E. Hope Grove

📖 The Secret to Writing an Addictive Slow-Burn Fantasy Romance (230 Pages & Counting!)

There’s something about writing a slow-burn romance that just takes over your soul (and your life… And your sleep!). When I sat down to draft Arys & Areon’s Night Beneath the Stars scene, I had no idea just how much I would fall in love with this moment. The tension, the stolen peace, the weight of everything left unsaid—I felt every second of it, and I hope you will too. 💫

The Magic of Slow-Burn Romance in NA Fantasy

When I started Arys (for real this time!), I knew I wanted it to be epic—not just in scale but in the intimacy of character arcs and emotional stakes. Now, as I wrap up Act 1, I can see how all the pieces are falling into place. The world is rich and layered, the characters are developing in ways that feel so right, and the romance? Oh, it’s simmering.

Writing this book is no longer just a project—it’s a full-blown obsession. I write every single day, often well into the night, because I can’t stop thinking about this world.

And the best part? The progress is unreal. We’re closing in on 230 pages in my Word doc—that’s WAY beyond the 50-page first draft I printed twenty years ago. Yes, you read that right. This book has been in my heart for decades, and now it’s finally taking shape the way it was always meant to.

How Arys Has Grown from 50 Pages to 230 Pages

The original draft of Arys was barely 50 pages (I was writing it when I was 15, and busy with school and marching band ok?), and while it had the heart of the story, it was nowhere near the epic fantasy novel it is now becoming. Expanding the world, refining the characters, and really digging into the emotional layers has made it so much stronger.

My New Writing Process: No More Working Backward!

Okay, confession time. 🙈 When I first started drafting, I made the classic newbie writer mistake: jumping into chapters without proper outlines. Big. Rookie. Energy. And let me tell you—it made things way harder than they needed to be.

BUT! Lesson learned. Now, I take the time to set up solid chapter outlines before drafting, and it has completely changed my process. Having a roadmap doesn’t take away the magic—it enhances it. I know where I’m going, but I still get to discover unexpected moments, like Areon surprising Arys with a quiet, star-lit escape from the chaos of war.

📌 Chapter 13 | “Arys & Areon: The Night Beneath the Stars” (Date Night Scene)

✅ Purpose: Arys and Areon carve out one moment of normalcy before war consumes them, deepening their emotional connection. This is when Arys fully realizes she wants him but isn’t ready to act on it. Areon, meanwhile, is holding back—but barely. The tension between them sets up their eventual breaking point in Chapter 17 (“That Night”).

🔹 Word Count Target: 3,500 – 4,500 words

🌀 Scene Breakdown:

1️⃣ A Private Escape (1,500 words)

• Areon senses Arys needs a break after an exhausting day.

• “Come with me.” He doesn’t explain—just leads her outside the camp, up a ridge where the sky is vast and unobstructed.

• He spreads a blanket on the ground and pulls out a rare bottle of Elven wine—a luxury from a world before war.

• Arys hesitates before sitting closer than necessary. Areon doesn’t move away.

🔹 Emotional & Thematic Beats:

💫 The world feels smaller here—war is distant, but not gone.

💘 Slow-burn tension escalates: They are close, but not touching.

👀 Foreshadowing: This moment will make the battle & near-death stakes later hit harder.

2️⃣ The Hard Questions (1,200 words)

• They talk without armor—no duty, no titles—just Arys and Areon.

• Areon admits: “I never thought I’d live long enough to fall in love again.”

• Arys asks if he’s afraid of dying. His answer unsettles her:

• “Dying? No. But leaving something unfinished… that’s different.”

• He glances at her when he says it, but doesn’t elaborate.

• Arys, shaken, deflects with humor, joking about the Elven wine’s strength.

• Areon laughs, but there’s sadness in his eyes.

🔹 Emotional & Thematic Beats:

💔 First real acknowledgment that Areon has been holding back.

⚔ A moment of regret: He wonders if he’s making a mistake by staying silent.

🔥 Slow-burn intensifies: They’re on the edge of something—but not yet.

3️⃣ A Moment That Almost Breaks (800 words)

• The conversation dies down. They sit in companionable silence, watching the stars.

• Areon reaches out, tracing a constellation in the sky. Arys follows his hand, but she’s more aware of the calloused fingers inches from hers.

• Their hands brush. Neither pulls away immediately.

• Arys’s internal shift:

• This is when she admits to herself she doesn’t just want him as an ally.

• She wants this—whatever this is.

• The air thickens between them.

• Areon leans in slightly—then freezes. His jaw tightens, and he looks away.

• “We should head back,” he says, voice strained.

• He doesn’t move immediately. Neither does she.

🔹 Emotional & Thematic Beats:

🔥 The ALMOST moment. Readers will be screaming.

💔 Areon’s restraint: He’s so close to giving in, but not yet.

👀 Foreshadowing: Sets up their eventual breaking point (Chapter 17: “That Night”).

This was my original plan, but when I sat down to write, things shifted! The final scene ended up with even more depth than I imagined—proof that outlining and intuition work hand in hand.

Exclusive Bonus Content – Extended Scenes Coming Soon!

So here’s an idea that hit me at 2 AM (because that’s when all great ideas happen, right?). What if I create bonus scenes, extra tangents, and extended slow-burn moments that don’t necessarily fit into the final book—but are so worth reading? Think of them like secret side tracks, only available here on the blog. 💡

And hey—if they help pull in a few dollars to support this budding author? Even better. I love writing this world, and if you want more of Arys & Areon’s romance, more unspoken tension, more scenes like A Night Beneath the Stars—then stay tuned. 😉

Follow My Writing Journey on Instagram!

🚀 I’m officially on Instagram! If you want behind-the-scenes content, sneak peeks, and spicy slow-burn teasers, come hang out! I’ll be posting exclusive content, writing updates, and fun interactive polls about what YOU want to see next.

📍 Follow me on Instagram: @emilyhopegrove

What’s Next?

With Act 1 almost wrapped, I’m gearing up for bigger stakes, deeper emotions, and more jaw-dropping moments as we move into the next phase of Arys. If you love NA fantasy, high-stakes romance, and slow-burn tension that makes you ache for more, then stick around. This journey is only getting started. 💖

📢 Want to follow my writing journey?

Come find me!

📢 Want more? Drop a comment below! Are you into exclusive bonus scenes and extended romantic moments? Let me know what you’d love to see! Want to see more outlines like this? Drop a comment below!

🔥 Until next time—keep dreaming, keep writing, and never stop chasing the story that sets your soul on fire. 🔥