“Well, unfortunately, it’s like I told you during our first conversation: I was basically writing what I know. There are so many plot points that have nothing to do with my own life, but there are plenty of scenes in the book that resemble or, in some cases, are almost identical to what happened between my first husband and me. We went through premarital counseling, but for the most part, I think the only reason we did it was because my father insisted on it. At least that was my reason anyway.”

“It’s probably why even though many young couples do participate in counseling, they never really get to know each other as well as they should before taking their vows. Most people fall in love with the idea of being in love, and they truly believe this is all they’ll ever need to be okay. Thirty years ago, even I was naïve enough to believe that love was all my first husband and I would ever need. But as your character so clearly states in the book, love just isn’t enough. A successful marriage requires so much more than that, and my hope is that when couples, married or engaged, read When the Honeymoon Is Over, they’ll be encouraged to communicate all of their likes, dislikes, and expectations. There is no doubt that we want your novel to entertain readers, which it certainly will, but if people can relate or learn something in the process, this will be all the better.”

“So, does this mean you’re taking me on? I mean, I assume you are, but…”

“Yes, absolutely, and I guess I should have said that as soon as I called, right?”

They both laughed and Alicia said, “I’m just glad you feel so good about it.”

“You’ve got a winner here, and I’m going to get started on the submission process right away.”

“Do you have an editor or two in mind?”

“More like six.”

“And you think they’ll all be interested?”

“I do, and I also think we’ll end up having to do what we did with your dad. I’ll set up meetings with each editor and her publishing group and have you fly in to meet with each house individually.”

Alicia couldn’t believe this was really happening. She was actually going to be a published writer with a real book in real bookstores being read by real readers. This was so implausibly outrageous.

“What we want,” Joan continued, “is to connect you with a very talented editor who honestly loves your work and who will be committed to helping you make your novel the best that it can be. What we want is to find someone who will allow you to create your characters and story line completely and then offer editing suggestions based on what a general audience will want to see and will be satisfied with. The goal is less about personal preference on the part of the author or the editor and more about selling as many books as possible to as many people as we can. Meaning, we have to give your readers what they want and what they’ll be able to relate to. We have to give them something that they’ll enjoy so much, they’ll rush to tell all their friends and family members about it.”

“I agree.”

“The other thing is that while I’m not sure how you’ll feel about this, I’d really like to include something about your father in my cover letters. I can imagine that you probably want to stand on your own merit and not enter the industry as Reverend Curtis Black’s daughter, but because your father is so successful and is loved by so many millions of people, using his name will definitely make a difference for you.”

Alicia was disappointed. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do that.”

“I totally understand. However, on the other hand, since you write fiction and your dad writes nonfiction, your work will still sell based on the story line, but if your publisher is allowed to include your father’s name with the initial publicity and promotion, it will almost guarantee you a ton of sales right out of the gate.”

“My husband was saying the same thing a couple of weeks ago, so if you think this is what we should do, then I’m fine with it. You’ve always done right by my dad, so I trust your judgment.”

“I’m glad. Also, on a side note, I want you to know how discreet I am and how confidential I keep all of my clients’ information. I represent your father and will now be representing you, but I won’t ever discuss your business with your father unless you authorize me to. I would have even asked your permission first before calling to ask him if I could use his name when I contact potential editors, but as it turns out, he began suggesting I do that before you’d even finished writing your novel. He really loves you, Alicia, and one of the last things he said to me was that his hope is that you’ll sell ten times more books than he has.”

Tears filled Alicia’s eyes. She’d been so angry with her father for being so hard on JT and for not accepting him, but deep down she knew her father loved her more than anything. She knew he wanted to see her happy and would do anything to help her.

Finally, she said, “My dad is the best, and I appreciate you sharing that with me.”

“Well, I’d better let you go, but please look for the author-agent agreement that I’ll be overnighting you this afternoon. My signature will be on both copies, and then all you’ll have to do is sign both of them as well and then return one to me. That way, we’ll both have originals.”

“Sounds good.”

“Oh, and you may already know this, but I take a fifteen percent commission on anything I sell relating to your books, including foreign rights and film rights.”

“Yes, my dad showed me his contract last year when I first started researching the industry.”

“Wonderful. Well, it was great speaking to you, and of course, if you have any questions at all, please call me anytime.”

“I will, and Joan, thanks so much for everything.”

“It’s my pleasure. Take care.”

Alicia hung up the phone and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you. Thank you, Lord. And thank you for my dad.”

Before Joan had called, she’d still been furious with her father and hadn’t intended to say much, if anything at all, to him when she stopped by his house this afternoon. But now she looked forward to seeing him. She would have lunch with Melanie and then head straight over there right afterward. She would apologize to her father for not speaking to him for just over two weeks now, and they would go back to being as close as ever. It would seem as if they’d had no spat or disagreement in years.

Girl, can you believe all of this is happening?” Alicia said, dipping one of five jumbo shrimp into a dish of red sauce the waitress had brought with her appetizer. She and Melanie were having lunch at one of their favorite Mitchell restaurants, The Tuxson, and were sitting at a linen-covered table overlooking the river. They would have much preferred to have sat out on the patio rather than near a window, but even though the weather was sunny and in the low seventies, there was still a slight chill in the air.

“Yes, I believe it, and you know I always said you would be a published novelist someday. And I’m so, so happy for you.”

“Thanks. My dad’s agent-”

“You mean your agent,” Melanie said, interrupting her.

“Excuse me,” Alicia said, beaming. “My agent still has to find a buyer for it, but it doesn’t sound like she’s worried at all.”

“She’ll sell your work in no time.”

“I hope so, but I’m just so happy she liked it as much as she did. She had a lot of good things to say about it and was able to tell me why she thought it would do well once it’s in print.”

“Well, you know I loved the first draft you ever gave me. It’s a page-turner no different than any of the other novels I read, and you know I read a lot. I read just about everything.”

“Thank you for reading it so many times for me and for giving me some really great suggestions.”