Page 44 of Paper Hearts & Plot Twists

“Congratulations,” Emily said. She jumped forward and wrapped her arms around Miles’s waist, pressing her face into his broad chest. Miles wrapped his arms around her once more and they stood in that embrace, neither taking notice of the people wandering around the room.

Miles and Emily pulled out of the embrace, but remained close. Emily broke eye contact first, turning to the side, blushing. She felt like he must think she was part apple with how much she blushed around him.

“I really need to find Ben and tell him the news. He’s been hounding Larissa for a deal for months,” Miles murmured. He lifted a hand and brushed some hair from Emily’s face, drawing her eyes to his.

“I’m so happy for you,” Emily replied. “You deserve all of the best.”

“Meet me for lunch?”

“Always.”

Miles brushed his thumb along her cheek and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he turned, disappearing into the crowd. Emily pressed a hand to her face and stared after the man who had completely and irrevocably stolen her heart. She didn’t know what game he was playing, but she knew it was a game that could only end in heartbreak on her end. It was crazy to think she was falling in love with someone in only days, but she had no doubt it was happening. She hoped when she left this conference, her heart wouldn’t be broken. Maybe it was only a quick love that would dissipate as soon as she was in the real world again.

Chapter 33

Emily drew in a deep breath and glanced around the quickly emptying room to center herself. Already, hotel staff were cleaning the space for the next panel and speaker. Floating on air, Emily allowed her feet to carry her toward the door and into the hallway. She walked to the wall that had a schedule of available panels. She needed one more panel to finish that portion of the scavenger hunt.

With romance on the brain, a panel about trends in the romance genre with Catherine Bybee, Pippa Grant, and Ruth Cardello seemed a fitting place to spend the rest of the morning. Emily stepped into the room, got her scavenger hunt stamp, and found a comfortable seat off to the side, thankful it wasn’t full yet.

While she waited for the event to start, she took in the other attendees in the room. She’d learned working retail that people watching could be an entertaining use of time when there were a few minutes here or there.

A variety of people were attending the conference. Emily grew up with more diversity than many people, raised by her two gay uncles, but she was from a smaller community in Oregon that historically lacked diversity. It was a little wild to see the wide array of skin tones, hair textures, and fashion trends. She wished she had the confidence to go up to people, talk to them, and hear their stories. She longed for the confidence to put herself out there. But she worried people would find her to be weird. She loved reading the Humans of New York books and learning little bits and pieces to other people’s lives. How did Brandon Stanton have the confidence to put himself out there with all of those people to make Humans of New York happen?

Emily was staring at a woman’s laptop two tables away, trying to determine what the stickers on the back said when a bell announced the start of the session. She’d like to say she didn’t jump, but she’d be lying. Emily turned her attention to the raised table at the front of the room that now had three authors seated at it.

“Good afternoon, my name is Ruth Cardello.” Ruth said into the microphone.

“It’s so nice for you all to join us today,” Pippa said. “My name is Pippa Grant.” She turned toward Katherine.

Catherine smiled and waved at the crowd and then stated, “My name is Catherine Bybee. We’re so excited to talk to you about changes in the romantic genre.”

“We’ve all been writing for a long time,” Ruth continued. “I’ve been in the business since 2011, and the romance market is a whole new ordeal from what it was like when I started.”

Catherine and Pippa nodded their heads in agreement before Pippa joked, “I remember sneaking my mom’s Harlequin romance books, which were basically the staple of romance in any household. We still have and write romance, but there’s a bit more to them now than the typical fifty-thousand-word Harlequin book.”

“Harlequin had to be the start for any long-time romance reader,” Ruth responded with a laugh. “But the changes are notable even from when I’ve began writing till now.”

Catherine nodded her head. “The females of old were fairly spineless. Typical damsels-in-distress. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a damsel in distress, but it’s so much fun to see a lot more variety out there and a whole lot of heat.” People chuckled. Catherine was very good at getting a laugh from the crowd.

Pippa fanned her hand over her face and stuck her tongue out jokingly, “And those true-blue alpha men can be especially over the top, which I happen to find sexy as hell.”

“I’d say the romance market has shifted for the most part away from flat one-toned characters to more realistic or alternative versions. Men now have flaws, but also more strengths and depth overall,” Ruth chimed in. “Before a man could never admit to feeling real emotion, and now those emotional moments make women swoon.”

“I absolutely love the change in the female characters,” Pippa said. “We have strong women who aren’t only an object to be saved. These women can take charge, but they can also need a helping hand sometimes. These women are real and we can actually see ourselves reflected in them, which is wonderful. They have careers, and can kick some major butt. I consider myself a strong female, so I enjoy writing innovative characters. One of my women owns a sex toy factory in a small town. The book, in my humble opinion, is hilarious. I laughed a lot while I wrote it. There’s even a scene with a dildo war.” The audience bursts out laughing at this.

“That never would’ve been in one of your mother’s books,” Ruth said to Pippa.

Pippa laughed. “Most certainly not. But that’s the greatest part . . . we get to write in this ever-evolving world. There are so many options out there for us as authors, and for you as readers. We can have fun. We can get spicy hot, and we can still be sweet and intimate. I love sinking into an eighties Harlequin when I want to clear my head. The biggest change is there isn’t a formula anymore. We get to step out on a limb and write what we feel. Most of the time I feel crazy, so that’s what you’ll get in my writing.”

“I’ve been called crazy multiple times, but I grew up with ten siblings, yep ten, you heard that right,” Ruth said. “So there was a lot of humor in my life, and there still is today, so I tend to write funnier. I like to torture my characters a little just as my brothers tortured me in all of the best ways.”

“I tend to write sweeter. I do have strong, spicy heroines, but I love that rescue,” Catherine said. “My Weekday Bride series is more like that Harlequin of old, but with a bit of spice and a whole lot of humor. Life’s too short to do anything other than laugh. I like to include that in my writing. The point of all of this is: you can do all of this. You can write whatever’s in your heart. There will be an audience out there for you.”

Emily was entranced by the talk, listening to the three women banter and chat about the topic and the changes they’d seen in characters, settings, book length, and a variety of other matters. She barely noticed time passing and was surprised when it was over and people around her were packing up their belongings. Emily followed suit, careful to place her belongings in her bag. Once the room was clear she got up and followed the trail of other women out. She had lunch plans with Miles.

As much as she wanted to talk to the panel, she wasn’t confident enough yet to do that. These were New York Times best-selling authors and she was a nobody. Maybe someday she’d come to a conference as a published author. Then she’d be able to approach these wonderful authors and tell them how much they influenced her. That was her dream.

Chapter 34

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