The Guy from the Flower Shop was my first contemporary romance release. It came out in 2020 when I was accumulating a lot of nervous energy around Perth's first lockdown. I'm very grateful that the situation in my city wasn't as bad as it might have been, but everything was uncertain at the time. Finding a new creative outlet was the most positive thing I could think of to do.

1. Short stories can be just as emotionally compelling as novels

I wrote this story at a time where my writer friends were working on novels and long novellas. Authors further out in my network were publishing substantially sized paperbacks. A handful of publishers I'd seen were putting out books longer than 80k words 😱 But I just didn't have the headspace to focus on a story that long. Really, what I wanted to do was zoom in on the core elements of what makes a romantic story so emotionally compelling.

Stories transport us to a different state of being. The journey may be temporary, but within the human mind, the feelings and impulses are every bit as real as the real thing — just from a safe distance away. I guess you could say "Flower Shop" was my way of studying how a story so short could still let a reader experience the tension of a "will they/won't they" followed by the joy of a happy ending.

2. Romance is more about hope than about relationships

Romance as a genre has one requirement: it must have a happy ending where the couple end up together. Sure, you might come across a bunch of genre conventions, story structures, and all sorts. But it's not unusual to find writers play fast and loose with these guidelines. Because there is only one criteria that makes a love story a romance.

But while working on "Flower Shop", I realised you don't actually need a fully fledged and consummated relationship to give your couple a happy ending. Romance, at its heart, is really about hope and love and trust, and all the good things within a happy relationship. But the relationship itself doesn't have to be realised on the page. Sometimes it's enough to hint at the very likely possibility of one.

It makes sense when you think about it. After all, what's more important — the gift or the wrapping it comes in?

3. You don't need gut-wrenching conflict for a satisfying ending

In the beforetimes, I was convinced a story needed to be intense and dark in order to provide a satisfying ending. I'm not sure where I got this idea, but what started to unravel it all for me was Terrace House: Boys & Girls in the City, a mundane and quiet reality TV show from Japan, remade by Netflix. The cosy tranquility of the show somehow managed to convey a simmering uptightness that amplified the tension of even the smallest disagreement.

By the time "Flower Shop" was underway, it finally hit me that even just mild tension and uncertainty can be enough to create suspense, provided the characters care about the outcome. And when hearts and hopes are at stake, it's very easy to care.

A short and sweet first date short story

Romance can blossom for anyone.

Su-Li’s had her fair share of dud dates and bad boyfriends, and when her cousin sets her up on a blind date, she doesn’t know what to expect. But despite his awkwardness, Chris from the flower shop shows his true colours, proving romance can blossom for anyone, with just a little care.

The Guy From the Flower Shop is a short and sweet first date story, set in the world of Somerville Downs.

Get this book.