Page 22 of A Bookish Story

She makes introductions and we chat a little about the weather in the Bay Area, where we’ve all decided Elizabeth Brogan resides. Convenient for me.

Then she asks the question.

“You had such courage writing the entire novel from the male character’s point of view. How did you come up with the idea? Who was your inspiration for Grayson?” Carla asks.

Behind me, Ryan stops pacing, grabs a piece of paper, and scribbles on it.

Don’t answer that!

Oh, helpful. Really. And what should I say? Sorry, I have no idea what possessed me? I glance at him out of the corner of my eye, smile, and gently shake my head.

I’ve got this.

“Grayson is every man.”

“Well, except when he isn’t. He’s not your classic romance hero. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Nothing like being corrected about your own book. I squirm, then somehow slide off of the stool before I quickly right myself.

“Oh, crap!”

She laughs. “Don’t worry, we’ll edit that out.”

“Well, um, what I meant by every man is, um, he’s the kind of man we all secretly adore. Strong and a little grumpy at times, but also kind and protective of Lula even when it’s not needed. She can take care of herself. He means well.”

It’s like shooting a blurry moving target, but I nail it.

“I laughed out loud at the scene where he intended to help Lula but wound up making a mess of everything. The kitchen scene! You’d think the guy never cooked a day in his life.”

“Ah yes, but we love him anyway, don’t we?”

I try to swallow but discover I have no saliva left. It’s all gone to my palms and become sweat by way of some odd body malfunction.

“Grayson is what my husband is like, which is why I love this book so much,” she says. “Mark has ADHD and dyslexia and he can’t follow a simple recipe to save his life. That’s just not how his brain works. He can still cook delicious meals, however, his own way. I think it’s time we have a hero who doesn’t fit into any of these alpha male, toxic masculinity roles often assigned to romance heroes. Those heroes who throw around their good looks and sexual prowess like it’s a gift to humanity. It’s why I selected Soulmates and why I want everyone to read about a hero like the one in your book. Good for you for going beyond what we expect to read in a romance.”

“Um…yes, well. Thanks. Thanks for noticing.”

Thanks for noticing? I want to face palm.

We talk a bit about my writing process, which is the easiest thing for me to fake. I use my actual process, changing it up a bit to sound far more effective. Yes, of course, ideally I too would isolate myself for several hours a day away from social media and other distractions. I too would not stop until I reached my daily word count goal. Heh, heh.

“No spoilers here, of course, but I’d say the ending was…well, unexpected. I was surprised, as apparently were so many others. So courageous.”

Courageous? How about a complete cop-out?

“Yes, well. Thank you. It’s…sometimes you have to do, uh, you know, the unexpected.”

“It certainly caught my attention! Tell us. Did you write it with anyone in mind? Because I obviously saw a real bent toward Grayson. But was he always the obvious choice?”

“I…I also feel it would be Grayson. But I do look forward to hearing what everyone else thinks.”

“What’s next for you?” she asks. “More books like this one? Because if so, you’ve got a fan for life.”

“Well…”

I’ve got nothing. I think about the book sitting on my hard drive and backed up in a cloud waiting to be ready to fly. I think about the hours I spend writing for someone else. But we aren’t here to talk about me, Luci Santana. We are talking about Elizabeth Brogan, an author who debuted on the New York Times bestseller list. My heart stops beating in a regular pattern, and my palms can be called sweaty in the same way Lake Superior is a pond. I’m certain the next words to come from my mouth will sound like a baby’s babbling. Baba-dada-doo. What are words?

“I have an idea,” Carla says, finishing my sentence. “Why not next write a sequel! There were so many times I just wanted to slap Lula upside the head. Like, what are you thinking, girl?”