Page 40 of Battle of the Bookstores

Xander rattles on about profit margins and expenses as I try not to burst into defeated tears. I’ve been working myself to exhaustion, but it hasn’t been enough.

Thankfully, Xander is never one to linger. He stands, calling over toward Happy Endings.

“Lawson?”

Ryan appears from behind a bookshelf. “Ready when you are.”

Xander glances at his phone, then waves a hand. “Something came up—I’ll call you tomorrow.”

And he’s gone. Ryan looks over at me, one eyebrow cocked, like he’s asking how my meeting went. I give him an easy-breezy smile, and his face falls.Good.Soon enough, he’ll get the news that he’s slightly ahead of me, but until then, let him simmer in worry.

Thank goodness I have this event tonight. It might even help me take the lead.

Ryan turns and walks away, and I squeeze my eyes shut so they don’t watch his backside as he retreats, the way his broad shoulders fill out his cardigan, how he’s wearing another pair of jeans that look so worn and soft I want to rub my cheek against them.

I need to focus on my objectives: meet one of my favorite authors, schmooze the hell out of the sold-out crowd, and sell a shit ton of books.

—

Five minutes intothe event, and I’m queasy. Not because of nerves—but because something weird is going on here.

The place is packed, with every seat filled and more standing in the back. Rutherford was gracious as I helped him sign all the orders, plus more stock for the store, and my introduction went off without a hitch.

But I’m getting an odd vibe.

“I’d like to talk about the inspiration behind this newest novel of mine,” Rutherford is saying. “I’m heartened that so many are willing to come hear about something that isn’t…well, comfortable.”

Three or four people in the crowd chuckle knowingly, and that’s when it hits me: every person here is a white man. That’s not typical for my events.

Maybe it’s just a coincidence?

“As many of you know, this novel has been somewhat…controversial,” Rutherford goes on.

Controversial? I discreetly pull out my phone and do a search for the novel title, plus the word “controversy.”

I gasp.

The men in front of me turn, and I try to cover the noise with a cough. When they turn back around, I return to my phone and read,Award-winning author Kenneth Michael Rutherford slammed for “ableist” views in recent novel.

Heart sinking, I skim the headlines—there aren’t many; his book just came out. The few reviews posted on retailer websites are either glowing five-stars praising his “forward thinking” or one-stars calling him “disgusting.”

I google his publisher; it’s a vanity press, which means the author fronts the costs of publication. The only reason a bestselling author like Rutherford would go that route is because no other publisher would work with him.

Up front, Rutherford is still talking: “From the beginning ofthe human race, those who were unable to contribute to the group were left behind. Our ancestors understood that to succeed as a species, they had to ensure that only the fittest individuals would survive and reproduce.”

Sickened, I try to block out his voice as I pull up BookFriends to message RJ—but stop myself. Aside from the anonymity issue, I’m not sure I want RJ to know I invited this vile human into my store.

Instead, I post in the literary fiction forum, where I never see RJ:Anyone know what’s up with Kenneth Michael Rutherford?

Answers from booksellers across the country appear right away:

DallasBooks:I heard his latest book endorses sterilization of individuals with disabilities.

BeautyandtheBook:No one knew about it until the book came out two days ago, because his publisher didn’t send out ARCs or submit for trade reviews.

IlikeBigBooks:There was a whole discussion about it yesterday in the PubDay forum

How did I miss that? I click over, and my dread grows. Sure enough, Rutherford’s novel promotes forced sterilization and outright eugenics of anyone with mental or physical disabilities, “for the good of the race.” The wording gives me horrified chills. My sister has a disability. This man would like to erase her from the face of the earth?

---