Page 15 of Long Story Short

He kept his eyes on mine for a few seconds, his face expressionless. I longed to know what he was thinking. He had to be nervous especially after the difficult podcast interview. I was too. I really hoped this would go better otherwise I had no idea what Hayley was going to say. When Jake looked away from me, I felt strangely disappointed. I was intimidated by that piercing gaze of his but it also felt weirdly special to be on the receiving end of it.

‘Welcome everyone,’ Christine said then into the microphone in front of her and the room immediately hushed. ‘Today’s panel is going to discuss how to write popular fiction. This year, we thought we would try something new and see if it works. We wondered how writing differs between the genres and if authors from different genres might have ideas when it comes to writing that could help if you’re trying to write a romance book. Do you approach writing popular fiction differently depending on the genre? Can we get any tips from other genres? Let’s find out, shall we?’ she asked enthusiastically. There was a scattering of applause and then Christine introduced the authors on the panel.

‘So, I’m delighted that with us today we have: Davis Mulberry, who writes crime; Kate Asher, who writes historical fiction; Taylor Baker, who writes fantasy; and Jake Richards, who writes romance,’ she continued, gesturing to each of the authors who nodded and waved to the room in turn. ‘My first question for the panel is: how did you choose the genre you write in and how did you get started in it?’

The talk started off smoothly; Jake answered the questions well and the authors were in agreement about lots of things, but when Christine asked about how hard they found writing their books, things started to take a turn.

It began with Davis Mulberry taking the lead in answering the question. ‘Well, I think when it comes to writing crime, plot is so key; you really do need to prepare and plan and come up with twists and turns… and in fantasy, you have all the world building, don’t you? And historical novels need a lot of research, of course, for accuracy. I’ve always thought that romance…’ he turned to look down at Jake pointedly, ‘…is probably the easiest of these genres to write, don’t you think? Less focus on plot or setting or research, just two characters who you know are going to end up together from the start.’ He leaned back in his chair with a definite sneer on his face.

‘What a dick,’ Liv said under her breath as Tessa beside her tutted. I gave them both a sympathetic look, knowing how much time and effort they put into their romance novels, then I looked back at Jake nervously to see how he was going to react. There was no doubt that Mulberry was deliberately trying to push Jake’s buttons with that statement. I wondered again if the only reason he had agreed to be on this panel was to wind Jake up. He was doing a good job if so.

Jake shook his head. ‘Romance, as everyone in this room probably knows, has often lacked the respect given to other genres, but I’m disappointed to hear it coming from a fellow writer. We should all support one another. And I can assure you, writing any book is difficult, no matter the genre. I’d argue romance is actually one of the hardest because you mainly have two characters who you are taking on a journey to a happy ending and you need to keep the reader hooked, desperate to know if they really will make it or not. Making a book easy to read is damn hard to write.’

Both Liv and Tessa cheered this sentiment and most of the room clapped and nodded in argument. I allowed myself a smile in Jake’s direction. That was a really good answer, and the room was on his side.

Davis Mulberry leaned forward again to respond. ‘And yet when we spoke last year, you seemed to agree with me that writing romance was easy. In fact, you indicated you felt writing it was beneath your talents. You dismissed the whole genre as being predictable. And told me that readers are ridiculous for believing in happy ever afters. Didn’t you, Richards?’

You could have heard a pin drop then. The whole room went deadly silent as the two men locked eyes down the table at one another.

‘Maybe we should—’ Christine began, clearly sensing the panel was getting away from her.

Jake cut in, though. ‘I did say that but…’

There were multiple gasps as Jake finally confessed that he had slagged off romance books. Jake stopped speaking as he turned to the room, realising what he’d just let slip.

‘And yet you’ve been denying it for months,’ Davis continued, looking triumphant. I longed to wipe that smug look off his face. ‘So, there we go: your favourite romance author hates romance books,’ he added to the room.

‘Jesus, Davis,’ Taylor said to him, shaking her head.

‘I think we should…’ Christine began again but Jake stood abruptly and left the room in two long strides, avoiding my eyes the whole way.

I sank back into my chair. ‘Well, today just got worse, if that was even possible,’ I said to Liv and Tessa as the room broke into outraged conversations about what had just happened, Christine failing to quieten everyone down again. ‘How the hell is Jake going to save his career now? And what is Hayley going to say? I’ve completely failed.’

‘This is on Jake, not you,’ Liv hissed across at me.

Tessa nodded. ‘Definitely, Freya, you’re trying to help him.’

‘Well, it’s not working. I better try to find him and talk to Hayley…’

‘Good luck,’ Liv said as I got up and made my own hasty exit from the room.

I stepped out into the hotel corridor and looked both ways, catching sight of Jake heading for a side exit so I hurried after him. I went through the door, finding myself on the street. It was a hot day, I hadn’t realised in the air-conditioned hotel, and the sun beat down on me as I walked over to where Jake stood on the corner, his hands in his pockets, pacing back and forth. Ahead of him, the city was in full flow and I could see yellow taxis and people in their work outfits walking with pace, but just a few feet away from it all, we stood in a quiet pocket together.

Jake glanced at me as I approached. He shook his head. ‘I know I fucked up today.’

I paused two feet away from him. ‘You got too angry in the interview earlier and made a rash comment.’

‘You think?’ he groaned.

‘Then you let Mulberry goad you.’

‘He was the reason I said all that about my books in the first place! He’s always goading me. Always trying to find out shit about me, winding me up, making me feel less than because he writes crime and I write romance. He’s been the same since we were at Cambridge together…’

‘Why did you let him make you admit the article was true?’ I was confused. Jake had been so adamant about sticking to the ‘it was all a lie’ line, and then in one second, he’d confessed all.

‘Because I feel so crap about it, and he knows it. He was thrilled when we realised a journalist had overheard us. He has wanted to bring me down for years. Hated the fact I’ve sold more books than him. Well, he got his wish, right? I’ll never have one published again now!’

My phone buzzed urgently in my bag. Reluctantly, I pulled my phone out. ‘Hayley is calling me.’

---