Christmas on the Coast

DRUCINDA CASSADINE, READING: "ANNALINE CRAVEN WAS LOST.

SHE WANTED TO RUN.

SHE NEEDED TO RUN AWAY.

AS THE SOLDIERS RETURNED FROM BATTLE,

AND THE SUN BURNT ITS LAST AMBER RAYS OF THE DAY"-

FIRE!

DRUCINDA, READING: "SHE PACED...

SHE WAITED...

NERVOUSLY...

FRETFULLY...

FOR HIM TO ARRIVE.

CANNONS FIRED AND CHAOS SWIRLED AROUND HER

AS THE SMOKE AND FIRE FILLED THE AIR.

THE SOUNDS AND SMELL OF WAR RAGED.

ANNALINE NEEDED ANSWERS

TO QUESTIONS SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW EXISTED.

SUDDENLY, AS IF APPEARING IN A DREAM,

SHE SAW HIM...

WAITING FOR HER.

CALLING TO HER WITH HIS EYES.

HER FUTURE AND HER PAST MEETING

IN A CORNUCOPIA OF FEELINGS"-

UH, PARDON ME...

DRUCINDA, READING: "BREATHLESS WITH ANTICIPATION,

SHE WAITS FOR LORD WESLEY TO EMBRACE HER"-

PARDON ME.

DRUCINDA, READING: "TO CALL HER TO HER DESTINY"-

MISS CASSADINE?

YES, FLETCHER REESE; ANNALINE'S FAVORITE VLOGGER.

SO THIS IS THE NINTHBOOK IN THE ANNALINE CRAVEN SERIES.

THAT'S CORRECT.- THAT WASN'T A QUESTION.

I WAS WONDERING, HOW DOES IT DIFFER

FROM YOUR PREVIOUS EFFORTS?

WELL... IN THIS INSTALLMENT,

ANNALINE IS FINALLY READY TO RELINQUISH HER FAME AND FORTUNE

FOR THE MAN OF HER DREAMS.

THAT'S WHY IT'S CALLED "LOSINGIT ALL FOR LOVE."

ISN'T THAT WHAT SHE DID

IN THE LAST BOOK "LEAVINGIT ALL FOR LOVE"?

DIDN'T SHE GIVE AWAY ALL HER RICHES TO A FRENCH ORPHANAGE

TO IMPRESS JEFFREY ST. PIERRE...

ONLY TO LEAVE HIM BEFORE THE START OF THE NEXT BOOK?

AND?

AND THE BOOK BEFORE THAT, SHE GOT STRANDED

IN AMISH COUNTRY FOR THANKSGIVING...

PARTED WITH EVERYTHING TO GAIN THE TRUST OF THAT INCREDIBLY

BUFF DUTCH BLACKSMITH, DALTON VON WICK?

THAT'S A GREAT NAME.

ONLY TO LEAVE HIM BEFORE THE START OF THE NEXT NOVEL?

SO SHE'S DOING IT AGAIN.

HOW CAN SHE LEAVE EVERYTHING AGAIN

WHEN SHE ALREADY LEFT EVERYTHING...

TWICE?

SHE GOT IT ALL BACK.- WHEN?

ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?

I THOUGHT I SAW A HAND GO UP BACK HERE...

ANYONE?

AND WHY ARE YOU JUST NOW PROMOTING THIS BOOK?

IT'S BEEN OUT FOR WEEKS.

I'VE BEEN BUSY...

WRITING...

MY FIRST "ANNALINE" CHRISTMAS STORY.

DON'T TELL ME...

ANNALINE WILL ALMOST FALL IN LOVE...

THEN RUN AWAY TO AN EXOTIC, NEW DESTINATION...

ONLY TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN...

BORING!

WHOA!

THAT ABOUT WRAPS IT UP EVERYONE; THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING.

ALRIGHT, LET'S THROW THESE IN THE BARGAIN BIN.

THEY'LL BE BACK.

I HOPE SO.

UM, YOU "HOPE SO?"

LOOK, DRU... YOU'VE GOT ONE MORE BOOK IN YOUR BOOK DEAL.

IF IT DOESN'T SELL, BERKLEY WON'T RENEW.

WELL THEN WE'LL FIND A NEW PUBLISHER... START FRESH.

I'VE BEEN MAKING THE ROUNDS; NOBODY'S INTERESTED.

SALES ARE SHRINKING.

THEY SAY E-BOOKS ARE TAKING OVER.

THEY SAY YOU'VE LOST IT.

I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY.

HOLD ON... YO!

WAIT A MINUTE, YOU'RE STUCK WHERE?

IN WHAT? WITH WHO?

WISH I COULD SAY I DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING,

BUT...

I SAW IT COMING.

IS THAT SO?

IT IS.

PUBLISHERS... YOUR FANS...

THEY'RE RIGHT.

YOUR WORK IS STALE.

YOUR WRITING IS STALE.

