Cooking Up the Perfect Happily Ever After

You’d think a "happily ever after" is all about the swoon-worthy kiss and fade-to-black, right? Wrong. The perfect HEA is a carefully curated recipe and if you want the scoop, then keep reading.

Ingredients:

• Excessive amounts of chemistry
• Conflict, but not the soap opera kind
• Characters to root for
• Payoff
• Pinch of realism

Method:

1. Don’t be shy when doling out the tension between your leads. I’m talking enough chemistry to power a small city. No chemistry=no HEA. And I don’t mean making eyes at each other over lattes, either. I mean witty banter, sparks flying with the accidental brush of fingers, someone narrowly escaping danger and someone (who’s been painfully aloof this whole time) getting irrationally upset about it, saying, “Don’t you ever scare me like that again.” I mean the kind of tension that makes readers tear their hair out screaming, “JUST KISS ALREADY!”
2. Conflict is drama, and drama moves things along. But. You have to hit that sweet spot: believable without being absurd. Think high emotional stakes, and not silly misunderstandings over someone’s ex liking their Instagram post. My rule of thumb goes something like, If it can be resolved by a simple conversation, it’s not true conflict.
3. Craft meaty, memorable characters with intention. Every HEA needs two people (or more, to include my poly folks) who bring out the best in each other. They can bring out other stuff too, but it shouldn’t be the foundation of the connection. Say it with me: Walking red flags do not romance make.
4. Your payoff MUST make readers feel like all the drama you put them through was worth it. In other words, an HEA has to feel earned. This isn’t the time to cash in and collect your participation award. No. Give me fireworks! feelings! forever love! Oh, my!
5. Readers come for the fantasy, sure, but any self-respecting HEA will have its feet firmly planted in reality. Just a dash. Enough to make it resonate within the world you’ve built, and enough to make it feel like it could happen to anyone.

Follow this recipe, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering the careful alchemy that makes a perfect Happily Ever After. Don’t forget to add a healthy splash of heart into the mix to make it really stick. You see, this isn’t just about ending a story—it’s making a promise to readers that love is worth the journey.

Which type of happily ever after is your favorite? Tell me in the comments below. I’m a sucker for a good love story:)