Emma Bennet Shares the Heart Behind Her Stories and the Joy of Writing Modern Romance

PHOTO: Author Emma Bennet, weaving love and laughter into every story from her cozy Welsh home.

Charming Tales, Creative Process, And Cozy Romance Wisdom

Emma Bennet discusses reimagining The Baby Plan, her love of classic films, writing heartfelt romance, crafting series characters, and balancing author life with family, Labradors, and a passion for storytelling.

Emma Bennet’s novels are a balm for the soul—rich with warmth, humor, and an unwavering belief in the power of love. With stories that lift the heart while never shying away from life’s emotional complexities, she has carved out a beloved space in the world of contemporary romance. Whether it’s the poignancy of unexpected parenthood or the electric tension between two seemingly mismatched characters, Emma crafts each narrative with tenderness, wit, and a touch of classic glamour.

Her newest reimagining, The Baby Plan, is a perfect example of her narrative magic—bringing fresh depth to a fan-favorite story while offering longtime readers the joy of reconnecting with cherished characters. Off the page, Emma is just as inspiring, balancing her writing career with family life, a lively household, and two energetic Labradors in a charming Welsh town that often echoes through her fictional settings. In this exclusive interview, she shares insights into her creative process, the romantic influence of old Hollywood, and the quiet discipline behind her feel-good fiction. It’s a conversation as delightful and heartfelt as her novels—just the way her readers like it.

Emma Bennet’s writing is warm, witty, and emotionally resonant, making her a standout voice in modern feel-good romance fiction.

What inspired you to revisit and revise Her Sister’s Baby into The Baby Plan?

Her Sister’s Baby, which is the story of a young woman who suddenly finds herself responsible for a baby niece she didn’t know existed, was originally published by a publisher which I left and I regained my rights to the book. It was taken on by my current publisher, Joffe Books, and they suggested the name change and the added epilogue, which I loved writing. It was so lovely to revisit my characters and check in on them some time after the end of the story!

How do you balance writing uplifting, feel-good stories with incorporating deeper emotional themes?

I think, above all, I want my stories to make people happy, and to be an escape from some of the things we face in the real world. I do tackle some very emotional themes, but there’s always the knowledge for the reader that there will be the happy ever after at the end of the story. Like a safety net I suppose!

“I want my stories to make people happy, and to be an escape from some of the things we face in the real world.” — Emma Bennet

Can you tell us about your creative process when developing characters like Sophie and Samson?

The situation and the heroine of my story usually come to me first and I sort of work outwards from that to create a world for them to exist in.

In the case of Sophie and Samson, Sophie is a woman who feels like she has her life together. It’s all organised and she’s got a great job and home. Then her whole world is turned upside down, not only by her grief at the loss of her sister, but by the responsibility she now has for her niece, who she has to share with a man she doesn’t know. I figured it was only fair to make Samson very handsome, poor Sophie deserved a break at this point!

I wanted Samson to originally seem like the opposite of Sophie; she worries he’s like her sister was and that he’s not responsible enough to be a father, but the more she gets to know him, the more she realises how wrong she is.

Living in a Welsh market town sounds idyllic — how much does your environment influence your writing?

I’m currently working on my first series, which is based in a little Welsh town – though by the seaside – so I guess my environment influences my writing rather a lot!

I grew up in London, moving to Wales over twenty years ago now. I’m definitely not a city girl it turns out and the slower pace of life in a small town suits me, and many of my characters it seems. It gives them time to heal and to think about what they really want, as well as to bond with locals in a way it’s often harder to in a larger community, I think.

You often mention your love of classic films like those starring Cary Grant; do these movies influence your storytelling style?

Oh, definitely! First of all, studying movies is a wonderful way to learn how stories work, how they ebb and flow, and the plot points that should be hit to make a satisfying tale. It’s much easier to see these things in movies because they’re shorter and so easier to pull apart and analysis.

Secondly, it’s very helpful to watch two people fall in love on screen! It allows you to study their expressions, their movements, deduce any hidden meaning behind what they do… Absolute prime fodder for a romance writer!

“My content is books, writer life, my dogs, and often cake!” — Emma Bennet

What is the biggest challenge you face when writing cozy romances as part of a series?

I think the biggest challenge is setting up characters in the first book in the series who are going to be the stars of their own books further down the line. My romances are very much focussed on the hero and heroine starring in them, so it was important to be aware of what I needed from the side characters as well, to make sure they were strong enough to carry their own stories later on. I’m very excited to write about my next couple, who have a wonderful hate/hate bickery relationship in the first book.

How do you approach the task of keeping your readers emotionally invested across multiple books?

The key to keeping a reader invested is to make them believe that your romantic leads have to be together. There is no one else who would be right for either of them and something in the world wouldn’t be right if they ended up apart.

In Reader, I Tweeted Him, you offer advice on using Twitter for writers — what’s one common mistake you see authors making on social media?

The most common mistake I see is probably not thinking enough about what content you’re going to post. You need to work out what your niche is and stick to it for the algorithm to know who to show your posts to. I keep everything on my socials very light. I would never discuss politics on social media, for example. My content is books, writer life, my dogs, and often cake!

“Create characters that you love, because if you love them, that will come across in your writing.” — Emma Bennet

How do you balance your busy family life, two Labradors, and a thriving writing career?

By always accepting that there’s an order of importance to things and that my family will always come first. I adore writing, but it’ll never be my top priority and it definitely needs to fit around other things.

I think it’s definitely helped that I’ve somewhat trained myself over the years to be able to write in little snatches of time. I’ll often keep my laptop open with my manuscript up and add little bits to it as I’m going about doing other things, and many a scene has been written in a notepad or on my phone while waiting for kids to finish one activity or another.

What advice would you give to aspiring romance authors hoping to build a long-lasting connection with their readers?

Create characters that you love, because if you love them, that will come across in your writing and your readers will find themselves falling in love with them too.If you don’t believe that your characters are meant for each other, neither will be the person reading your book.