The Common Press are delighted to host Simone Soltani and Soraya Bouazzaoui for an event on romance & F1 racing to celebrate the release of Simone's novel, CROSS THE LINE.
During this event, Simone and Soraya will be discussing Formula 1, the writing process, chronic illness, and representation within romantic fiction.
About the book:
Formula 1 driver Dev Anderson’s career is on the line. After a social media disaster leaves him with an angry team and sponsors threatening to jump ship, he needs someone to help save his image. At a party in Monaco, he bumps into the woman who can fix it all. There’s just one problem: she’s his best friend’s little sister. And, okay, maybe there’s another problem—he kissed her last year and hasn’t been able to stop thinking about it since.
Recent college grad Willow Williams needs a job. She may have a talent for seeing the bright side of any bad situation, but it’s hard to stay positive when she’s struggling to get hired. So when Dev offers her a temporary solution, she can’t help but say yes. Even if it means ignoring the crush she’s had on him since childhood. Willow and Dev are determined to keep things strictly professional, regardless of old feelings and the blazing chemistry between them.
But in the glittering and high-stakes world of Formula 1, some lines are meant to be crossed . . .
About the author:
Simone Soltani is a romance author and former ghost writer for a serialized fiction platform. Born and raised in Washington, DC, she holds a BA in Geography from The George Washington University, which she likes to think comes in handy for worldbuilding in her novels. When she’s not writing, she spends most of her time planning vacations she’ll probably never get to go on, reorganizing her many bookshelves, and watching sports while cuddling with her dogs.
About the host:
Soraya Bouazzaoui is an editor and writer living in London. Her debut novel, AICHA KANDICHA, is due to be published by Orbit in 2026.
Event details:
- Date: Thursday 6th June
- Doors open: 6:30pm
- Event starts: 7pm
This event will be taking place in our downstairs event space which is sadly not wheelchair accessible. The event space is accessed via a flight of stairs with 22 steps and a handrail.