Fia Helleberg works as a high school teacher in Swedish and English in Västerås during the weekdays, but in the evenings after her children have fallen asleep, she turns to writing. According to SVT Nyheter (official), Fia Helleberg described being drawn to the dark and morbid, though she noted that her love relationships are not dark romance, but she creates dark worlds with terrible monsters and beings. The view of romance is not new to her, a perspective reinforced when British author Jilly Cooper recently passed away and in several contexts was called 'the queen of old lady smut,' which became another confirmation for Helleberg. She describes extensive work behind the books that is rarely seen in the debate, with background documents often over 200 pages, and has researched everything from the Crusades to demonology, according to SVT Nyheter (official).
This dedication comes amid broader growth in romance literature. In 2025, the Swedish book industry had a turnover of just over 5.5 billion kronor, an increase of 329 million kronor or 6.3 percent, and for the first time in the report series, printed books grew more than digital books. Sales of romance fiction in print in the USA have doubled in the last five years, while the romance category also increased in the UK, which for two decades has had an annual turnover of around 20 million pounds, to 53.2 million pounds in 2022 and has grown to 69 million pounds in 2024. According to BookBeat's new user data, listening and reading in the romance category has increased by 23 percent in Sweden in the last year, with subgenres like sports romance, cowboy romance, and romantasy now taking up more space.
I am drawn to the dark and morbid.
The romance trend was boosted a lot in connection with the book community BookTok establishing itself on TikTok a few years ago. Recommendations from BookTok users quickly create a large engagement, which also has a clear effect on sales. According to Tuva Haglund, postdoctoral researcher in literature at Uppsala University, there are several studies showing an increased interest in reading among young people related to BookTok, a trend also noticed in libraries and bookstores.
My love relationships are not dark romance, but I create dark worlds with terrible monsters and beings.
It says quite a lot about how one views romance in general.
My background documents are often over 200 pages.
I have researched everything from the Crusades to demonology.