She slammed her fingers on the keys a little too hard, and Grandma Winnie looked over at her with raised eyebrows.
“You okay over there?”
“Just frustrated.”
“Maybe you need a break from whatever you’re doing.”
“Probably,” she muttered. But instead, she checked her notifications and found an email from her agent and a video message from another content creator named Giselle.
She clicked on Giselle’s message first. Giselle was the kind of gossip who could never truly be your friend, because nothing you said to her would remain private. The minute she got news, she immediately emailed and texted everyone she had contact info for. Eliana prepared herself for Giselle’s over-emphasis on words.
Giselle curled her hair while she recorded.
“Elly. You’ll never guess what I just heard. Remember Sienna, from Never Drinks Caffeine? Someone just posted a picture of her drinking an espresso. AN ESPRESSO. I thought it might be hot chocolate, because you know how much she loves it, but nope, ESPRESSO is written RIGHT ON THE SIDE OF THE CUP. And then someone ELSE released a series of photos of her ordering a DIET DR. PEPPER at the drive through. And NO ONE knows this part yet, but you know that sponsorship she had with Fitness Meals? They’ve dropped her. I haven’t heard any news about her new caffeine-free energy drinks brand deal. I’ll keep you posted. Loves.” She made a kissy face and logged off.
Eliana frowned. She didn’t know Sienna well, but they’d met a few times on panels at various conferences. She sent a quick text to Sienna.
Eliana:How are you? I just heard about the pictures. Those websites are ruthless. I’m sorry.
She’d known more than a few people who lost advertising contracts due to rumors. It was something she hated having to be mindful of, yet with the announcement of her book, she knew there were plenty of people who would get a twisted amount of pleasure by dragging her down a peg—forgetting that she was a real person, just like them.
She flipped over to her agent’s email and skimmed it. Eliana’s first advance payment for her book had been sent to her account. A nudge for Eliana to send the other book ideas she’d been—theoretically—working on. A reminder to have her first draft of the book to her editor by the end of August.
The last paragraph made her pause.
Please remember the terms of your contract with Big House Publishing:
Post on social media a minimum of five times a week
One livestream a week
Two content video releases per week
Additionally, your followers are used to a certain level of professionalism and quality from you. One off week is totally understandable, and allowable in your contract. But any more than that may cause problems. We need to keep up our efforts with pre-publication buzz and capitalize on the momentum you currently have. Please be more consistent going forward. Let me know if there is anything I can do to aid you in this.
Best wishes,
Regina
Eliana cringed. It was already Friday and though she’d kept up on her posting, she hadn’t done a livestream or uploaded her two weekly videos yet. It was proving to be impossible with so many people around.
And she hadn’t worked any more on her book either. Her deadline was fast approaching, and it was absolutely vital she give it attention.
She needed quiet. Quiet to film. Quiet to write and think. But between planning the wedding and her family all being in her space, quiet was rare.
“What’s the scowl for?” Grandma Winnie asked. She sat next to Eliana on the couch and handed her a slice of almond coffee cake set on a porcelain tea plate.
“I have more to do than time to do it in.” She took a bite of the cake, and the sugar immediately made her feel better. When was the last time she ate? She checked the clock and realized she’d blown right past lunch while editing. Her stomach growled as she ate another bite. “Thank you, Grandma.”
“I’m worried about you, Elly.” Grandma gently scratched her back. “You’re too young to be so stressed.”
“I don’t think stress cares what age you are.”
Grandma nodded in acknowledgment. “True. But you’re young and healthy and on a beach. And that is an equation that doesn’t equal stress.”
“And eating cake,” Eliana added through a full mouth. Speaking of … “Grandma, can you take my picture?”
“Sure.” Everyone in her family was used to taking pictures of her for social media. And she was grateful no one ever gave her grief for it or lectured her about being fully in a moment. They understood this was her job, and in return, she tried not to interrupt meaningful moments for content opportunities. Though, she wasn’t always great at it—especially when she was desperate for content, like, say, after her agent sent a text telling her to step it up.
