Love is in the air, when Helen Gaskell joins us to talk about writing rom com novels. She shares the story of her accidental path to publishing — from writing a fan letter to a mobile game, to landing a deal with just 10,000 words written. Helen reveals the surprising structural discipline behind the genre, and passionately defends romantic fiction as a misunderstood feminist art form, arguing it offers sophisticated social commentary and genuine emotional comfort. Her debut, The Regency Switch, is available now from HarperCollins.
Guest Bio
Helen Gaskell (she/her) is a freelance lead content designer based in the UK. After ten years at the BBC as a content producer she now works on GOV.UK projects and has spent time at over a dozen central government departments. Most notably, she worked on the first public-facing AI-driven project for the Foreign Office, and wrote the UK government's guidance on AI for services.
Links
The Regency Switch: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-regency-switch/helen-gaskell/9780008769574
Helen’s author website: http://helengaskellwriter.co.uk/
Helen’s design website: https://www.helengaskell.co.uk/
Credits
Cover design by Raquel Breternitz.