AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I open social media next, but he doesn’t seem to have accounts on any of the platforms. Not unusual from what I know of Hollywood. There are a few Owen Doyle accounts that I skim through, but only two real contenders. One has a photo of the sky as his profile photo, but his account is mostly landscape shots. The other has a photo of a man and woman standing next to each other in front of a theater, but his account is private.
If he’s either one of these Owens, I’ll learn nothing from the profiles.
I go back to the email, reading over it once more. He mentioned my latest book and knew parts of the plot, which has me hesitantly considering the fact that this might be a real email.
I check the email server which also seems [email protected]
It seems too good to be true, though. Right?
I mean, this isn’t how it works. Especially not for writers like me.
While I have a respectable following, I’ve never made it onto any of the bestseller lists, none of my books have been celebrity book club picks, and I can name hundreds of authors more successful than I am that he could reach out to instead.
Still, my finger hovers over the reply button.
What’s the worst that could happen?
If I respond and he asks for money, I’ll know the truth either way. Deciding to stop second-guessing, I exit the bathroom and seek out my laptop on the nightstand next to the bed. On the off chance this is real, I want to be sure my email is well-crafted.
I read through the email two more times before writing my response, trying to find the perfect blend of cool and casual.
Hey Owen,
So nice to hear from you. I love to hear you and your wife—
Or is it your wife and you? You guys? You all? Ugh. Delete.
Hey Owen,
So nice to hear from you. I love to hear you’ve enjoyed my stories.
Is “novels” better? “Books”? “Thrillers”? Delete.
Hey Owen,
It’s great to hear from you, and thank you for checking out my work. I’m thrilled you’ve enjoyed it. Super cool that you’re local. I’d definitely be up for meeting for coffee. Just let me know what your schedule looks like.
Best,
Mari
Oh. Shoot. Will he think I’m copying his sign off? Delete.
Warmest wishes,
Mari
No, too formal.
Talk soon,
Mari
There.That will have to do. It takes so much effort to appear effortless. Before I press send, I read over it twice, then again out loud. I toy with the idea of telling him I’m a fan of his work, too, but decide against it. I don’t want to seem like I’m sucking up.
Whatever. Who cares? It’s probably a scam anyway.
Send.
