Following Bliss (The Quest series) Read online

  Chapter 1

  Daniel stood at the entrance of the Willamette Writers Conference feeling two things—fear and excitement. He had taken Option C, working non-stop since Tuesday, and felt both giddy by what had been created and fearful that Ms. Kaley Hamilton would tear it to pieces once she read it. That was the problem with being a writer, Daniel thought, all you can think about is writing and then when you do write, all you can think about is whether people will like it or not.

  Even so, something had come over him for the past few days in such an intense way that he could almost say he didn’t write the novel that was in his hands now. He had read a few books on the Law of Attraction (which says that like attracts like) and felt like he had some kind of surrender moment. Like all the intensity of having to complete the manuscript and show it to Kaley became so overwhelming that he had no choice but to surrender. And when he did, it was as if some other power or force had flowed through him. While he had a few brief moments of stuck-ness, all in all things flowed, and now in his hands was his completed historical novel, Shannon Town. His goal had been to get the first three chapters solid, but instead he took his outline with a few paragraphs for each chapter written and completed the entire story.

  It was like some magical Law of Attraction meets surrender spell had been cast on him and it allowed him to write more easily than before. Almost as though he was meant to write this book, no matter what.

  Well, here I am. And here it is. Daniel took a deep breath. Let’s do this.

  Daniel checked his registration. He wasn’t set to meet with Ms. Hamilton until 12:30 p.m. He had a lecture to attend before that—giving him some time to settle into the atmosphere of the conference before having to give the performance of a lifetime to one of the best literary agents for his genre.

  Daniel chuckled. At least he wasn’t putting any pressure on himself. This was ironic, of course, because all he ever did was put pressure on himself. As an only child, Daniel felt tremendous pressure to be his parents’ “everything,” and so ever since he could remember, he was always pushing himself to do more and then berating himself for not doing it perfectly.

  Oh wait, Daniel remembered, That was my dad pushing and then berating me, I just picked up where he left off. He sighed, internally getting himself back on track. Save that for therapy, Daniel, you are here on a mission to launch your career as a historical fiction author. The berating can wait.

  Daniel checked the room number for his first lecture on character development, which was taking place in the St. Helens room at the Sheraton Hotel at the Portland Airport. All of the rooms were given Portland-esque names. Clever, Daniel thought, as he meandered his way through the conference halls, dodging writers who had come from all over the state and the West Coast to attend the conference. The energy throughout the hotel was somber as many, like Daniel, knew they would only have a couple of shots (or one) at this year’s conference to garner the attention of a powerful agent or publisher. People were speaking in hushed tones, clinging to their binders and bags, which possibly contained the world’s next great book. Daniel couldn’t help but strain his ears a time or two to overhear a few conversations as he passed people in the halls.

  “You know, everyone is saying eBooks are the wave of the future. Soon we won’t even need hard copy books.”

  Daniel couldn’t imagine a world without libraries and bookstores, or not being able to curl up on the couch with a book in his hands, feeling the pages between his fingers. But, he also knew that the tides were shifting and with e-readers, iPads and larger than life smartphones, anything was possible. Besides, the format of the work didn’t really matter—what mattered was getting his words and his message to as many people as possible.

  “He said not to waste my time. That there are thousands of other young adult novelists out there trying to make it after J.K. Rowling’s success.”

  That woman had already met with an agent, and he told her not to waste her time? Yikes. Daniel could only hope Kaley Hamilton would be more gentle with him.

  Daniel realized he had circled the conference area twice now. He had been so captivated by the people-watching and eavesdropping that he had yet to find his lecture. Just then he walked by two men huddled together and overhead:

  “Yeah, they say some of the agents are going incognito and sitting in on lectures to scope out authors ahead of time.”

  Daniel froze.

  She wouldn’t.

  Would she?

