About

Let’s be honest, we’re all suckers for a good romance trope… But which one is The Best? Join some of the leading Canadian romance authors as they battle head-to-head in a Romance Trope Smackdown. Are you Team Enemies-to-Lovers or Team Only-One-Bed? Lily Chu, Markus Harwood-Jones, Jackie Lau and Lynn Painter will let you know their favourites and what it takes to write a rom-com to steal your heart away.

Sponsored by Simon & Schuster Canada.

Lily Chu

Lily Chu loves ordering the second-cheapest wine, wearing perfume all the time, and staying up far too late reading a good book. She writes romantic comedies set in Toronto with strong Asian characters.

Read more about Lily Chu

Markus Harwood-Jones

Markus Harwood-Jones (he/they) has been writing stories all his life. Markus specializes in writing young-adult fiction and has a soft-spot for sappy love stories.

Read more about Markus Harwood-Jones

Jackie Lau

Jackie Lau studied engineering and worked as a geophysicist before turning to her first love of writing. She is now the author of over 20 romantic comedies including Donut Fall in Love and The Stand-Up Groomsman.

Read more about Jackie Lau

Photo credit: Emily Ding.

Lynn Painter

Lynn Painter writes romantic comedies for both teens and adults. She is the author of Better Than the Movies, Mr.

Read more about Lynn Painter

Photo credit: Jackson Okun.