Page 36 of Killer Summer
“Well, it’s not a stretch to assume that a literary professor is also a writer.” Ethan shot her a smirk over his shoulder. “I also might have asked around about you.”
“I see.” A warm sensation flooded her chest, slow and sweet as honey. “Yes, I do some screenwriting on the side. Not anything you’ve probably heard of.”
“Ah, come on,” he said. “You know about my work. Tell me.”
“Well, you know those corny, heart-warming Christmas romances that they show on cable TV?”
“The one’s where everyone looks perfect and they always have some kind of gazebo in the middle of a small town?”
“Bingo. For the last decade I’ve spent my summer breaks writing those under a pen name. Felicity Myers. You might have heard of my last screenplay, actually. It did pretty well.”
“What was it called?”
“A Puppy and a Prince for Christmas.”
“I can’t say I’ve seen it.” He chuckled. “We should watch it.”
“No.”
“Yes! I would love to,” he said.
“It’s … I mean, it’s nothing like what you write,” she said. “You’ll hate it.”
“I appreciate the art of storytelling in all forms,” he said. “Besides, romance is a hot market. How did you get into it anyway?”
“One of my old college acquaintances worked for the network and helped me get my foot in the door.” She shrugged. “Romance screenplays weren’t really my passion, but they were fun to write. The money wasn’t bad either and helped pay for the down payment on my house, so there’s that.”
“So, are you working on something new then? Something more in your wheelhouse?”
“I am,” she said. “It’s a horror screenplay, actually. Based on the stuff I was telling you about. I’ve been putting off writing it for so long, but I’m nearly finished now.”
“That must be hard to revisit,” he said.
“It was at first,” she said. “But now it's … cathartic.”
“I know what you mean.” Ethan glanced at the clock over the stove. “The night is still young, and I need to sober up before I hit the road. I sure would like to find out what happens with the puppy and that prince.”
“I really don’t think you’ll enjoy it.”
“You’d be surprised,” he said. “Besides, now that I know, I’ll just watch it on my own. I’d rather watch it with you though.”
“Oh my god,” Dani groaned and smiled. “Sure. What the hell.”
Ethan followed Dani to the living room and sunk into the sofa as she opened up the doors to her console. She pluckedA Puppy and a Princefor Christmasfrom her extensive movie collection and inserted the disc into her DVD player. It had been a long time since anyone other than her aunt had been inside her home, and as she settled in on the couch next to him, Dani realized just how badly she needed companionship.
“So only Jess at work knows about this,” she said. “I suppose once I’m long gone it won’t matter who knows that I write romcoms anyway.”
“Don’t worry,” Ethan said, taking her hand in his. “Your secrets are safe with me.”
Dani squeezed his hand as the credits for the movie rolled across the screen. She rarely rewatched the films she wrote for, mainly because she didn’t want to get frustrated when they went off script or misinterpreted her lines. Ethan watched with what seemed like genuine interest and asked questions about her characters, the plotline, and the process.
“So, with romance, how do you create chemistry between two characters?” He asked. “Like, no offense, I know that secretprinces and billionaires are a big trope in romance, but how do you get the average person to get behind that?”
“It’s easy. Give the main characters relatable flaws to make them seem more likable. Also, show the characters performing small acts of service for each other,” Dani said. “So in this one, the prince is allergic to dogs, but he knows how much the new puppy means to the gorgeous, plucky bed and breakfast owner. So the prince takes allergy pills so that he can spend time with her.”
“I see,” he said. “What’s your relatable flaw?”
“Hmm. I’ve been told that people think I’m pretty unlikeable,” she scoffed. “I don’t know that I have a relatable flaw.”