  Kaley Hamilton probably hadn’t become the best agent in her genre by playing by the rules. Daniel wished he would have paid more attention to her photo beforehand. He would have no idea if she was in the room. Suddenly, his khaki pants and white polo seemed insufficient for making the right first impression with an agent as accomplished as Kaley Hamilton. He looked down at his messenger bag with his manuscript. And what if she laughed when she heard his pitch? He imagined Kaley Hamilton dressed in white silk, looking down at him, asking that he not waste his and the rest of the world’s time writing historical fiction.

  Beads of sweat began forming on Daniel’s forehead. He swallowed hard, clenched his fists, took a deep breath and turned back around. He was going to have to get it together (and possibly Google Kaley Hamilton’s picture) before he could walk into that lecture.

  As Daniel made a bee-line for the restroom to search Google on his smartphone, he locked eyes with an old writing friend, Gregory LaTour.

  “Hey Gregory! Long time, how are you doing?”

  “Daniel, it’s so great to see you here. Seems as though we’re both still living the writer’s dream, eh?”

  Daniel chuckled. Gregory was in his mid-sixties and after retiring from a long career as an electrician, he was now pursuing his desire to write novels about World War I and II, two of his long-time passions. Daniel had met Gregory at a Powell’s Books writing group two winters ago.

  “Yes, most definitely living the dream, Gregory, although I’m hoping to create a much better dream here shortly. Are you still involved with the writing group?” Daniel inquired, as he wiped his forehead. He hoped Gregory didn’t notice how nervous he was.

  “Nah, I left it shortly after you did. I felt like it was a lot of ego-stroking and competition, and way too much coffee drinking. I had to give up caffeine, and decaf just didn’t taste as good,” Gregory laughed.

  “Didn’t you have to give up smoking too? What’s left?” Daniel always enjoyed Gregory’s outlook on life, always the optimist and jokester. He felt himself beginning to relax as he focused more on Gregory and less on the nervous tension he had been feeling.

  Gregory nodded. “Yep, giving up the bad stuff so I can enjoy more of the good stuff, like writing. Speaking of, I just ran into a few friends who did pitches already this morning. One got in with that historical fiction gal, you know her, Kaley Hamilton. I guess she’s a real spitfire, but totally harmless. In fact, my friend Cal and she hit it off grandly. Cal isn’t sure if she’ll represent his work, but said they had a blast chatting about writing and their love of historical fiction. Who knew? I thought all those fancy pants agents were a little stuck up. Have you met with anyone yet?”

  “Gregory, god bless you. I meet with Kaley later on today and I was starting to get nervous. I heard some agents were even sneaking in on lectures to scope authors out. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go into my lecture, I was so worried about running into her and making the wrong impression.”

  “Oh yeah, I heard about that, too. But really, who cares? If it’s meant to happen, it’s gonna happen. I’m just glad to hear there are some nice ones out there. Well, I better be going—good to see you again, Daniel.”

  Gregory gave him a hug and went on his way.

  Daniel couldn’t help but smile. Not only was it odd to run into Gregory after not seeing him in so long, but for him to mention the same agent Daniel was worried about seeing and to give her a glowing review—well, that was exactly the kind of magic Daniel was hoping for. And it was
most definitely the reminder Daniel needed.

  He turned right back around and headed for the lecture. Whether Kaley Hamilton was spying on authors or not, he suddenly didn’t care to know. His confidence had returned from the interaction with Gregory.

  As Daniel walked up to the lecture door, he felt his nervous energy rise again. Only this time it was feeling nervous that she wouldn’t be there. After talking with Gregory, Daniel was reminded that the Universe was looking out for him, and now he felt ready to see Kaley, and impress her so much she would offer to be his agent right there on the spot.

  The conference room was pretty full, with about 100 people jammed into the room. Daniel found a spot along the wall to stand, and then began scoping out who was in attendance. As he gazed over the crowd of people, a blonde woman caught his eye. She was talking to someone else, but something about her pulled his attention in. He couldn’t stop looking at her. Her eyes caught his gaze and she gave him a half smile. Daniel felt as if an electrical cord was connecting them together.

  “Welcome to ‘Character Development for All Genres.’”

