'Frequent Flyers' authors share their airport love

Romance takes flight on Nov. 1 with the release of Frequent Flyers, a collection of short stories with an air travel theme. The authors share HEA today to share their thoughts on why airports are so romantic — and some of their favorite swoonworthy airport scenes.

Beth Bolden, author of Eye of the Storm

Why is an airport such a great setting for a romance?

Beth: Airports symbolize both the beginning and the end of a journey — and I've always believed romances are journeys. A couple begins in one place, emotionally, and by the end of the story, they've reached a better place together. Also, airports have such a huge variety of people in them — not only travelers, but all the different kinds of people that work in an airport. I thought setting our stories in a location with so much variety would make for really diverse, unique stories and it turns out I was right!

What is your favorite romantic airport scene from a book, movie or television?

Beth: Definitely the airport chase scene from Love Actually. Obviously the way the film editor interspersed Sam's journey to tell Olivia that he loves her before she leaves the country, with Jamie's own journey to propose to Aurelia, is some of what makes the scene sing. But it's Sam's own determination and refusal to let his story end that resonates so strongly with me. I also think that particular storyline emphasizes that just because a love is young doesn't mean that a love isn't strong. I'd even say that young love is often the most powerful.

Tell us a little about your story in Frequent Flyers.

Beth: I wanted to tell a story about two people who didn't understand each other, but under extraordinary circumstances are forced to see a little more eye-to-eye. Captain Grant Montgomery III and Tess O'Brien are two people who are products of their childhoods. Grant is a rather stoic and almost obnoxiously by-the-books civilian pilot whose Air Force general father thinks is a failure. Tess inherited her Irish father's quirky humor and love of laughter. Their differences initially divide them, but ultimately, they find each other fascinating. The severity of the storm forces them to finally face up to that mutual fascination.

Angel Lawson, author of Forced Landing

Airport setting? Travel is often about optimism. Going places, seeing new things, meeting different people. It's scary and complicated, much like a new relationship. It could be the adventure of a lifetime or a total disaster!

Favorite airport scene? I love the final scene between Steve Rogers and Agent Peggy Carter in Captain America. Steve is flying a doomed plane after disposing of the villain, while Peggy is back on base. They'd just shared their first and only kiss. The plane contains dangerous materials that Steve knows must be destroyed. His intent is to down the plane in the middle of the ocean, which means he will also die. He places a locket with her photo on the control panel and over the radio they make plans to meet the following Saturday for their first date, with a special promise to dance. His eyes are on her photo as he crashes into the ocean.

Your story in the set? Forced Landing ventures into co-existing worlds as Nadya discovers her tiny hometown airport is a portal to a world she never knew existed. Ancient history is buried deep within her bloodline, one that is revealed as events push her closer to pilot, and Sidhe Guard, Liam Caldwell. As a protector, Liam agreed to never reveal the truth to Nadya or his connection to her and her family. That agreement is tested when Nadya's own abilities emerge, igniting their bond while placing her and the portal in danger.

T.M. Franklin, author of Unscheduled Departure

Airport setting? There's something exciting about an airport — the idea that when you walk through those doors, you could go anywhere in the world. Then, of course, there are people saying goodbye and reuniting, not to mention those encountering each other for the first time. An airport is full of possibilities, which makes it full of stories, too.

Airport scene? I'll have to go with the final scene in The Family Man with Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni. He visits an alternate reality where he'd made a different decision in the past and ended up married to his high school sweetheart. He fights all along the way to get back to his high-powered life, but when he does, he realizes that it's nothing without her. He tracks her down and they have coffee in the airport — a new beginning.

Your story in the set? Unscheduled Departure is the story of a girl named Rowan, who's devastated when her boyfriend, Finn, decides to move across the country to take over the family business. He changes his mind and gets off the plane, but then things get ... weird. Finn's acting strange, and Ro's getting mysterious phone calls that have her questioning if her boyfriend's really who she thinks he is. It's kind of creepy — with a lot of running around in airports and trying to avoid security. And failing. LOL!

Kira A. Gold, author of A Midsummer Flight's Dream

Airport setting? There's an urgency to airports that is exciting. That rush through the maze while watching the clock is good tension for any story. But I love the decadence of an airport — the duty-free luxuries, horribly expensive food, exotic people and languages from everywhere, the lush novel hidden in the carry-on like a guilty secret — it's a fairy-tale background just ripe for romance.

Airport scene? The first half of Warm Bodies is wonderful. What's not to love about an angsty undead Romeo holding a girl hostage in an abandoned airport?

Your story in the set? In A Midsummer Flight's Dream, librarian Jolie Flynn has recently lost everything: her money, her house, her job, even her own name. When she has to fly to Öland, an island off the coast of Sweden, she bumps into Mattias during a layover. He's no longer the boy she knew from that magical summer 20 years ago, but the attraction between them still burns hot as the solstice sun, and Jolie is reminded who she used to be, and that perhaps she hasn't lost everything after all.

Bev Elle, author of Fly Me to the Moon

Airport setting? Airports are, bar none, my favorite place for people watching. There's nothing like seeing people reunited after a journey. I often wonder just what these travelers' stories are. Is that couple kissing goodbye parting for a short time, or forever? Why was that guy in business class checking out every woman who passed him while on the phone with his wife? If they can't be with the ones they love, do those pilots and flight attendants often love the ones they're with? I am utterly fascinated by all the possibilities and the scenarios one can conjure of a story set in or around an airport.

Airport scene? My favorite romantic airport scene from a movie is the classic Casablanca. Café owner Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) saying goodbye to Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) at that foggy airport, and sacrificing himself so she and her husband could escape from the Nazis. In this most touching scene he tells her among other memorable quotes, "We'll always have Paris," and "Here's looking at you, kid!"

Your story in the set? Fly Me to the Moon is a love song covered by many, the most memorable being Frank Sinatra. Dr. Griffin Sanderson whistles this tune incessantly, but that's just one of the many odd quirks of his OCD Jessamy Taylor either loves or hates about him. She hasn't gotten over their ill-fated love affair two years prior, nor has she found anyone to replace the good doctor. A date that goes awry for Jessamy somehow ends with them in each other's arms. Will the changes Griffin's made be enough this time, or will secrets tear them apart?

Amanda Weaver, author of The Friendly Skies

Airport setting? I fly a lot for my "day job," but my writer brain never turns off, and in airports it seems like everyone you see has a story. The possibilities are endless, and I find myself wondering if people are coming or going, meeting someone or leaving someone behind, on a dreary business trip or a dream getaway. Airports are an amazing cross-section of humanity and everyone there has a different purpose. More than a few story ideas have grown out of all that people-watching.

Airport scene? I love good dialogue and When Harry Met Sally is one of my favorite romantic movies. The second time they meet, when they're on the same flight for business, isn't really romantic because they still don't like each other. But they're already building a relationship, even if they're both unaware of it at the time. You know they'll tell the story of that flight for the rest of their lives. "Remember that time we ran into each other at the airport? Gosh, I hated you. It was fate."

Your story in the set? Like I said, I travel a lot for work, and the circumstance behind Cassie and Simon's meeting was lifted directly from my own life. I was flying to Mexico and three hours into the flight, they closed the airspace over Mexico City because of a volcanic eruption and we were re-routed back to New York. I even had a drunk guy next to me who passed out and didn't realize that we weren't in Mexico until we got off the plane. Sadly, there was no hot British businessman to entertain me, so I live-tweeted the whole thing instead. And then I wrote about it.

Check out the trailer for Frequent Flyers:

(If you can't see the video here, you can watch it on YouTube.)

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