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“I haven’t read a lot of science fiction, but I was pulled in from the first chapter. I fell in love with Aron. He’s fabulously flawed and epically lovable.”
“Wow. Thank you. That means a lot coming from a seasoned writer.”
“I mean it, Knox.” I sat up, because his story had legit sucked me in, and I was excited about his writing.
“I’m still waiting for the editor’s feedback, so you’re the first person who’s read it. That’s scary as hell.”
“I get that. I remember the first time, in my very first writing class, when we were paired with another student and had to critique each other. It’s terrifying. But your writing style is so easy to read and your description is vivid yet not overdone and Aron…” I let out an exaggerated dreamy sigh.
“My head’s getting bigger as we sit here,” he said, laughing. “I appreciate the praise, but there had to be things I could do better. I want constructive criticism too.”
I leaned back and cradled my knees into my chest, thinking about his story. I was the one who’d asked him if I could read it, so not knowing whether he wanted feedback, I hadn’t taken notes. Even if I’d intended to, I’d been so swept away as a reader, I wasn’t sure I’d have noted many things to improve. However… “Have you considered giving Aron a romantic interest?”
He tilted his head thoughtfully. “Honest answer? No. I was all about the action scenes and the saving-his-people bit.”
Grinning, I said, “You mean the science fiction?”
“Yeah, that.”
“Do you plan to write more in the same world? A series? Sequel?”
“I’ve played with some ideas. I guess I’ve been waiting for feedback before I got too carried away. I was thinking I could do more books with different adversaries, link them together with one big, bad power behind it all. I have some ideas in mind, but the book I’m writing now is unrelated.”
I nodded. “That’s smart. What are you planning to do with the first one after you hear back from the editor?”
“That depends on what she says,” he said, sounding self-conscious again. “It’s my first book. I’m leaning toward publishing it myself, but I’ve heard it’s wise not to publish your first book.”
“That’s not bad advice. There are a lot of books out there that shouldn’t be published, in my opinion, but this isn’t one of them.”
“You’re good for my ego.” He crossed one of his long legs over the other and leaned his head back in thought. “Talk to me about romance.”
“In stories, I hope you mean.”
“Well, yeah, although I suspect you’ve got some going on in real life.”
He didn’t look directly at me, nor did he phrase it as a question, so I didn’t comment on Cash. “You know I’m a romance reader and writer, so I come from that bias. But think about it. Everyone loves love. The biggest movies might be action films or sci-fi sagas, but there’s almost always a love story at some level. Women eat them up, and men can get into them too as long as they aren’t overly done or too flowery. Look atStar WarsandTop Gun.”
“You have a good point. I’m listening.”
“Science fiction skews to male readers more than women, right?”
He nodded. “Though more women read it than in the past.”
“True. And science fiction romance is actually trending right now. I think by throwing in a love interest at some point—and I’m not advocating for going back and changing this story necessarily, it just depends on what you decide to do with it—you’ll open up your readership to include more women. We love romance, and we’ll cross genres to get it.”
He nodded slowly, as if he was seriously considering what I said.
“I kind of did the opposite with my series. It’s romance. Women will be the biggest audience. But it’s also sports. Baseball. And there’s alotof baseball in it. I put a bunch of research into it when I wrote it, so the hope is that men might get into the series too.”
What I didn’t mention was that I knew baseball from when Cash and I had been together in the past. He’d gotten me started as a fan, but he’d also given me insight into the politics and the pressure and the behind-the-scenes stuff you don’t get as much of from just watching a game on TV. That had sparked my interest in the sport all those years ago, and even after we broke up, I followed it closely. Of course, I switched to being a Dodgers fan instead of Cash’s favorite, the Cubs, but I hadn’t wanted to quit the sport altogether.
“Pretty smart,” he said.
“I know some things,” I said, grinning.
“You going to let me read some of your writing?”
“Sure, if you’re up for romance.”