  A woman’s voice echoed across the room. Daniel had brought a notebook and pen to take notes for the conference lectures, but something about the blonde woman across the room made it very difficult to focus. He kept trying to re-center himself and pay attention, but it was almost like the electrical zap he felt from her kept pulling his attention over to her.

  It made the lecture’s 45 minutes seem like an eternity.

  All Daniel knew was that as soon as it was over, he had to talk to that woman.

  # # #

  As the crowd began to leave the conference room, Daniel attempted to make his way over to where the woman was. He didn’t take his eyes off of her, sure that if he did she might vanish and he would never see her again. He noticed though, that for whatever reason, she was staying put, saying good-bye to a few folks, but not leaving the room. Maybe she had felt the electrical zing as well.

  When he finally made his way over to her, she was talking with someone that she seemed to know rather well, so Daniel stood off to the side while staying in her peripheral vision. She looked over at him and smiled. He took this as a good sign. She said her good-byes and turned to face him.

  “Well hello,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

  “Hello,” Daniel said, matching her smile.

  “We seem to have noticed each other even from clear across this crowded room,” she said.

  “We did. And I was intent on getting over here or I’d never forgive myself. So, thank you for not leaving.”

  “Well, I have to confess, I had the same intention. I’m Shelby, by the way,” she said, extending her hand to him.

  “Shelby, great to meet you,” Daniel said as he took her hand in his, shaking it lightly, but focusing more on the feel of her skin. “I’m Daniel. So…do you come here often?”

  They both broke into laughter, relaxing more.

  “Oh, all the time. I just love to hang out at the Sheraton Hotel. Such great ambiance, I find that it really inspires me.” Shelby teased.

  “Ah, I see. What sort of inspiration are we talking?”

  “Yeah, well, let’s see—I’ve already mentally written two fantastically successful feature pieces for Hello Portland, as well as designed a complete line of jewelry during my time here.”

  Daniel was enjoying their exchange. This Shelby, whomever she was, with her bright green eyes, luscious blonde hair, beautiful lips and delicious curves (yes, it was true, he had spent most of the conference finding ways to check her out), was also really fun. He couldn’t help but hear a voice that whispered, “And fun is exactly what you need right now Daniel.” He wasn’t sure where the voice was coming from, but he was enjoying himself too much to care.

  “Turns out, you are in great company, because I too am wildly successful. The proud author of a series of historical fiction novels…”

  With the mention of his books, Kaley Hamilton and the pitch popped into Daniel’s awareness.

  “Oh wow, I am so sorry. I just realized I’m supposed to be pitching to an agent in like 10 minutes. Do you want to walk over to the agents’ ballroom with me?”

  Shelby smiled, happy he hadn’t just ended the conversation, but wanted to spend some more time with her.

  “So, you’re also embellishing about your success right now?” she teased back. “Don’t worry, in my current reality I’m a staff writer for Hello Portland, but my dream is to be a world-famous, or actually, I would settle for making an awesome living as a jewelry designer.”

  “Writing for Hello Portland isn’t too shabby, Shelby. That’s practically two steps away from jewelry super-stardom. And yes, I was embellishing a bit. I’m a writer working to have my first historical novel published. But someday, yes, someday it will be a series, a renowned series—it may even make it into the school library systems, to be read by future writers and book lovers everywhere.”

  Daniel added dramatic flair to his story taking his right arm and spreading it out and around as he described his high hopes for his novels. Shelby burst into laughter, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “I’m so sorry! I’m not laughing at you, I swear. I love that you have a vision for what you want to create. You know, that’s really important and it’s the only way we create—by having the vision first.”

  “It’s okay. I’m amping it up just a little for you,” Daniel winked.

  He didn’t know what had gotten into him, but being around Shelby made him feel like a million bucks.

  As they walked out of the conference room and toward the ballroom where the literary agents were, Daniel and Shelby kept looking at each other and smiling. When they arrived at the ballroom door where the agents were being sequestered, Daniel turned to her and Shelby heard a voice within her whisper, “This guy.”

