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Bruce looked up from reading Edge’s front flap. He snapped the book shut and sniffed. “Zombies? Of course. Anyone could hit the list with that nonsense.”
“Then why don’t you write it?” Tara said. “Been a while since you hit a list, hasn’t it, Bruce?”
“My books win awards.” He looked at Chris. “A word of advice, young man. If you want to be taken seriously, you need to write seriously. Take my latest novel.” He held up a book. “The subject matter is both serious and timely. It’s the story of a young woman from the projects, who becomes pregnant after a rape.”
“The projects?” Dwayne said. “Please tell me you don’t actually call it that.”
Chris looked at the book, which showed a teenage Black girl on the cover. Bruce’s hand partly obscured the author’s name.
“Oh,” Chris said. “You have a cowriter? I’ve always thought that seemed interesting. How did you do it?”
Bruce only stared at him.
“Ask it louder,” Dwayne said. “He’s hard of hearing.” He raised his voice. “Zane wants to know who cowrote this with you. Or is it written from personal experience?”
Tara laughed. The young woman at the end had her fist in her mouth stifling her own laughter.
It was then that Chris realized there was no cowriter.
Before he could think of anything to say, Bruce glared at them all. “If you are referencing that nonsense about writing outside your own experience, I am a novelist. Writing outside my experience is what I do, and you cannot censor my right to express myself creatively.” He jabbed a finger at Edge. “He also wrote about a teenage girl.”
“Not the same thing, though maybe it should be.” Dwayne cast an apologetic look at Chris. “No offense.”
“None taken.” Since I didn’t write it. “It’s a valid point. Maybe we can discuss that on the—”
“You will not discuss that on the panel.” Bruce jabbed a finger perilously close to Chris’s face.
“You okay if we bring it up?” Dwayne murmured to Zane. “Not to put you on the spot.”
“No, go ahead. Like I said, it’s a valid point, and I’m happy to hear opinions on it. I am new at this, after all.”
“All right,” the staff member said from the mic at the end of the row. “If Mr. Buck will please take his seat, I think we’re about to start.”
“Let’s get ready to rumble.” Dwayne grinned, and every author—except Bruce—grinned back.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
DAPHNE
That was a bloodbath.” Chris looked dazed as Daphne led him toward the signing. “Here I was, expecting a nice sedate panel. I mean, it’s authors, right? And then… that.”
“A little intense?”
“I thought Bruce was going to challenge me to a duel. And I was barely even talking. It’s like I was the only one he saw up there.”
“The only direct competition.”
“As the only other white guy? Wow.” He shook his head. Then he gave her a sidelong smile. “It was kinda fun, though. Did I do okay?”
“You did great. You fielded the questions about writing from a female point of view perfectly. I know that was awkward.”
“Only because the actual author is female. But that will be out soon. And then you’ll have to deal with Bruce.”
“Oh, I suspect Bruce and I won’t travel in the same circles very often. Also…” She cleared her throat. “I may have missed the first bit of the panel, being in a fangirl daze when I realized who was sitting beside you. You probably don’t know who Tara Palmer is, but—”
He swung to face her. “Author of A Smith’s Song? With the most amazing canine companion ever?”
“Tika the wolf?”
