After a Shocking Diagnosis, Romance Authors Launch Star-Studded Auction to Support One of Their Own (Exclusive)
- - After a Shocking Diagnosis, Romance Authors Launch Star-Studded Auction to Support One of Their Own (Exclusive)
Rachel RaposasFebruary 13, 2026 at 10:00 AM
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Author Audrey Bellezza
Eugene Gologursky/Getty
The romance writing community is coming together to support a cause close to their hearts
Celebrated romance author Audrey Bellezza was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and has pushed for progress ever since
Scores of romance authors are contributing books, experiences and keepsakes to Love & Lit Silent Auction to support awareness and research for lung cancer
Romance authors are banding together to support a cause close to their hearts.
A collection of romance authors and other famous friends are gathering to support one of their own with the Love & Lit Silent Auction, featuring scores of signed and annotated editions, character naming rights, keepsakes and experiences up for bid. The auction, which begins Feb. 13 just in time for Galentine's Day, benefits Love4Lungs — a charity with a deeply personal connection to the romance writing community.
"Romance authors are the first people to say yes when any cause needs our help. It's the best part of being in this community," says Ali Rosen, one of the authors contributing to the auction. "But when one of our own is raising money for something that affects them? Get out of the way, because we'll stampede each other in order to do whatever we can."
The efforts behind the auction come shortly after contemporary romance author Audrey Bellezza — one half of the team behind the Jane Austen-inspired novels Emma of 83rd Street and Elizabeth of East Hampton — was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2025.
The news came as a shock, her close friend Whitney Tancred tells PEOPLE, as Bellezza was never a smoker and showed no symptoms. But unfortunately, cases like Bellezza's are common.
Audrey Bellezza.
Eugene Gologursky/Getty
That's why she started Love4Lungs, a charity dedicated to helping people affected by ALK+ lung cancer, the specific type of cancer with which the romance author has been diagnosed. The organization's goal is to turn "hope into progress," per its site.
To benefit Bellezza's charity, tons of authors and benefactors have come together for the Love & Lit Silent Auction, and all proceeds will go to raising awareness and funding research for lung cancer.
Hot items up for bid include the rights to name a character in a romance novel; signed, special and/or exclusive editions of beloved books; exclusive celebrity experiences including tickets to Watch What Happens Live! with Andy Cohen or a vintage typewriter signed by Tom Hanks; mentorship and guidance opportunities from authors and other treats.
For so many of the authors involved in the auction, the cause they're supporting is personal, since Bellezza has been a longtime friend and inspiration throughout the romance community.
"Audrey is my best friend, and I would do anything for her, but this goes far beyond that. Her diagnosis, the realities of this disease, prove just how indiscriminate it is," says Emily Harding, who co-authored the For the Love of Austen series with Bellezza. Of supporting efforts to finding a cure for ALK+ lung cancer, "How could I not want to be a part of that?"
"As shocked as I was by the news, I wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that Audrey was fighting back with her trademark spirit or that the romance community was ready to stand with her," says New York Times bestselling author Lauren Layne, who described the romance community as "fierce."
Emily Harding, Ali Rosen, and Nora Zelevansky.
Matt Doyle Photo/Getty; Ali Rosen/Instagram; Patrick McMullan via Getty
Nora Dahlia, bestselling author of Pick-Up and Backslide, tells PEOPLE the authors' shared genre seems to embody the message and goal of Love4Lungs: hope.
"In difficult times, romance brings people joy, escape, comfort and even a kind of safety in that inevitable happy ending. So, it makes sense to auction off romance novels and even writing support in honor of hope," Dahlia says. "In this small way, I’m happy to help Audrey — and others in her situation—get that happy ending too.
The auction officially begins Feb. 13 at 9 a.m. EST. There's also an option to make a donation at the auction's site.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
