“Complete Artistic Control” by Bruce Boston
Lester’s state-of-the-art software gave him complete artistic control. He was just about to finish his first novel and become a best-selling author. Then, he got a call from the Publishers Bureau of Investigation. [7min]
Excerpt:
My implants were sizzling. I was on a roll.
Words flashed through my mind. I watched as they transposed to the screen. One sentence after another raced to completion. I had a comlink to the Muse. No doubt about it.
I was finishing the final chapter of my first novel. It may not have been the best first novel ever written, but it was my novel.
All at once the screen flickered and my text vanished.
The face of a man I’d never seen before replaced it. A nondescript face. I punched the reset button but the system had locked up.
“Mr. Adamski?” he said. “Lester Adamski?”
“What do you want?” I barked. “Who are you?
“My name is immaterial,” the man stated. “I represent the PBI.”
Love it! And I’ve known publishers claim a three-month response time and then take over a year.
Off to see if I can write something on letter at a time.
Great story! Without delving into spoilers I loved then ending
Nice work. Creative angle. Well written. Sure did hook (with suspense) and inform me.
In another life, if I could be so lucky, I would like to meet Ms. Patton. She’s a beauty.
PS: This is what happens when you write a response (to “Complete . . ), then jump to something else (Ms. Patton’s bio), then finish the response, mixing both.
I would claim “senior moment,” but I have used up all those excuses.
My apologies to both authors. I’m sure that your normal audience is more discriminating (and brighter).
Joe,
I, for one, didn’t mind the mix of commentary:)
Thank you so much for calling me a beauty. It made my day.
Ripley