Page 75 of The Island Villa

Cassie listened to the rest of the conversation in a daze.

She’d had not just one offer, but several. Publishers were fighting over her story. This so rarely happened.

She felt dizzy. She wanted to message Oliver, but she was afraid that with her fumbling fingers she might cut off the call.

Her agent was still talking, but Cassie heard only random words. Exciting new voice...romance market buzzing right now...they think you’re going to be the next big thing...lead title for next year...two book contract...

And then she named a sum that almost made Cassie fall off her lounger.

“How much?”

Her agent repeated it. “The top bidder is excited, they want your book and they’re willing to pay. If you agree, then we need to have a meeting to firm up details and I’ll want to see more on their plans for the book before we formally accept their offer, but I wanted to let you know where we are right now. It’s exciting, and you deserve to be part of that excitement.”

“I don’t know what to say.” Cassie felt her eyes fill. People said dreams didn’t come true, but hers just had. She was a writer. A real writer. Her book was going to be in bookstores.

And what better way to honor her parents’ love affair than to immortalize it in a story?

She couldn’t wait to tell her mother. She was going to be thrilled.

“They’re already planning a major campaign to support the book,” Maddy said. “They’ll want you involved, obviously. They’ll probably want you to tour.”

“Tour?”

“Yes. Connect with readers, booksellers and librarians. Everyone loves the fact that this book was inspired by your parents’ love story. It adds an authenticity, and that personal touch that always speaks to readers. They’re going to want you to talk about that.”

Cassie felt a flicker of doubt. Her mother was about to get married. It might not be massively tactful for Cassie to be talking to strangers about another of her marriages.

On the other hand, Cassie wasn’t Swift, so who was ever going to know?

“One more thing, before I leave you to open that bottle of champagne,” Maddy said, “they don’t like your name.”

“Excuse me?” Cassie blinked. “It’s my name.”

“Yes, but Cassie Dunn just doesn’t work. It doesn’t have the right ring to it. Hard to be specific. Just one of those instinct things. They wonder how you’d feel about using Cassie Swift.”

She was showered with cold. “They know who my mother is?”

“Catherine Swift is famous. Everyone knows she has two daughters. You were never going to be able to hide this, Cassie. And why would you?”

There were many reasons.

A minute hole, the size of a pinprick, appeared in her bubble of happiness.

“But I’m not Cassie Swift.”

“That doesn’t matter. We’re talking about a name—call it a pen name if you prefer. No one is suggesting a legal change of name.”

Maybe not, but still—

“Are you saying they’re only giving me this book deal because of my mother?”

“No. They’re offering you the book deal because your book is brilliant, but we need to be honest here, and when it comes to marketing that book, it’s not going to hurt that your mother is Catherine Swift. That’s something they’re going to want to use.”

It was like swimming in crystal clear water, and then discovering pollution.

“But what if I don’t want to use it? I want to do this by myself, on my terms. I want to know that any success I have is because of me.”

“Of course, but, Cassie, this is the real world and selling books is hard. Don’t be fooled by the occasional fairy-tale moment. This is business, and it’s a brutal business. If you have an edge—and let’s face it, being Catherine Swift’s daughter gives you an edge—then you have to use it.”

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