Time skip to March 1987
After getting back from my vacation, I met up with Olivia for our annual novel convention.
"So, what do you have this time?" Olivia asked.
I brought out the first book, freshly printed using our printers, and tossed it towards her. Catching the book, Olivia read the title, "The Maze Runner?"
"It's a dystopian young adult novel following a teenage boy named Thomas who wakes up in a maze with no memory. He finds himself with a group of boys who have also lost their memories and have been trapped there for an unknown purpose. They have formed a self-sustaining community with their own rules and roles."
"Is this going to be like Lord of the Flies?" Olivia predicted.
"Kind of." I answered, "At least for the first book."
"First book?"
"Yeah, I've decided to start writing series instead of standalone books."
"What'll you do if people don't like the book?"
I thought about the previous books I had typed up. Jurassic Park was an immediate hit. The Boy in Striped Pajamas was on Scholastic Reading Lists. The Giver was now required in the 9th Grade Texas school curriculum.
"Do you really want to take that bet?"
Thinking about my previous books, Olivia shook her head, "Never mind, what else happens."
"That's basically it. Thomas and the boys must work together to get out of there. In the following books, they find out that they're all part of some sick government experiment to cure some disease that's been rampaging throughout society."
"That's… …slightly depressing. Perfectly edgy for the kids. They'll love it. What's the next book?"
I handed her a book with the title 'The Hunger Games.'
"It's a pretty similar story. Dystopian novel. Except instead of a maze to find a cure, the government puts a bunch of teens in a battle to the death for entertainment. In later books, the characters rebels against said government."
"Huh," Olivia pondered, "So how many books do you have for each series?"
"Three each."
"So, are there any differences between the books? Other than the world building? Like are the character dynamics basically the same?"
"Well, get this, in the Hunger Games, the main character is a girl."
"Ahh, I see." Olivia noted. "Totally different. What's the last book?"
"This one's called 'A Game of Thrones,' the first book of seven in my 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series."
"I'm just going to assume you've at least planned out the entire series," she muttered, "So what's it about?"
"In the fictional world of Westeros, we explore intricate world building, morally gray characters, and unnatural plot twists. All for the sake of the Iron Throne."
"Cool. Sounds happier than the last two."
I chuckled, "Yeah, no. There's violent deaths, complex morality, and themes of loss, tragedy, violent, war, and explores taboo subjects like incest, rape, and abuse."
Olivia just looked at me. "Okay… So, 18+ for A Game of Thrones, the other two are good for teens?"
"Yup."
"Why're you even writing such depressing books?" Oliva asked.
"These books contain interesting characters. Exceptional people aren't made in peaceful situations. They're forged in the fires of hardship. Also, there's so much potential when we turn them into TV shows and movies."
"Speaking of movies," Olivia started, "we have the voice actors ready for the movie except for the lead. You said you had someone, who is it?"
I raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Need you ask?"
.
I found Artemis hanging out with Emily in the garden on the roof.
"Oh oh! Can you do that snappy thing again?" Emily exclaimed.
Artemis looked confused for a second before realizing what she was saying. Snapping her fingers, silver Artemisia plants started growing out of all the pots around them.
As Emily was freaking out (in a good way), I took this opportunity to wave Artemis over. Holding her hand, we proceeded to descend down the stairs.
"So, how do you like it here?" I started.
"It's amazing here! Everyone's so nice and friendly! The barbecue tastes great, too, they don't have food like this in Russia!" she rambled. "The cult meeting was kind of weird though."
I choked on my saliva and coughed. Once I had caught I breath, I looked at her and asked, "You actually go to those?" Emily consistently sent invitations to the both of us, but I ignored them each time. While I didn't mind having cult, I didn't actually want to participate in cult activities.
"I only went one time," she said defensively. "And all the chanting weirded me out."
"I'll talk to Emily about reforming the cult." For too long, I had neglected that aspect of the operation. To be fair, I didn't think we'd have an entire town full of cult members.
Reaching the elevator, I pressed the button and gestured her inside. Once the elevator started moving down, I popped the question.
"Hey Artemis, how would you like to star in the new animated movie I'm making?"
"Really?" She asked, visibly interested, "What's the story?"
"The story is about a little mermaid who dreams of exploring the world beyond the ocean. Fascinated by human life, she becomes enamored with a human prince whom she saves from a shipwreck.
Yearning for the prince, she makes a deal with a sea witch. In exchange for her voice, she transforms into a human and is given three days to make the prince fall in love with her. With the help of her friends, being a colorful crab and a flounder fish, she embarks on a journey filled with challenges, love, and self-discovery."
Artemis stayed silent. I expected her to jump at the opportunity given her earlier interest.
"Is there something wrong?" I wondered.
"Well," Artemis muttered, "I don't think I want to voice a role where I'd have a love interest."
"Oh," I realized. "Well, I suppose as the person voicing the prince, I'll just have to find someone else –"
"I'll do it!" Artemis exclaimed.
"Oh, fantastic."
I didn't even know if the prince had any lines in the script.
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AN: Power Stones please. Thank you!
Also, do you guys have any ideas for tags for this story?