Scratch the Surface

interested in that. Hadley and Felicity, what about you two? You could do that one. And maybe you’ll be allowed to talk about your murder by then, Felicity.”
    “Yeah, we heard,” said Jim.
    “Well, that’s settled,” Sonya said. “January. Hadley and Felicity. Finding an agent and getting published. I think we’ve done excellent work today.”
    “There’s dessert,” Janice said. “And coffee. And my treasurer’s report is here if anyone wants to see it.”
    All five board members headed to the kitchen, where they left their dirty plates next to the sink. Janice moved the sandwich fixings from the table and put out plates of cake, already sliced, a large bowl of cream-colored pudding, serving dishes, and silverware. Felicity, who hadn’t finished the dreadful half sandwich, took a serving of cake and helped herself to a cup of coffee. Noticing an open case of the canned prescription cat food that Janice was always talking about, Felicity mulled over the possibility that the stuff tasted better than what Janice served at meetings.
    Instead of returning to the living room, people hung around in the kitchen. To Felicity’s embarrassment, Sonya mentioned a blurb that Felicity had written for the first book in a new cat mystery series, and, with Janice standing nearby, Felicity was unable to silence Sonya.
    “Speaking of which,” Felicity said, “someone was asking me about Isabelle Hotchkiss. She’s notorious for being really nasty to people who want blurbs, you know.”
    “All via her agent,” Janice said.
    “Janice got a horrible response from her,” Sonya said. “Vicious.”
    “Does anyone know who Isabelle Hotchkiss really is?” Felicity asked.
    “No,” Sonya said, “and if you want my opinion, it’s a good thing that we don’t have to meet her. She’s mean enough to everyone on paper. I hate to think what she’d be like in person.”
    “Speaking of in person,” said Janice, “I am just dying to go to Malice Domestic. It’ll be my first conference, and I can hardly wait to meet everyone. I’ve signed up already. With luck, I’ll get on a panel. My book will be out in April, and Malice is in May.”
    “Good timing for you,” Jim said.
    Janice looked pleased. “Are you going? You’re not going, are you? It’s strictly cozies. Felicity, are you going? Sonya is.”
    “I don’t know,” Felicity said. “I might. It doesn’t make economic sense to go to all the mystery conferences every year. They’re very expensive. Plane fare, hotels, registration, meals.”
    “Promotion always makes sense,” Janice said. “You have to spend money to make money. I have someone designing my Web site, and I’m doing postcards, and, besides Malice, I’m going to Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime, at a minimum.” Hadley caught Felicity’s eye and shrugged his shoulders. “Janice, postcards are a waste of money,” Jim advised. “Ask Ronald. Ask any bookseller. They get those postcards about new books all the time, and they throw them right in the trash. Hell, I get them, and I don’t even look at them.”
    “Well, some people do,” Janice said.
    “These efforts are probably more important for newbies than they are for established authors,” Sonya said. “Janice, we’ll all be interested to hear about your experience.”
    There was a finality about Sonya’s statement that ended not only the discussion of book promotion but the meeting as well. Everyone thanked Janice, who said that Dorothy-L enjoyed visitors and had loved having company. So far as Felicity could see, the cat hadn’t moved from the position on the couch she’d occupied when Felicity had arrived. Still, what harm did it do if Janice attributed human emotions to the cat?
    Once outdoors, Felicity said good-bye to Sonya and Jim. As Hadley walked with her to her car, he said, “It’s useless to talk to Janice, but she’s throwing money away.”
    “Maybe she got an astronomical advance,” Felicity said. “For a paperback original? Her advance won’t cover what she’s already planning on spending.”
    “I thought it was supposed to be a hardcover. Or a hard-soft deal.”
    “Nope.”
    “Someone needs to talk to her. Although Sonya probably has. Or has tried, anyway. Promotion doesn’t need to cost what Janice is planning to spend. Or look at Isabelle Hotchkiss. Whoever she is. She’s never done any promotion that I know of, and it doesn’t seem to have done her sales any harm.”
    “Yeah, but Janice