#heartbreaking (No One Came To My Book Signing): A Short Horror Comedy by Judith Sonnet

Author:Judith Sonnet [Sonnet, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-07-11T00:00:00+00:00

THREE

She decided, after last night’s dramatics and a few rough dreams, that she needed a break from social media. Angelica put her phone on “do not disturb,” and then she went to town for some alone time. She saw a cute romantic comedy at the theater, ate Chinese food, and read a Peter Straub book on a park bench. When she returned to her apartment, she was relieved to see her roommate had come back. Angelica didn’t feel like being alone, even though she was starting to believe that the writing on the mirror and the voice in her ear were all just products of a strained brain.

“Hey, Angie!” Polly said from the kitchen sink. She was slender, redheaded, and waiflike. Polly reminded Angelica of a fairy princess sometimes. “I made broccoli and cheese if you want some—”

“Aw, thanks! I already ate, so you can save it for your lunch tomorrow. Thanks, though!”

Polly seemed happy that her offer had been declined. She’d only made enough of her dinner for two servings.

Angelica sat down by the table and flipped through the pages of her Straub book. She was about halfway through.

Reading older books brought Angelica a lot of pleasure. There was no pressure, with older authors, to promote or blurb. There was no chance of Straub, or King, or Richard Laymon coming into her direct messages and acting like William Bixby had either.

Thinking of William soured her mood.

She wished she’d taken screenshots once again. Usually, she let authors stand or fall on their own, but she felt it might be her duty to warn people off of interacting with William Bixby.

“How’re things going in the writing world?” Polly asked.

“I’m jealous of Bentley Little,” Angelica found herself saying.

“Who?”

“Bentley Little. Great horror author. He writes a lot of satire. Like … he’s got a book called The Store, which is all about an evil Wal-Mart that … well … “ she trailed off. “Anyways, Bentley Little doesn’t have any social media presence. No Tik-Tok, or Facebook, or Instagram. None at all. He writes books and lets them market themselves.”

“Does it work?” Polly asked.

“Yep. He’s a bestseller. But he started publishing before the internet was even a thing. Before it became … what it is now. He wrote in an easier time.”

“Easier?”

“Well. It was more challenging to get your name out there, but it was also easier to write and not be … an ‘influencer.’ I’m sorry, I’m whining about first world problems, aren’t I?”

“Well, what’s happening?”

“Just weirdos. The horror scene is usually great, and everyone is always really chill, and I’ve made some true friends on there. But every now and then someone shows up and tries to ruin it. It happens so rarely, but … when it happens, it happens.”

Angelica described her interaction with William Bixby. Speaking it out loud, the whole thing felt like an insignificant waste of time. But she glossed over the jump scare she’d received in the shower, and the message that had been left on the steamy mirror.

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