Romance novelist Katherine Center is an avid advocate of finding joy and, of course, of falling in love. Over a dozen novels in which her protagonists navigate through struggles to resilience and happiness, she has mastered the art of finding reasons to be hopeful, opportunities to laugh, and ways of getting inspired—in real life, and in fiction.

In her newest, The Shippers, JoJo Burton boards a cruise for her sister’s wedding determined to fix her lifelong bad luck in love by pursuing an old crush, enlisting her childhood best friend Cooper as her wingman. But the trip that forces JoJo and Cooper to share close quarters (and sunburns) rekindles old feelings and unresolved heartbreak as they stumble into realizing they might be meant for each other.

Center discusses how—and why—she writes about love, the ways life’s lessons have shaped her work, and why she thinks falling in love is good for you.

The Shippers (St. Martin’s) will be available for purchase at the program.

General Information

• Registration for this program will end by 2 p.m. ET on Monday, June 1, 2026.