“No, you didn’t. Remember when you shared your last pitch on Google Drive?”
Ohhh fuck. I deleted the words in the document when he said they were shit, and then I started this in the same file. Fuck.
“Right, well,” I navigate to the document to change the share settings, “that’s not my next book. It’s just something fun to work on to clear my mind.”
“Too late. I cleaned up the first few chapters and sent them to Netflix. They want it. HBO is even fighting for it to make a ten-episode mini-series. They offered to double your advance for it.”
Double.
Hell, that’s good money.
Really good money.
“Holy shit, are you serious?”
I didn’t use my name or Calla’s, so no one knows it’s us. And the heroine isn’t the brother’s little sister in my book. I was only writing our situation out because, yeah, it’s comical, but writing something that doesn’t require me to think too hard was therapeutic. I did it to remind my mind of how to craft a story.
No one would know.
Except me… and Calla.
The excitement dissolves.
“It’s not my next book,” I tell him again.
I could never do that to Calla. Plus, she’s not an idiot. Once the book was released, she’d know. Then again, she doesn’t read my books… but no, I’m not doing it. I’m trying to gain her trust, albeit in a twisted way, but nonetheless, I am. This would not help our situation.
“Beck, if we don’t use this book, you have one week to get me a new idea. One as good as this one. No, scratch that. One that is better. If I don’t hear from you by next Friday, I’m giving the highest bidder the go-ahead to contract this.”
The urge to yell “I said no!” into the phone is strong, but hell, he’s right. I need a book. This will just serve as motivation to brainstorm harder.
“Give me two weeks.”
He sighs through the speaker. “Two weeks it is. If we don’t have a story, this publisher can andwillpull this five-book deal you signed with them last year, and both producers will more than likely blacklist your name.”
Fuck.
I pinch the spot between my eyes.
“You don’t have to remind me.”
“Maybe I do, and maybe you should step back on the self-publishing side to focus on this.”
“Well, maybe they should take all my ideas. I wouldn’t need to self-publish in that case.”
“Whoa,” Doug replies to my snappy tone. “Okay, let’s step back. Is something going on in your life that’s stalling your writing?”
“No,” I answer quickly. “Nothing is going on in my life.”
“Well, we’ve never been in a situation like this. In the past, you’d jump on this offer.”
“Yeah, I know. I just…”
I can’t tell him the truth. I don’t even know what it is anymore.
“I’ll get you something.”
“Good.”
