Page 3 of Fight or Flight

Katherine reminded herself that her online handle said she was only sixteen. A sophomore in high school. She couldn’t tell them she knew there would be more books in the future because she’d recently signed another contract for four more books. Which would be published as fast as she turned them out. Lucky for her fans, she had absolutely nothing else in her life besides Sam and Sophie. The series could continue until the characters were married with their own children. She read on.

WHS524: I agree with Blondebookbabe. K.C. Winston needs to meet the fans. Didn’t J.K. Rowling? And what’s with the initials? Don’t they have real names?

Bigfan216: Who cares what the author’s name is? I, for one, couldn’t care less.

HotandCool: Agree, Bigfan216. It’s probably a team of people, anyway. Has to be cuz no one can write that fast.

If they only knew how fast she cranked out the stories, it would whet their appetites for more. And then she’d have to write even faster.

The Friendlink fan page Katherine had created required approval before anyone could join. Aware that people might not be who they claimed to be, she had a list of criteria to be met before she accepted their request to join the fan club. They had to know at least two characters’ names in the series and their special powers, and they had to have a second social media account with the same name they’d used to request to join her fan page. She knew it was silly. It wasn’t a foolproof system, and it wouldn’t be that difficult for anyone to join, but this attempt at security actually comforted her.

When Katherine created the Friendlink group, she’d posted her book covers, arranged in a collage, and added a photo of herself in the lower left corner of the fan page. She’d had the photo taken during her years at theBoston Globewhen her hair was cut very short, and she’d been in her “blondes have more fun” stage. The photo was much too old and looked nothing like her now, which was perfect, since she did not want anyone to recognize her. Her publisher used the same photo on the books, and although they were wary when Katherine said she wouldn’t do any media or events to promote the books, once the series proved successful, they gladly accommodated Katherine’s special stipulations.

Her online persona was just as carefully created. Searching the web, Katherine had found a cutesy stock photo of a girl who looked around fifteen or sixteen, the average age of her readers, according to the demographics. The girl’s face was turned slightly away from the camera, so it wasn’t exactly a full-face shot, but enough to match the description she’d created for herself. Short blond hair, a heart-shaped face. Eye color could be blue, maybe hazel, as it was difficult to tell. Average-looking. Nothing like herself, as her hair was long and dark now, with streaks of silver throughout. Her light green eyes were her best feature. Katherine was tall, her features angular and sharp, courtesy of her father. The opposite of her online photo. When choosing this photo for her online persona, she made sure there were no funky-looking shirts, tattoos, piercings, or anything that could identify the girl as a stock image—at least Katherine hoped that was the case.

She’d created a simple profile that wouldn’t be questioned. She’d added an Instagram account with the same profile picture and information, in case anyone chose to search the phony name she’d used, Darby Marie Whitton.According to her profile, Darby lived in Utah, went to public high school, and loved books. Generic enough, and no one had ever asked her for details. And why would they? She made sure her settings were private. She disabled the messenger, so if anyone tried to contact her privately, they would be out of luck. As moderator of the page, she decided who could join, though she had a different handle she used when monitoring:TIC927.It stood for “talk is cheap,” and the 927 represented her old apartment number.

She scanned through a few more comments and found none of them interesting. About to click out of the page, she saw a new request for permission to join the group.

“Looks like we’ve got a newbie,” she said out loud. Sophie lay curled up by her feet, Sam in his bed beside her desk, and both dogs gave a slight growl in answer. She swore they understood her.

She ran through the required info. Apparently klcLUV/007 had read her books. Katherine sent a link to the email address they provided. Once they opened the link, they would have to confirm they received her email and were then free to share their opinions of the books. Good or bad. Katherine truly did want to know if there were aspects of her work that needed improvement. Most of the chats seemed to be about the characters, though many times the members also chatted about her identity, the topic of this evening’s discussion.

Waiting to see if klcLUV/007 joined the current chat, Katherine wasn’t surprised when she saw the new user’s picture pop up a few seconds later, after being accepted into the group. Her photo was the usual teen selfie. Pouty lips, chin tilted upward, eyes suggestive. Katherine thought this young girl was unusually pretty, though she wore too much makeup. She had green eyes and gorgeous copper-colored hair that fanned across her left shoulder. She reminded Katherine of someone, but she couldn’t put a name to who it was.

klcLUV/007: Hi! I’m Karrie. Great to meet other K.C. Winston fans!!!

WHS524: klcLUV/007, you just broke the rules. No names. Didn’t you read the requirements?

Katherine was curious to see where this conversation was headed. It was requested that they use a handle, but not required.

klcLUV/007: Oops, sorry! I read them. Can I stay? I love the girls in the series so much. I kinda feel like they’re my friends! Puh-lease???

Katherine smiled, because she felt that way, too, even though the characters were products of her own imagination.

WHS524: Not my decision. Have to wait and see if the moderator tosses you. You have to follow the rules or you’ll be in hot water.

Blondebookbabe: Let her stay. We don’t care! The more, the merrier.

Bigfan216: I second that! Welcome, klcLUV/007. klcLUV/007: Awesome, thanks! Does anyone know when the next book comes out? I looked on Amazon but didn’t find anything!

This new girl bubbled with enthusiasm. Katherine wondered if she was younger than she claimed. Katherine knew the art department had finished the cover design last week, and the bookstores should have it on their sites by the end of the week. Today being Wednesday, the fans didn’t have long to wait before they could preorder her latest, which would be released the first Tuesday of next month, October.

HotandCool: Next month.

Katherine had to hand it to HotandCool.She always knew when her books were released.

klcLUV/007: No way! That’s too long to wait! I guess I’ll rereadCharmed and Dangerousagain,

she wrote, referencing the current release in the series.

Blondebookbabe: One of my favs! I love how Adriana gets even with that bitch, Elle!

WHS524: Hey, watch your language, Blondebookbabe.

Blondebookbabe: Kiss off! We can say whatever we want. Freedom of speech, buddy!

klcLUV/007: LOL.

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