The best—and, indeed, the most satisfying—fiction novels rarely pick a lane. They lead with their dominant genre, then use off-genre sub-plots to heighten the emotional stakes. Just as Contemporary Romance novels are more exciting with elements of mystery, or fantasy, or suspense, so also are Mystery and Fantasy and Suspense novels better with a little romance.

This workshop will explore how romantic sub-plots can be used in novels outside of the Romance genre to hook more readers and deepen their emotional investment in your books. It will describe how to craft romantic arcs for both of your love interests, even if your story has only one protagonist. It will detail how those arcs must intersect in service of your romantic subplot. Most importantly, it will deconstruct popular romance tropes (e.g., enemies to lovers, rags to riches, secret identity, protector/ward, forbidden love, etc.) and lay out tried-and-true beats that work for those tropes in commercial Romance.

This exclusive workshop is being given for the Fremont Branch of the California Writer’s Club. Contact Tish Davidson or Knuti Van Hoten for information about how to join CWC or join as a guest.