Origin Story

I’ve been reading romance since I was a little girl. I was a voracious reader and would read anything I could get my hands on. I knew that my mom’s romance novels were off limits so naturally, I read them. I would steal them, one by one, and hide them under my box springs along with a flashlight. And then late at night, I’d go on adventures with pirates and princesses and handsome dukes. I didn’t completely understand the sex scenes, but it didn’t matter. The stories resonated. 

I continued to read romance off and on as I got older — always turning to it for distraction and some joy when I went through harder periods in life. When e-readers became popular, my romance reading picked up speed because I could get books anywhere and anytime and no one needed to know what I was reading. There were no embarrassing shirtless covers to give me away. 

I think most romance readers have been shamed in one way or another for enjoying the genre. “Smut, Mommy Porn, Trashy, etc.” For a genre that props up the publishing industry and makes billions of dollars per year, it has long been derided and is an easy target for those who don’t partake. 

The Happily Ever After Society is here to challenge that narrative. This book celebrates romance and the idea that romance novels are inherently feminist, important and beneficial to society, and a form of joyful resistance. 

The book will be launched on Kickstarter in early 2025. Follow along here or subscribe to the newsletter for more info and a behind-the-scenes look at creating it.