Interlude- 3- 7 Woes of an Author

  Sydney, Australia- Condo of Allerdyce family- 30- 10- 2008 (Early Evening)

  John Allerdyce (Pryo)-

  "So how is life in the nd down under?" Wanda asked him through the Citadel's emitter.

  "You do know that you are further south than I am right?" John asked the younger girl. She just ughed at him, and then he answered. "It's too wet, but I got to see my boy, so it's not all bad. Of course, I had to write out an alimony check to my ex so even that visit wasn't all good, but it sure was nice to see him. And oh my god, has he gotten big in the st year."

  "Speaking of gods, you just missed Frey and his sister Freya. They and his squire went back to Asgard after lunch today." The young mage in training told him, he could tell that she wanted to talk about something else, but was ready yet to broach the topic with him yet.

  "Is that the one married to Odin?" John asked seriously, just before he opened his fridge. He didn't take anything out, he just had this nervous tick that he would up and look into the fridge like somehow things had changed while he was away.

  "No, that's Frigga. She's the oldest of the three." Wanda corrected.

  "And their dad is called Freyr?" He asked rhetorically, she only nodded in answer, but still, he compined. "It's like a George Martin book with how simir their names are."

  "I am pretty sure that the Norse gods came before him or his books." She said correcting him again, being a stickler for the details. She pyed with her hair a bit before asking. "So how are your book sales?"

  He shrugged, the look on her face told him that this too was a deying tactic on her part, but he was honest with her. "While the sales are fine, they are not as good as we want them to be. What with the steam for my fifth David Trent book has basically run its course well below what the st one did, I probably waited too long to write it. And I should hear about the sales for the side story, Worn Laces, which I wrote for the series soon. But honestly, I am not holding my breath. I also released a sappy romance book two weeks ago… But you know me and romance. I write thrillers and mysteries, that's what my fans expect."

  He could tell that she didn't want to harp, but harp she did saying. "You do know that you're the only one currently working out of all of us. I mean we have a good haul from the greenhouse so we are not going to starve, and we get monthly shipments of some amenities from those shield guys as payment for healing their agents, but…"

  He cut the apprentice mage off, saying. "I know, I know. That's why I asked for an advance from the publisher, but again if the sales don't hold I doubt I will get much if anything from them."

  "When will you know?" Wanda asked concern clear on her face.

  "End of the week most likely. I got two book signings, one here and another down in Melbourne, then come Saturday it's off to the States for their book signing tour." John admitted. Of the things he hated most about his profession; it was the public appearances, which thankfully were few. Only after unching a new or concluding book in a series. Then he pressed the teenager and asked. "So what's really got you all wound up tight?"

  She flinched at his question, but she was saved from answering as his cell phone started ringing. He moved over towards it on its charger, seeing that it was his agent he smirked and told Wanda. "It's my agent, this might be about my advance." He reached down and answered, before switching it to speaker mode. Then he lied to his agent saying. "You're on speaker babe, I am putting groceries away."

  "Are you sitting down?" Abigail his agent asked him foolishly.

  "No, I just told you I am putting groceries away," John told her, hoping she would buy it.

  "John you should really sit down for this." His agent repeated.

  That actually got him hoping that his publisher had actually agreed to his advance. "Babe, I got stuff to do, so if Victor Publishing shot me down tell it to me straight."

  He could see Wanda holding back a chuckle from the emitter, as they heard his agent take a deep breath before telling him the news. "St. Croix Allder's test book, your book, the Emerald Spire just broke two million digital sales. That's just Kindle and digital copies, we are still waiting to hear about the hard copies, but I am guessing it will either be close to or better than digital. Do you know what this means?"

  "What?" John asked completely blown out of the water by her statement.

  "It means that you are easily getting at least three different bonuses for hitting sales milestones. Now Victor has to pay you that, but they are withholding any advances until they see the first ten chapters of a first draft for a sequel. Your new heroine Saundra Merlyn, the British archaeologist who finds a lost magic school in the Amazon jungle is scratching the itch for a new generation of the YA crowds. This might be a new Harry Potter all over again.'

  "And the way you worked in the love triangle with the already present inhuman magic student, Saundra with the combat professor, brilliant. Well, John, I don't know where you get your inspiration from, but keep it up… Oh, wait I need your 'ok' for them to record an audiobook version. You are fine with that right?"

  "What? Oh, yeah." The fire maniputor muttered still coming to terms with what she just told. Worse yet, was the ughs were completely gone from Wanda, as she gasped in surprise at him.

  "Great and good work on this one Johnny. And please tell me that you have already started an outline on that sequel. Either way, I will make sure your bonuses clear before you leave for your tour of the States. Remember to promote the new book while in the US, we can revisit Trent after the hype of this dies down. Bye," Then his hurricane of an agent hung up on him.

  Then there was a moment of silence before Wanda ruined it and asked. "John?"

  "Yeah?" He muttered still recovering.

  "Did you by chance write a book based around Nath's, Betsy's, and Sam's retionship?" The mage in training asked coolly.

  He had to pour himself a gss of water before he could form a defense. Because he had indeed done that. Once he pulled the gss away he had something and said. "Well in my defense, when I wrote it, they weren't yet sleeping together, and I did change their names for the book."

  The teen blinked twice before stating. "You know Sam is still going to punch you in the face in embarrassment for this, right?"

  "She is isn't she?" He muttered before finally finding a seat by the emitter in his living room.

  "Word of advice?" She offered.

  "Please." He requested.

  "When your bonuses come in, buy a portable DVD pyer, a TV, and some movies. So that Sam can actually show Nath'aniel the movies she keeps telling him about." Wanda suggested to him.

  'Yeah, that might keep her from putting me through a wall. Is it safe to put things through the Citadel's walls?' He wondered, but then recalled what he had asked her before his agent called. "You never did say what was bugging you, you know."

  "It's just all of the new faces." Wanda lied. Her brother was better at it, but she was a terrible liar.

  Still, he let her, asking. "What new faces?"

  She sighed before starting her list. "There is some golden alien that has been sitting in during my lectures with Nath. He was a hostage in that tower that we were going to deal with. Add to that the people coming and going getting their requests fulfilled for Entreatment day, oh and then there is the diplomatic team that Namor sent to the Savage Lands that we had to take in because they got attacked while down here."

  "Namor sent a team, I am honestly surprised that Eric hasn't shed out and finished them off," John said honestly. He wasn't sure what it was, but their leader seemed a little overprotective when it came to Nath'aniel's safety. 'Almost as bad as Betsy.' He thought but didn't say.

  "Namor's daughter is leading it. And even he isn't going to kill a girl he helped raise." The younger woman admitted. John could hear the jealousy in her voice since the underwater woman had seen more of her father than she had growing up. "Either way, we will send you a list of supplies that would really help out through the Citadel when we know you have gotten the money. Thanks again John and see you when you get back."

  He nodded, before her face was repced with the spinning crystal hourgss that the Citadel liked to use as its go-to image. He sighed and took another drink from his gss of water before the Citadel herself chimed in.

  "Congratutions on your success, [Guest: Pyro]."

  "Thanks, Citi." He told her, before heading to his liquor cabinet. Tonight he was getting toasted before any other surprises hit him.