackers……
Campbell: Popcorn and pretzels. I’m more of a savory than sweet person.
Britt: Diet Dr. Pepper and Biscoff cookies
Rae: What’s the one thing you forget to pack and swear to remember next time?
Piper: A light jacket or sweater just in case it gets too chilly.
Sue: Perfume or body spray. Somehow I always end up going to get it at a Sephora nearby.
Campbell: Phone charger(s)
Britt: Funny you should ask, but my last event I forgot to pack my pants and had to wear the very wrinkled yoga pants I traveled in. Ugh!
Thank you so much authors! If you are an attending author or industry professional and you want to join in on the fun please e-mail me and we’ll be sure to add you on a future post!
I’ll be keeping a running list and will post a master packing list a week before #SaSS26 Richmond. I’ll see you soon for new authors and more ideas!
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When Sue started her writing career, she was determined to write books with strong female characters, and stories that you wouldn’t ever forget. Now, after her Charleston Series and now her new Ireland series, she’s gone from sweet romances to the spicy and sultry end of the romance world. The second-chance and small-town romances can take place anywhere in the world, and she’s determined to write the stories from our favorite vacation locations, and a few of the locations from her dream bucket list. Now, her newest series takes place in the beautiful Isle of Ireland and will no doubt be the top of her favorites, and the spiciest that she’s ever written.
Campbell Linden began her career in advertising in New York City and went on to hold executive corporate communications positions in the entertainment industry before starting her own public relations consultancy. She is now recovering from a lifetime of meetings that could have been an email and has found her true calling in writing steamy romance novels.
When she’s not writing, she loves to sip coffee, share her favorite fashion finds and tell wild stories from her career.
She believes in happily ever afters in both life and books and is a proponent of showing others that you can reinvent yourself at any age.
Britt DeLaney writes Romantasy and Contemporary Romance full of heart, humor, and heat. She now makes her home in Amish country, Pennsylvania. Britt has a deep love of snarky men, fierce women, clever plot twists, quirky supporting characters, and fantastical places. In her spare time, she eats too much refined sugar, and tries to thwart her cat’s plans for world domination. This has been unsuccessful on every level. In addition to her romance titles, Britt is also an award-winning Young Adult (YA) novelist under her alternate moniker, L.E. DeLano.
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Website: https://brittdelaney.com and https://ledelano.com