Several fans entered the store, easily recognizable as they carried one or more of Orelia’s books. Others he recognized simply by their age, gender and appearance. Forty-plus, female, and looking as though they’d walked out of a life insurance ad for over fifties, even if they were much younger. He knew the type. They would describe their addiction to romance-trash as a ‘way to escape the realities of life.’ What about enhancing their minds with thought-provoking literature? How ‘bout that for a neat trick?

What pleased William was that there weren’t many, only twenty or so; small compared to a usual turnout for an author enjoying her massive sales and public awareness. He knew this first-hand from his own experience. When he gave speeches after his books had skyrocketed in sales, he’d enjoyed standing-room-only crowds.

He’d followed Orelia’s Facebook and Twitter feed all day. She shared her thoughts constantly with her minions—he thought of them as Despicable Me yellow slaves, stupid and evil.

Please come say hello at the reading today. It’ll be fun!

She’d pronounced this all day on her social media feed. Some of those would still turn up he imagined. Right from the start, she’d been the queen of social media. Filling her feed with pictures of her and her fans together. Romantic spots in the cities she visited was another nausea-inducing share of hers. If pictures of hearts were worth a dollar, she’d be a millionaire just from them.

He couldn’t do Facebook or Instagram. Real authors didn’t indulge in such frivolity no matter how well it paid. What would he share in pictures? Mental asylums? Pictures of sliced wrists? Tombstones? He wrote about life’s angsts and the big questions, which didn’t translate into memes.

This wasn’t the first time William had attended a reading by Orelia. A year into her success, he’d thought what would it hurt to go along and approach her? That’s back when he still hoped if he rekindled a relationship with her, it might help his sales. A best-selling author as a friend certainly could increase your social value.

He’d stood at the back of the room slightly embarrassed he’d even considered the idea of leveraging her fans. Nobody who read Orelia’s romantic romps would read his carefully-crafted work. Her fans fawned over her like she was a movie star and he’d spent the entire time fighting nausea.

At the time, he’d imagined the satisfaction he’d enjoy in two months when his third book would be released. He wouldn’t need the great Orelia Mason to help sell his books. Back then, he’d thought that book would return his career to success. When he was on top again, his hope was that she’d realize she had made the mistake in walking away from their relationship.

He was the one who deserved a long, successful career because he wrote quality. She wrote pulp for desperate housewives who read to escape the drudgery of their lives.

Months later, while speaking at one of the few appearances his publisher managed to secure for his third book, William recalled the Orelia reading and the way she engaged with her fans. As he stood there before the meagre audience, he decided he’d try her tactic with the desperate housewives. Without thinking it through, he’d clumsily flirted with them, which only ended up an embarrassing mess, when half walked out before he’d finished. Some even complained to the bookstore owner that he’d been offensive and inappropriate.