Book lovers, you need to mark your calendars right now. The 14th annual Coastal Magic Convention is happening February 19-22, 2026 at The Shores Resort & Spa in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida. This is honestly the best weekend for readers and authors to get together for four days of panels, meet and greets, book signings, and what they call “bookish shenanigans” by the beach.
The theme for 2026 is “Secret Garden: Reading Helps Your Mind Bloom,” and I’m already obsessed. Weekend registration is $130 and gets you into absolutely everything. You get a welcome bag packed with goodies, access to all panels and on-site activities, Saturday lunch with an author, author-hosted meet and greets, and the book signing that’s open to the public. Saturday’s charity book sale and signing is free for anyone to attend, not just convention registrants, which is so sweet.
This isn’t one of those massive conventions where you’re fighting crowds and standing in line for hours. Coastal Magic is deliberately kept casual and intimate. The whole point is giving authors and readers space to actually get to know each other and hang out for the weekend. Panels are designed to start real conversations instead of just being promotional events, and honestly that makes such a difference.
The featured author lineup includes New York Times bestsellers alongside debut authors and writers who might be new to you. They’ve got over fifty storytellers confirmed, covering urban fantasy, paranormal, mystery, and romance genres. The full list of featured authors is on their website, and they’re still revealing names as the event gets closer, so keep checking back.
The Shores Resort & Spa is right on the beach in Daytona Beach Shores. It’s the kind of venue where you can step outside between panels and actually be on the sand. How perfect is that? Registration is already open through their website at coastalmagicconvention.com. If you follow their Twitter at @CoastalMagicCon or their Facebook page, they post author announcements and updates regularly, so you won’t miss anything.
Sarah Eldraine
Sarah Eldraine, from Miami, is a creative soul, passionate about comic books, gaming, and writing. She weaves narratives in her writing, just as she navigates storylines in her favorite comics and games, embodying the spirit of adventure and storytelling that defines her hobbies.
