Read Online No Longer Mine by Shiloh Walker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Shiloh Walker
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people treat us like we’re nothing, like we don’t matter. It’s not right. I work damn hard on those books, Kris. All of us do.
It should mean something.”
“You’re right, and you know I feel the same way. But can’t you find another way to handle this?”
“By not handling it?” Nikki snorted. “Nope. Not in my make-up.” Nikki looked at her computer.
Right now, save for her brothers and a slowly healing relationship with her dad, the books saved on the computer were pretty much all she had in the world.
Although, logically, even if that weren’t the case, she’d still be the same way.
The job she did was a hard one, one that seemed to get less and less respect with each passing year.
Writers were expected to do more, produce more, for less and less. If she was going to keep writing, then she was going to keep protecting the work she’d devoted much of her life to.
“I can’t pass it off, Kris. So you’ll just have to keep listening to me rant,” she said, knowing her editor wasn’t going to be surprised.
After all, she’d been having this discussion with her for the past two, two and half years. Granted, the discussions had been getting more heated lately.
Kris chuckled. “Well, that doesn’t really surprise me. Besides, this gave me a reason to get out of a meeting I didn’t want to go to. Taking a call from you, even when you’re on a rant, is a lot more fun.”
“Well, if the meeting is still going on, I could rant more. Want me to go on a tirade about the people who feel ‘information should be freely shared’? We can see if they’ll be the ones to pony up the dough to start a fund to provide for the housing, insurance and daily living expenses of all writers, as those writers are expected to work for nothing…” Nikki smirked as she said it. “Maybe they’ll be willing to pay for the hand surgery I’m probably going to have to have next year.” Kris groaned. “Nikki, enough. Look, let’s talk about the book. It’s due in three months. How is it going?”
www.samhainpublishing.com
41
Shiloh Walker
“Almost done.” She doubted she’d need the three months, but that wasn’t a bad thing. She was going to need a little more time before she started work on the next book in her contract. She flexed her left hand and rubbed her wrist but it didn’t do anything to ease the vague ache there.
“Almost done. Awesome. Tell me about it.”
“Well…” Nikki paused for about five seconds and then said, “It’s a book.”
“You are a pain in the ass.”
“Yeah. It’s sticking pretty close to the synopsis I sent in,” she hedged.
“That oh-so-descriptive one-page narrative? Fine, fine. Keep it close to your chest. Just hurry up and get it to me. And what’s this about surgery?”
“I will. Probably in the next few weeks…because I’ve got a feeling I’m going to need some time before I start on the next one,” Nikki said. “My left hand’s starting to act up. Pretty bad.” Kris didn’t need any more details. Eighteen months earlier Nikki had gone through surgery on her right hand and the doctors had advised she’d likely be facing surgery on the other one at some point.
Apparently some point had arrived.
“What about that voice software?”
Nikki grimaced. “Sometimes I can go into the groove with it, and other times? Not so much. Helps a lot when I’m editing, actually.”
“But not with the writing.”
“Well, considering how miserable I am while I’m editing, I’m willing to take all the help I can get,” Nikki said. “And it will get better, I think. I just need to work with it more.” She glanced at the clock. “Speaking of work, I need to do just that. My slave-driving editor will kill me if she hears I’m talking on the phone all day.”
Nikki heard the motor long before she saw the vehicle. She’d finally gotten into a rhythm with the story and she’d actually used the voice software too.
Damn it.
It would figure.
She
It should mean something.”
“You’re right, and you know I feel the same way. But can’t you find another way to handle this?”
“By not handling it?” Nikki snorted. “Nope. Not in my make-up.” Nikki looked at her computer.
Right now, save for her brothers and a slowly healing relationship with her dad, the books saved on the computer were pretty much all she had in the world.
Although, logically, even if that weren’t the case, she’d still be the same way.
The job she did was a hard one, one that seemed to get less and less respect with each passing year.
Writers were expected to do more, produce more, for less and less. If she was going to keep writing, then she was going to keep protecting the work she’d devoted much of her life to.
“I can’t pass it off, Kris. So you’ll just have to keep listening to me rant,” she said, knowing her editor wasn’t going to be surprised.
After all, she’d been having this discussion with her for the past two, two and half years. Granted, the discussions had been getting more heated lately.
Kris chuckled. “Well, that doesn’t really surprise me. Besides, this gave me a reason to get out of a meeting I didn’t want to go to. Taking a call from you, even when you’re on a rant, is a lot more fun.”
“Well, if the meeting is still going on, I could rant more. Want me to go on a tirade about the people who feel ‘information should be freely shared’? We can see if they’ll be the ones to pony up the dough to start a fund to provide for the housing, insurance and daily living expenses of all writers, as those writers are expected to work for nothing…” Nikki smirked as she said it. “Maybe they’ll be willing to pay for the hand surgery I’m probably going to have to have next year.” Kris groaned. “Nikki, enough. Look, let’s talk about the book. It’s due in three months. How is it going?”
www.samhainpublishing.com
41
Shiloh Walker
“Almost done.” She doubted she’d need the three months, but that wasn’t a bad thing. She was going to need a little more time before she started work on the next book in her contract. She flexed her left hand and rubbed her wrist but it didn’t do anything to ease the vague ache there.
“Almost done. Awesome. Tell me about it.”
“Well…” Nikki paused for about five seconds and then said, “It’s a book.”
“You are a pain in the ass.”
“Yeah. It’s sticking pretty close to the synopsis I sent in,” she hedged.
“That oh-so-descriptive one-page narrative? Fine, fine. Keep it close to your chest. Just hurry up and get it to me. And what’s this about surgery?”
“I will. Probably in the next few weeks…because I’ve got a feeling I’m going to need some time before I start on the next one,” Nikki said. “My left hand’s starting to act up. Pretty bad.” Kris didn’t need any more details. Eighteen months earlier Nikki had gone through surgery on her right hand and the doctors had advised she’d likely be facing surgery on the other one at some point.
Apparently some point had arrived.
“What about that voice software?”
Nikki grimaced. “Sometimes I can go into the groove with it, and other times? Not so much. Helps a lot when I’m editing, actually.”
“But not with the writing.”
“Well, considering how miserable I am while I’m editing, I’m willing to take all the help I can get,” Nikki said. “And it will get better, I think. I just need to work with it more.” She glanced at the clock. “Speaking of work, I need to do just that. My slave-driving editor will kill me if she hears I’m talking on the phone all day.”
Nikki heard the motor long before she saw the vehicle. She’d finally gotten into a rhythm with the story and she’d actually used the voice software too.
Damn it.
It would figure.
She
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