‘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.