Andrea Gets Published

"Okay, this is it Andrea, the big day." Andrea muttered to herself as she stood outside the town library with her self-published book in hand. It was a high fantasy novel she spent the past year writing, inspired by the greats like Lloyd Alexander, George R.R. Martin, Ursula K. LeGuin, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis. Once she got it accepted into the fantasy section, maybe she could get the attention of a big name publisher and become a famous writer like she always dreamed of. Hopefully whoever she could talk to in the library could put a good word in.

Walking up to the front desk, Andrea set her book down in front of the receptionist to get his attention. "Hello sir, my name's Andrea." she introduced herself. "I'd like to speak with someone about allowing my book to be borrowed here."

"Getting your own work out there, eh?" the receptionist grinned. "I'd recommend looking for Mrs. Juliet O'Neil on the second floor desk. She knows an aspiring writer when she sees one."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Andrea exclaimed eagerly. "Hopefully she'll like what I wrote here."

"Even if she doesn't, it's okay to go back and try again." the receptionist replied with a pat on the girl's shoulder, making her wince awkwardly before she walked over to the stairs.

"Your book will be due back in two weeks, thank you for coming." librarian Juliet O'Neil said kindly as she handed a somewhat worn history book to a man in a suit. As the bookworm and mother of three sighed contently and leaned back in her chair, she saw a dark-haired young woman walk towards her with a book in hand. "Oh, hello there, looking to check something out?"

"Y-you're Juliet O'Neil, right?" Andrea nervously asked, trying her best to hide how attracted she is to the sexy blonde librarian before her. "I'm Andrea Stone, and I'm here because the receptionist told me you can help me get this book I've been writing accepted onto your shelves."

"Oh, an aspiring writer? How wonderful!" Juliet squealed in delight. "Why don't you show me what you have and I'll put the word out as soon as I can."

"Thank you so much." Andrea sighed in relief before handing her manuscript to the librarian. "It's a high fantasy story I call Pyrusan the Magenta Mage. I'd like to credit Lloyd Alexander, George R.R. Martin, Ursula K. LeGuin, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis with the inspiration for this story."

"My, you have an eclectic taste." Juliet giggled while she began reading the tale of Pyrusan. In the process, Andrea took a look at a photo of Juliet posing with a handsome red-haired man and three youths, two girls who seemed to be around her age and a boy who was far younger.

"Is this your family here?" Andrea pointed out the picture. "You look like you love them very much."

"Oh yes, that's my husband Mickey, and our three children." Juliet answered, taking her eyes off the book to answer Andrea. "Our daughters are Kate & Sasha, and the boy's name is Jason. Maybe I can bring your book to them and see what they think."

"Really?!" Andrea's eyes lit up with excitement, hoping she'd get a good response from Juliet only for those hopes to be dashed immediately.

"Is what I would say if I didn't have my share of criticisms." Juliet said bluntly, turning Andrea from heartbroken to enraged.

"I'm sorry, WHAT?!" Andrea yelled, trying to keep her volume as low as possible in the library while demonstrating how mad she was.

"Now, don't take this as me hating your book, you've built a fantastic world and characters that I've gotten invested in throughout the few chapters I read," Juliet explained herself to the angered author. "but your dialogue could use some work. Everything sounds so flat and there's barely any emotion here."

"But you didn't even finish it, I promise it gets better!" Andrea whisper-yelled while slamming her hands on the desk. It was here where she decided to mask her insecurities by acting like a total snob. "Or maybe you'd rather allow some cheap, focus group-generated trash to be available rather than what could possibly be the next big fantasy epic! That receptionist was wrong, you have no idea what a good writer is when you see one!"

"I'm not sure I appreciate your attitude, Miss Andrea." Juliet fired back, making Andrea shrink back with a domineering stare. "Like I said, you have the makings of a good writer, you just need to stop wasting your potential on being so snappy towards constructive criticism."

"B-but I'm not wasting my potential!" Andrea replied, shivering at Juliet's sudden change of tone.

"You don't say?" Juliet purred sexily before getting close to Andrea's ear and whispering into it. "Then what's with the sudden submissiveness? Are you hiding something?" Andrea could barely respond to the librarian's question aside from a few stutters of fright. "Maybe it's time I give you a little attitude adjustment. Jeffrey, I'm going to a private meeting with this aspiring writer. Can you mind the desk until I get back?"

"Uh, okay Mrs. O'Neil." Jeffery, a high school-aged volunteer with shaggy black hair, answered as Juliet grabbed the book from her desk and dragged Andrea away to the nearest empty room.

"Where are you taking me?" Andrea asked sheepishly.

"Just somewhere a little more private." Juliet gave Andrea a sexy smile while slowly undoing her white button-up shirt, giving the author a glimpse of a black bra underneath.