#author 6

[captainswanbigbang]

CSBB Snippet

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Cleo sighed, looking over the notes she’d been taking on her iPad one last time. She didn’t want her “research” to be on the work server, didn’t need anyone to know about her digging into this odd situation with Jones.

And she didn’t want to be right.

She had called in a favor with an acquaintance who worked in network security. A few years ago, she’d shown Anton’s poems to another friend, and he’d succeeded in getting a couple of books of children’s poetry published. It wasn’t terribly lucrative for him, but he was still grateful. So he’d done her a solid and gone through the trouble of breaking into their network, looking through both Killian’s, August’s, and Emma’s emails.

Emma’s had yielded nothing suspicious, just the usual workplace sort of things, even if her exchanges with Jones were trending toward the flirtatious lately. That wasn’t any of her business, but she really hoped nothing too serious was going on. For Emma’s sake.

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[captainswanbigbang]

CSBB Snippet

Here’s a snippet from a CSBB work in progress for you to enjoy!

She felt the uncertainty of a first date rising in her chest. It had been so long since she’d done this, and the last time had been a disaster. And that had been without any feelings of any kind, at least on her end.

How did people do this? Date? Tell others about their lives, about what mattered to them? What was in their hearts? The best way Emma had had to express herself was through her books. Writing it down...it made it easier. Sharing her past, her life, was hard. But if she had time to mull over what she was saying and how to say it, if she didn’t have to look the person in the eye as they found out what a mess she was--that was easier.

And with as rough a start as she and Killian had gotten off to, it was probably better to play it cool, let him see some of the best of her. Hell, he’d already figured out she had been in the system. She didn’t need to tell him all the dirty details of what had gone down when she was seventeen. At least not for now.

Giving herself a final approving look in the mirror and tugging on her dress, Emma buzzed Killian up. She took a deep breath and smiled, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach.

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[captainswanbigbang]

CSBB Snippet

Here’s a snippet from a CSBB work in progress for you to enjoy!

“I’m done,” Killian said.

“What? What are you talking about?” replied the voice at the other end of the line.

“I’m done keeping tabs on Emma, done spying on her for you. From now on, you’ll get the same updates that Cleo and Regina get.”

There was silence, and then August spoke. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Jones? My...patron...won’t be happy to hear about this.”

“I’m sure.”

“I hope you haven’t forgotten that you owe us. For getting you out of the mess you were in, and for getting you settled in here. We can make things very unpleasant for you.”

He gritted his teeth. “I’m sure you can. But I’m also confident that I’m the best choice for editor, and I’ll continue doing my job. And I’ll repay my debt...just not like that.”

August snorted. “Emma’s gotten to you, hasn’t she? Graham liked her too. If he’d lived, the two of them probably would have made a go of it. For all I know, they were going at it--”

“Enough. Emma’s past is her own, and her present is hers to decide. Do what you’d like with me, but leave her out of it.”

“You can’t afford the price to be paid, Jones. And you’re too much of a coward to try to pay it anyway. It’s part of what made you such a good choice.”

Killian hung up, the vein in his forehead throbbing. “We’ll see,” he said. “We shall see.”

He smiled grimly at his reflection in the mirror. It was time to meet Emma for their date, and he had to get himself in line. She didn’t need to know about his turmoil, about this mess of a situation. She couldn’t know.

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[captainswanbigbang]

CSBB Snippet

Here’s a snippet from a CSBB work in progress for you to enjoy!

Swan-- Right now, I just want to take the moment to tell you how thrilled, how in awe I am of your talent and skill with words. I have comments, queries, and edits, but before I go over that, I needed to let you know how excited I am for this novel. (Oh, and as an aside, a friend showed me a server that I think will do nicely. I’ll be in my office tomorrow if you want to check it out, but you can always call if you’d like to make sure I’m there.) Not only does your book promise to be well-written, but you’re handling this sensitive topic amazingly well. Confession: I was in the system myself, along with my brother. My mum passed away when Liam and I were quite young, and my dad ran out on us a couple years after that. I was all of nine years old, and Liam was just fifteen. We muddled along for the next few years, and some of the homes were pleasant enough, while others were...well, hell. Liam joined the military at eighteen to try to take care of us, and I was able to leave the system at sixteen. I can’t imagine the struggles that would come with being in even longer. Having shared all this personal information--and my apologies if this makes things awkward--I am beyond relieved to see how you plan on handling the topic of foster care and foster children. If you ever want to have a chat about his, you know where to find me. My personal number is 555-687-9305 in case you ever need another perspective or to share stories (excuse my presumption if I’m wrong). Killian hesitated, trying to decide on the best way to end the missive, as he was already toeing the line between professional and personal. Best, Killian P.S. I particularly like the depth of characterization for the main character and that sense of doom and offness that’s present even in the first chapter.

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