Page 49

He puts his hand in mine, giving it a firm shake. “Hello, Mrs. James, I’m Harold Slater. It’s nice to meet you. Please,” he says as he unbuttons his jacket, “take a seat and let’s talk.”

I give him a smile and sit back down on the same leather seat.

“May I ask what caused so much emotion in your eyes just now?”

“Excuse me?”

“When I came in,” he sits back in his chair that’s directly across from me, “you were looking at your phone. There was so much sadness and delight on your face at the same time.”

“Oh.” I look back down at my phone that’s still in my hand. “My, um, husband sent me a text.”

“I see. That explains the delight, but the sadness?” He tilts his head to the side, pushing the question.

“Yes, well, the text is bittersweet. We’re separated, and it’s nice that he gave me words of encouragement, but it would have been better if he’d said them throughout our marriage.”

He nods as he absorbs the information. “I take it this separation took place while you wrote this last book?”

“Yes.”

“It’s amazing how much emotion one can express through the written word, Mrs. James, and this book shows such emotion. You were pouring your soul into your book, like a form of therapy, and the quality showed. When Caroline reached out to me, I had no intention of taking her bait.” He laughs. “She’s a tenacious one, that editor of yours. She’s been that way since we met over a decade ago. She’s like a dog with a bone, but I guess that might be her finest quality, at least for her clients it is.”

“I take it her stubbornness isn’t as beneficial for you?”

His lips fall away to a quirk. “No certainly not. But in your case, I’m glad she wouldn’t let up because I want to represent your latest book. Since it’s only one in an established series, I would need to sign them all as a whole, but the first few books lack what this book embodies and that’s your heart. Creating a story, a town, a character, is one thing, but in order for the reader to want to be in that story, visit that town, and fall in love with that character, they must feel the heart of the author. I need you to go back, rewrite, re-use and experience these stories again, and I need you to do it with as much emotion as this last one.”

My stomach drops. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable with changing these stories. I have readers who love these characters–”

“Yes, but do you love these characters? That’s the question that you need to answer.”

I sit back, as Harold did a few moments ago, and absorb the words that he said. I try to think back to the two books that came before this latest one, and I can’t remember the details of each one separately. Sure, I know the storyline, I wrote it, but I can’t remember each character as their own person. When I look up and regard Harold, I can see that he knows I understand what he’s saying.

“I wouldn’t need to re-write the entire storyline, would I?”

“No, but I want you to go back, read your words and then write them with passion—heart. I want to feel your emotions. I want the characters to reveal their emotions vicariously through you. I don’t want you to tell the story I want to feel it. Just as I felt this last book.”

“Okay, I can do that. I can add to the stories. I can make them come alive.”

A smile spreads across his face. “Excellent. That’s what I want to hear.” He sits up. “I want to sign this series, Mrs. James. I want these three books as well as three more. I want to expand on these characters, allowing the reader to experience more heartbreak and healing. I want them to feel these stories so deeply that when they talk your stories, it will be like they’re retelling their own families’ tragedies.”

“I think I can do that.”

“Well, I know you can do that.” He gives me a wink before he gets up and walks over to his desk. He comes back, holding my manuscripts. Setting them on the table in front of me, he uses his fingers to thumb through the pages.

“I’ve already had our in-house editor work on these. They’ve gone through, made their notes and given you suggestions. Take this home and make them the best they can be. Give me the same emotion as you had in your latest book, and you’ll be golden, Mrs. James. Once these babies are ready for distribution, your name is going to be highly talked about in the world of contemporary romance.”

This is overwhelming.

I see a ton of red marks as he flips through the pages. Taking a deep breath, I meet his gaze. There’s determination in his eyes, and I wish I had the confidence that he has. “Are you sure about this?” I point to the pages. “There are a lot of marks on these pages.”

“Don’t feel discouraged. You should know, Mrs. James–”

“Whitney, please.”

He nods. “You should know, Whitney, that finishing the book is only the beginning of the process.” He takes a seat. “Caroline is an excellent editor. I still don’t understand why she hasn’t attached herself to a traditional publishing house, but I see the draw when it comes to the indie community. There’s a lot of fire in indie authors. They have the drive and desire to make sure they make it. Some authors, who are continually traditionally published, lose that fire. It turns into a ‘job’ and not a way to share their passion. But I digress. The difference between Caroline and our editors is that Caroline will give suggestions at times, and it’s your decision to change it or leave it.” He shakes his head. “That’s not how it works here. If you don’t or can’t get these books to where the editors want them, then there’s a chance that our deal will be dead in the water.”

“So signing with you is contingent on getting the first two books to the level of the third?” I ask.

“Yes.”

I’m glad he doesn’t beat around the bush. I don’t want or need to be coddled throughout this process. “Okay, well thank you.”

He squints at me. “Am I wrong about this? Did Caroline jump the gun?”

I shake my head. “No, of course not. If I didn’t want to do this, then I wouldn’t have made the trip, Mr. Slater. But this is a big jump, and it seems like I’m setting myself up to fail.”

“Believe me, Whitney, there will be no failure here. I trust my gut, and my gut says that this is going to be huge for you. You’ll be in constant contact with your editor. You need to establish that relationship for this to work. In fact, while you’re here, I’ll arrange for you to meet her so you can get a feel for each other. That may help the process.”

“Yes, sure, I’d like that.”

“Great.” He claps his hands then stands, making his way over to his desk. “I’ll set everything up. What works best for you? Tonight or tomorrow?”

“Tonight, please. I fly out tomorrow.”