Some Uncommon Updates
“Okay…” Brady glanced at Harper as she stepped out of the office behind him. “How weird is it that my life makes so much more sense after finding out I’m actually a character in a book?”
“I know, right?” Harper giggled and bounced on her toes. “Not just a book, a whole series! How cool is that? Oooh, I wonder if I can get a copy to read when we get home!”
“Harper…” A sigh that was almost a groan followed the author’s voice from her office. “I told you, you’re not going to remember any of this once you go back through that door. Obviously, that includes taking back a copy of your own story. This superhero concept is strange enough as it is; I’m not adding the extra layer of you guys knowing it’s fiction.”
Harper pouted a little, and Brady snorted.
“You actually blame her? I feel like I know why she brought you out here today and not Rachelle.”
“Huh? Wait, why?” Harper blinked in confusion, and Brady shook his head.
“You want to tell Rachelle you’re the one responsible for everything bad that’s ever happened to her—or to Grace?”
“But I’m not…” Harper’s voice trailed off as her eyes rounded. “Ohhh, I get it! You think she’s actually scared of her?”
“I am not!” A chair scraped against the floor, and the author appeared in the office doorway with her arms crossed defensively. “I just—don’t want to spend the time it would take to explain to her right now.”
“Is that the same reason you didn’t invite Dash?” Harper’s grin stretched wider as the author swallowed hard and braced her feet.
“Why is this suddenly about me? I brought the two of you out here for a job, which you said you could do, and I was hoping to get it accomplished without too much drama. That’s all!”
“Definitely scared,” Brady whispered, and Harper giggled.
“Too bad neither of us has our powers right now. I wonder what kind of cool stuff we could find out if she didn’t know we were there.”
“I know about your powers, Harper.” The author rolled her eyes. “I wrote your powers. And you’re not the first one to try to snoop, but you might be the least subtle about it. Why on earth would I let you in here powered up? That’s basically giving my secrets away.”
“Just one tiny spoiler? If I won’t remember it anyway?” Harper put on her most pitiful puppy look, and the author sighed.
“I’m not spoiling things for the whole audience just to make you happy.” She motioned to the dark screen next to them, and Harper’s eyes went wide again.
“It’s on? Now?”
“Great. Since when?” Brady closed his eyes, and the author turned and marched into her office, muttering something about needing to buy an “IT’S ALREADY ON” sign for the back of her door.
“A little warning would be nice!” Harper shouted after her, yanking her blue hair out of its tight French braid and shaking her head to let the strands fly loose around her flushed cheeks.
“Uhh, you good?” Brady’s brow furrowed as he watched her, and Harper sucked in a breath and put on a smile.
“Yep! So we’re here for what—announcements? Please tell me you remember what they are.”
Brady let out a little snort as he turned to face the screen.
“Yeah, so, announcements. First off, I guess the second installment in our series is coming out soon. It’ll be releasing June 1 on all the regular ebook stores—the day before our next ‘adventure’ starts on Substack.”
“Ooh, I remember this part!” Harper raised her hand as if requesting permission but didn’t even pause before she continued. “You can preorder it right now in all the usual places, or, if you want it early, then it’s available today at the author’s own store! And if you haven’t bought an ebook directly from an author before, it’ll come with instructions for how to read it on whatever device you have. Or you can still wait two weeks and get it wherever you’re used to. Hey, did you bring your phone?”
Brady shook his head, and a loud sigh came from the author’s office.
“You’re not getting it that way either, Harper. Finish the announcements, please.”
“What else?” Harper glanced back at Brady, and he grinned.
“Speaking of the author’s store, I guess she hasn’t actually announced that it’s open yet, so now you know. She’s really excited about it, not just because purchases there make her more money, but because she can do a few cool things with sales and special offers that she can’t on the other stores. So look out for more deals coming in the future, and in celebration of the official announcement, you can get half off our second book, Uncommon Sense, using the coupon code GRANDOPENING. And remember, you can always get the first one for free.”
Buy Uncommon Sense (1/2 off with coupon)
“And if you want to follow along in the next story, starting in June, don’t forget to sign up for the serial! I can’t wait to see what happens next!” Harper clapped her hands, and Brady winced.
“Not sure I agree, since I seem to be the target of ‘what happens next’ at the moment.”
“Come on, it’s not all bad! You met us, didn’t you? And got to help—whoops, I guess I probably shouldn’t tell, should I?”
“Probably not.” Brady smirked, and Harper stuck out her tongue.
“Well, I’m just saying, it could be worse! You could be…I don’t know…stuck with Dash on a mission?”
“Harper!” The author’s cry made them both jump, and Harper threw a confused look toward the office door.
“What? I was just—” Harper stopped and sucked in a breath as her mouth rounded into an O. “Wait, seriously? Did I just guess something right? Because I totally want to read that now!”
“Just go home, Harper.” The author groaned, and a nearby door popped open. Harper shrugged and disappeared through it, but Brady turned back to the office with a wry grin.
“You said your goal was no drama, but you deliberately brought Harper along. Absolutely no sympathy.”
“Go home, Brady. And get some rest. You’ll probably need it.”
“Thaaanks.” Brady rolled his eyes as he followed Harper through the door and shut it with a bang.
A quiet sigh wafted from the office, and the screen went black.
