The 2025 Historical Novel Society Conference runs from June 26 to 28, 2025.

Last year, the Conference was held in the south west UK, at the historic Dartington Estate in Devon. As an author living in Exeter, which is only half an hour’s drive from Dartington, I was delighted that I could not only attend all three days in person, but I could easily commute each morning and evening from home.

I had a very interesting time at the conference, hearing from well-known authors like Bernard Cornwell, Diana Gabaldon, Kate Quinn and Ian Mortimer, as well as attending panel discussions and sharing stories of my ‘writing journey’ while networking with fellow authors.

This year, however, the conference is a bit further away (for me, anyway). Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, to be exact. And while one could argue that as Romans, the Caesars pre-date Dartington’s medieval heritage, their palace in Nevada is not actually as old as the Great Hall at Dartington (built between 1388 and 1399 by John Holland, Earl of Huntingdon and later Duke of Exeter).

I’m sure that this will create a very different ‘vibe’ for the conference; instead of being surrounded by the grey stone of medieval architecture, the conference delegates will be able to enjoy all the luxury and opulence that makes Las Vegas so famous.

Two of my Paper Lantern Writer colleagues will be attending. These are; Edie Cay, author of steamy romance novels set in both the Regency and Victorian eras, and Ana Brazil, who writes mysteries featuring ‘curious, ambitious, and totally bodacious women’. Edie will be doing a panel discussion on Saturday June 28th at 10:30am (PT) called The Seductions of Historical Romance, while both will be signing copies of their books at The Big Book Signing Event on the Saturday evening.

The good news is that the conference, which is organised by the Historical Novel Society North America, will also have a virtual attendance option—enabling online delegates to take part from anywhere in the world (even Exeter). Register here if you’re interested in attending.

The Paper Lantern Writers will have two ‘virtual booths’, available to online delegates:

• A Paper Lantern Writers booth, giving an overview of who and what we are, as well as links through to our Conference Newsletter (you can also download this here or click on the front page image, left).
• A booth specifically for our book aimed at helping historical fiction authors improve their writing, called Crafting Stories from the Past.
  

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Here’s hoping for a super-successful conference, for both the in-person and online delegates. The conference runs from June 26 to 28, 2025. For more information, see here.