  She was so taken aback by this whisper that she burst into laughter yet again and leaned into Daniel, giving him a big hug.

  As they pulled back, Daniel looked into her eyes and said, “I have to see you again. You game?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Shelby handed him her card and wished him luck. Daniel smiled to himself as she walked away, thinking, With you coming into my life, luck is the last thing I need.

  And just like that, he walked into the ballroom, manuscript in hand to meet Ms. Kaley Hamilton.

  Chapter 2

  Daniel was buzzing from his exchange with Shelby, so much so that it hardly occurred to him to be nervous about pitching his book to Kaley Hamilton. As he walked over to the table, he was radiating—his smile beaming from his face in a manner he could not contain. Kaley Hamilton took notice right away.

  “I have no idea what your book is about, but I sure do love the positive energy emanating from you!”

  She stood up, extending her hand. Daniel returned her handshake, noting how strong she was. In fact, he was pretty sure she might crush his hand. This was surprising as Kaley’s petite 5’1” frame and brunette, slightly newscaster-ish-bob hairstyle could possibly indicate a slight, demure woman. But, Kaley was a woman who meant business—Daniel could feel it right away. Dressed to the nines in a charcoal gray Ann Taylor suit, complete with a chunky gold-and-black bracelet and a matching necklace, there was no way anyone could mistake Kaley Hamilton for anything other than smart and on top of her game. And her handshake? Well, it cleared things up in case there was any question. When it came to the literary arts, Ms. Hamilton was certainly in charge and in control.

  “Thank you so much for taking the time to hear more about my book, Ms. Hamilton,” Daniel said calmly, as he retracted his hand from her grip.

  “Oh, please—call me Kaley.” Kaley sat back down into her chair, crossing her legs and leaning one arm over the back of the chair, making sure Daniel had the opportunity to notice her rather short, mid-thigh length skirt. Kaley smiled pleasingly at Daniel as she said, “Now tell me, what kind of book are you going to share with the world?”
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br />   Daniel went on to articulately and confidently outline to Ms. Hamilton—er, Kaley—the scope of his novel, its relevance to readers, and the best ways to reach his market. He felt like he was on top of the world. Never, in all of his faux practice sessions, had he spoken so eloquently about what his message was and what he wanted the world to know through his books. Kaley sat captivated, nodding in approval and smiling at him as he spoke. When he finished, he took a deep breath and paused. Kaley interjected.

  “Well Daniel, that is quite the presentation. As I’m sure you may know, Western historical fiction has been on the decline for some time now, and it’s not something publishers are generally jumping up and down for. But, I’ve got to tell you, I like your energy and if that’s shining through in your novel, then we just might have a winner.”

  Daniel felt a lump form in his throat, hoping his novel was as fantastic as he had made it sound. If only I had met Shelby last week—if this energy was embedded in the manuscript, I wouldn’t be able to go wrong.

  “I’ll tell you what,” Kaley continued. “I want to take the next few days to read over your manuscript and see how it feels to me. Then, I’ll email you and we can discuss next steps. If you don’t hear from me by Wednesday, feel free to reach out to me directly.” She handed him her card. “My assistant, Sarah, usually responds to this email address, but I’ll let her know to forward yours to me. Sound good?”

  Daniel could hardly believe his ears . Kaley Hamilton was going to make sure his emails made it directly to her? He said a silent thank you to the Universe for this incredible turn of events. It was as if someone else was orchestrating things for him. From the moment he made the decision to go for it and make the pitch to Kaley with a completed manuscript, everything fell into place—being able to complete his novel fully in a week’s time (even as a rough draft, this was a big accomplishment for him), meeting up with Gregory right at the perfect moment to be assured Kaley wasn’t some rabid agent, walking into the lecture hall and instantly seeing Shelby, having such a powerful connection with her that he forgot to be nervous to meet Kaley, and that allowed him to deliver the best pitch of his life. Daniel felt blessed. He didn’t know how his luck had so suddenly changed, but he wasn’t complaining.