Page 43 of Paper Hearts & Plot Twists

“I like to think of it as the contemporary romance of fantasy, although there are cozy fantasies without romance,” Sarah mused. “I don’t write them as I’m a fan of some angst in my writing, but I like reading them occasionally. They can be great palate-cleanser reads between heavier series.”

“Think of it as low-stakes fantasy,” Tamora responded. Brandon and Miles looked at each other in surprise.

“We’ll have to look into that,” Brandon mused. Miles nodded in agreement. He would’ve condemned cozy fantasy as lazy writing in the past, but maybe there was something to it. Miles wondered what Emily thought about it. He was sure she’d curl into a blanket with a steaming mug of coffee and be fully entranced by the stories.

The four authors continued talking, taking questions from the guests until a conference organizer had them wrap things up. Miles shook hands with his fellow authors and exchanged numbers with each of them for potential future collaboration. He followed Ben, who was tapping his feet anxiously at a nearby conference room for his scheduled solo talk, which was about the influence of mythology in fantasy.

“Worried about me making this talk?” Miles asked Ben with a smirk.

“I hate it when you cut it close,” Ben admitted. “We have a lot riding on this talk. I need you to take this seriously.”

“It’s not my fault the panel went a little late. I am taking this seriously, though.”

Ben gave him an assessing look and nodded before he moved to the side of the stage and sat in a provided chair, leaving Miles to go to the front of the room where the podium and his microphone were placed.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Miles said, smiling over the crowd. His eyes roamed the audience, though he was looking for one person in particular. Emily sat near the front, a pen and pad in front of her, brown eyes forward and attentive. When she noticed he was looking in her direction she beamed back at him. She set down her implements and held up both thumbs. A surge of warmth rushed through him and he spared her a small grin before focusing on the crowd as a whole.

“I’m pleased there are so many people interested in learning about mythology and the correlation between understanding the past and writing fantasy,” Miles said. His shoulders relaxed as he focused on the words he’d spent the last month preparing.

“I’ve been writing for many years, and I’ve found myself mostly drawn to the concepts of time as a wheel, similar to Robert Jordan, though that’s only been a small part of the mythology I’ve incorporated.”

The speech carried on, with Miles discussing different mythologies such as the Greeks, Romans, Norse, and others. Miles outlined different ways writers can use mythology from the past to create robust and well-rounded fantasy worlds to set their characters within.

He drew from his own research and knowledge pertaining to the mythologies, and emphasized the way other authors did the same. Miles flew off script a few times, adding in some commentary on the romantic aspects of the stories, a component he’d planned to skip altogether when he was originally thinking about this talk. By the end of the panel, Miles’s head was spinning with ideas and he felt his voice crack a bit from the back-to-back talks he’d been a part of.

Loud applause started in the back and carried through the room once the speech was finished. “Thank you, everyone. I don’t have time for questions today, but I’d love to meet with you after the signing tomorrow.”

Miles didn’t wait for a response before he jumped from the stage and made a beeline toward Emily sitting front and center. His target was delayed by a delicate hand resting on his bicep. Miles stopped and turned in the direction of the touch.

Larissa was a formidable woman. Despite standing half a foot shorter than Miles even in high heels, she had a confidence about her that made her seem so much taller, standing ground with just about any man. She wore a crisp gray business suit with a pressed purple button-up blouse.

Holding a hand out toward Miles, she said, “I don’t know what’s changed for you, but it’s a change I approve of. I’d like to do business with you.”

Miles stared for a moment before her words processed in his brain. He brought a hand forward, and took Larissa’s in his own, shaking it firmly. “You’ll take my book into your publishing house?” Miles asked, wanting to confirm what he thought she meant.

“I’ll take your whole series if it’s as good as the first book,” Larissa responded.

“What made you change your mind about taking me on?” Miles asked.

Larissa pursed her lips as she took a moment to respond. “At first it was seeing the article that came out about your changed viewpoint toward romance. That showed a lot of growth and maturity,” Larissa admitted.

“But I don’t write romance,” Miles said. His brows furrowed. “How does that have anything to do with the work I’d do for your company?”

“First, there’s romance in every single book out there. Even in thrillers, the killer usually does it over a misguided sense of love. Superman saves the world for love. A captain on a ship fights in a war to save his love. Romance is in every genre. The more people realize it, the more they’ll realize how important romance is in all books. But for you, personally, it’s not so much about what you write, as it is about the attitude and press you bring to the company,“ Larissa said. “I want my company associated with the right people and the right culture. I already know you write good stories, all of my authors do. I want more than that.”

“And I fit that now?” Miles asked, feeling like it hadn’t been a dramatic change.

“Absolutely,” Larissa said with a wink.

“You said ‘at first.’ What else helped change your mind?”

“That’s for me to know,” Larissa said with a shrug. She turned and started to walk away. “I’ll contact Ben about some contract details, and you can both get back to me.” She didn’t wait for a response and walked out of the room, hips swaying with each movement.

Miles started forward again, though his mind was still processing the interaction. He moved toward the last place he saw Emily. His eyes scanned the crowd, looking for her familiar dark curls. A slow grin spread across his lips when his eyes connected and he hurried to her. Emily smiled broadly at him. He pulled her into an embrace and lifted her off her feet, twirling her in a circle. Emily squeaked in shock and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“What’s going on? What was that for?” Emily asked once Miles set her on her feet. Miles kept his hands on her arms. He knew he was grinning like a loon, but he didn’t care. He was close enough that if he leaned in, their lips would press together.

“I finally got the book deal. My next series will be available through TOR publishing,” Miles exclaimed.

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