YOUR STORIES ARE STALE.

YEAH, WELL...

YOU'RE A WANNABE AUTHOR IN A VLOGGER'S BODY.

A VLOGGER WITH 1.2 MILLION VIEWS...

EVERY SINGLE WEEK.

I DON'T CARE.

I THINK YOU WILL.

YOU BETTER CHECK YOUR GIRL.

"A CORNUCOPIA OF FEELINGS."

OH, THIS CAN'T BE GOOD.WHAT?

DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAST AUTHOR

WHO GOT A BAD REVIEW FROM HIM?

DO YOU WANNA SIGN UP FOR A CLUB CARD?

20% OFF YOUR NEXT PURCHASE.

UM, SURE... I GUESS.

FLETCHER!

HEY, FLETCHER! WAIT UP!

HI, MOM.

HEY, HON! EVERYTHING OKAY?

YEP, I'M JUST MAKIN' MY YEARLY APPEAL.

OKAY MOM, GO AHEAD.

DRUCINDA CASSADINE...

HOW ABOUT YOU COME ON HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS?

I'D LOVE TO MAMA, BUT I CAN'T.

COME ON, SWEET PEA,

I THINK IT'D DO YA A WORLD OF GOOD; I DO.

LORD KNOWS YOU NEED A BREAK

THAT'S WHAT YOU NEED.

I DON'T KNOW, MAMA.

HOW BOUT YOU COME UP HERE AGAIN?

BUT WE'VE HAD SO MANY GOOD MEMORIES HERE...

HERE YOU GO, HONEY.

AND THERE'S THIS YOUNG MAN, BRYSEN, I WANT YA TO MEET.

THANK YOU!

I'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU; YOU CAN WRITE...

YOU NEED THIS.

ROWENA!

I DON'T KNOW.

I SEE... UM...

I DON'T BELIEVE THAT'S POSSIBLE.

THE SAND; BREEZES... UM-

THE BLACKENED TUNA. WHAT?

SHRIMP! MY SHRIMP! MY FAMOUS CHRISTMAS COCKTAIL!

ROWENA.- WHAT DOES SHE WANT?

THERE'S NO WAY THAT DRUCINDA

CAN COMPLETE A NEW BOOK BY JANUARY.

SHE WOULD NEED AT LEAST-

A YEAR.

A YEAR? WHAT? NEXT YEAR?

A YEAR.

AW, SWEETIE...

HOW LONG YOU GONNA KEEP DOING THIS?

I WANNA SEE YA; I MISS SEEIN' YA.

SIX MONTHS.

NO, I CAN'T.

DID I MENTION THAT IT'S THE BICENTENNIAL ANNIVERSARY

OF THE PARADE?

TWO MONTHS.

UH, HEY!

THAT'S ONCE A CENTENNIAL.

SOUNDS GREAT... NO... NO, THANK YOU,ROWENA DEAR.

OH, I KNOW; WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO.

OKAY... OKAY, BYE.

MOM, I GOTTA CALL YOU BACK.

- OH, OKAY. - YEAH MY AGENT'S TALKING CRAZY.

BUT YOU'LL THINK ABOUT IT?- I WILL, I PROMISE.

LOVE YOU.

I LOVE YOU, TOO.

BYE MAMA.

WHAT DID SHE SAY?

YOU HAVE UNTIL FEBRUARY 1ST TO DELIVER...

AND THESE ARE HER WORDS NOT MINE...

"THE BEST BOOK OF HER LIFE."

OKAY... TWO MONTHS...

TWO MONTHS... TWO MONTHS...

WE CAN DO THIS.

PERFECT!

HMM.

"THE MOON SHED ITS PALE LIGHT"-

SHED?

NO...

"THE MOON BATHED ITS PALE LIGHT OVER THE"-

UH... NAH...

"THE MOUNTAINS"-

NO.

"LAKE?"

NO. AH.

"THE MOON BATHED ITS PALE LIGHT OVER THE SWAMP

AS ANNALINE'S ORNATE CARRIAGE MADE ITS WAY

THROUGH THE BAYOU"-

BAYOU? OH, UGH.

UGH.

MAYBE FLETCHER'S RIGHT.

FLETCHER... FLETCHER...

FLETCHER REESE...

FLETCHER ON THE BOOKS.

ONE WONDERS WHAT IS GOING ON

IN MISS CASSADINE'S HEAD.

OUR BELOVED ANNALINE HAS DATED AND LEFT MORE DUKES,

ARCHDUKES, COUNTS, PRINCES, AMBASSADORS AND VICEROYS

IN HER WAKE THAN IS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

NINE YEARS AND SHE HAS YET TO FALL IN LOVE.

THESE CHARACTERS AND SUBPLOTS ARE STALE.

PERHAPS A CHANGE OF SCENERY

WOULD DO MISS CASSADINE, AND HER CHARACTER,

A WORLD OF GOOD.