‘I try hard,’ Claire said, ‘but it’s more effort than talent.’
‘Well, you know what they say,’ Michelle piped up. ‘It’s 90 per cent perspiration and 10 per cent inspiration.’
Luca laughed. ‘Yeah, that’s certainly true. Claire puts a lot of sweat into it. But you’ve started coming up with lots of inspiration lately too,’ he said to her.
‘Maybe you could show us some of your stuff later,’ Liz said. ‘Give us a performance.’
‘Yeah!’ Holly clapped her hands.
‘Oh no!’ Claire yelped. ‘Um… I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
Luca laughed. ‘Claire’s still very shy about her talent,’ he said. ‘She doesn’t show her stuff to many people.’
‘She can’t bethatshy about it,’ Michelle scoffed. ‘What about the rest of the class?’
‘Oh, I was giving Claire private tuition,’ Luca said, throwing Claire an intimate look.
‘Claire’s very private about her writing too,’ Michelle said to Luca. ‘Did you know she writes?’
‘Yes. I’ve read some of her stuff. It’s really good.’
Michelle looked at him aghast. ‘Well, you’re privileged! She never lets anyone see her writing. I’m a writer too, andI keep trying to persuade her to join a group with me, but so far the most I’ve seen of her writing is on Christmas and birthday cards.’
‘You and Michelle should help each other,’ Neil said bossily to Claire. ‘What’s the point in writing if you never let anyone read it?’
‘I will eventually – when I feel it’s good enough.’
‘You have to get it out there some time, Claire,’ Michelle said. ‘Get some feedback. Connect with people in the industry who can help you.’
‘And Michelle is really good at networking,’ Neil said. ‘She’s made lots of useful contacts.’
‘Claire will take the publishing world by storm when she’s good and ready, won’t you?’ Espie said, smiling at Claire.
‘Well, you can’t just sit back and hope someone’s going to break into your computer and discover you,’ Michelle said. ‘You have to get out there and chase it.’
Imagine her face if I told her I already have a book deal, Claire thought.
‘Areyoupublished?’ Luca asked Michelle.
‘No, not yet. But I feel I’m getting close. I really believe it’s only a matter of time.’
‘Perseverance is the thing,’ Neil chimed in, playing his part in a well-oiled conversation. ‘Look at how many rejections J. K. Rowling got before she was published.’
‘Did you see that “Scenes of a Sexual Nature” blogger got a book deal?’ Michelle said to Claire, her lip curled in a sneer. ‘Bloody typical!’
‘Um… yes, I did see that,’ Claire said faintly. She’d known Michelle would be enraged by the news.
Luca looked at Claire, eyebrows raised, and she shook her head almost imperceptibly at him. ‘Who’s that?’ he asked Michelle innocently.
‘She’s this awful little tart who writes an S-E-X blog,’ she said, glancing at the children as she spelt out the word.
‘That spells sex!’ Holly informed her younger brother and cousins.
‘It’s absolutely filthy.’ Michelle sniffed. ‘That sort of thing sells, I suppose. But I think there’ll always be room for genuine talent that doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator. That’s what I pin my hopes on anyway. And you should too,’ she said kindly to Claire.
‘Oh, I like that blog,’ Claire said. ‘I think she’s a very good writer.’
‘You read that trash?’
