I stared at the light pink mare with the short red mane sitting on the other side of the desk. “You cannot be serious.”
“I'm perfectly serious,” Flower Press retorted. “While we are getting your book edited and have the front artwork commissioned, you should promote it by attending a number of functions. We will handle the invites for you, all you need to do is show up and talk to ponies.”
“...I write fantasy military fiction, not high class literature!”
Say what you want, that was the truth.
“Even so, even rich ponies and nobles 'do' read all kinds of books. Including your own,” she explained patiently. “And the more we get them talking about it, the better the book is going to sell.”
I flicked my ears in annoyance. This was not going the way I wanted it to.
“And if I refuse?”
She shrugged her wings. “Then you refuse and the book sells less. Your previous one sold enough that it is still likely to be profitable for us to print it, but all of us would make more bits this way.”
I felt like grinding my teeth, but she was making a very good point.
The better each book sold, the more bits I would make... and the more bits I made, the less risky this entire thing was.
Which meant I could worry a lot less about somehow running out of money and being reliant on the crown's funds again or taking a job waiting tables.
“...Very well,” I conceded.
“Excellent. There is a garden party at the castle in five day's time. I can get you an invite. It is a formal event, I assume that will not be a problem?”
...Thank you, Rarity.
“No. No problem.”
“Good. I'll have the invitation delivered to you later this week.”
XXXXXXXXXX
Day 430
Why the fuck did I let her talk me into this!? Somehow, my publisher managed to talk me into going to some sort of fancy garden party at the castle to promote my book.
I hate this kind of thing. So what if going to these fancy parties will make the book sell better?
I'd rather live on noodles.
...Noodles. Huh, I just realized I have not seen a single one since I arrived here. I miss the damn things.
Even the cheap cup ones. Come on, they have to exist somewhere! It's not like it's a particularly unique concept. What's in those things, flour and egg? Ponies eat both.
Hmm. I'll have to ask my friends if they've heard of something like it.
Man, I could really go for some Thai right now. Or Chinese. Something spicy would be nice. Most pony food isn't very spicy, at least not the way I liked it back home.
Oooh, Indian. The real stuff, not the western version. I didn't quite have the resistance to eat it, first time it almost killed me. I need plenty of bread, but damn if it's not great.
Where was I?
Oh yeah, bitching about my publisher. Just nerves I guess. I hate these fucking things. I'm not a fan of normal parties, these stiff ones are even worse.
Not only that, but I won't know anyone there.
I'm just glad I didn't need a 'Plus One'. Who the hell would I ask? Luna? Silver Leaf? Celestia? I don't know any other mares and I barely know Silver as anything other than, 'Friendly Waitress'.
Well, other than the element bearers I guess, but I have only met them once.
...The thought of letting Pinkie Pie loose onto a room full of stuffy nobles might fill me with glee, but somehow I doubt it would promote my book.
Well, at least the suit is a really nice one and it fit like a glove. Hell, it fit better than anything I ever wore back on Earth.
Then again, I have not had a custom-tailored suit before, just the off-the-rack stuff.
I really need to remember to to send Rarity a thank you note for this, I have no idea how it would go to get a nice suit made in less than a week.
The fact that the damn thing is actually comfortable to wear, something I thought was against the law when it came to formal wear, doesn't exactly hurt either.
I'm going to drop her name as often as I can get away with tonight, she clearly knows her stuff and I'll send as much business her way as I possibly can.
...And now I'm just procrastinating leaving, aren't I?
Well, fashionably late is a thing... or does that only apply to rich people? Or, is it only mares?
Fuck, I don't even know if it applied on this world.
I guess I could always be the 'eccentric author'. That would likely go over well. Maybe I should show up with some sort of strange hat on my head?
Wonder where I can get one with this short notice.
...I'm doing it again, aren't I?
Might as well get this shit over with.
Page.
Eccentric author seem funny.
6320474
More like "author who don't give a"
6320498 I completely agree with this idea
~T.CC
6320474 6320498 "Why not both?"
- Tacos
6322976 An eccentric author who give a box that contain no fuck? I like.
Ah, I see you are a fellow lover of hats... I will see your counterfeit billycock and raise you a bolted birdcage
Curses! Now I want noodles! That is a sad thing, since the best noodle place (IMHO) in my area recently closed down.
40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcomnfWphU1rjpu6do1_500.jpg
6354007 I sew your hat, and raised you by a fedora.
Most noodles are made from four basic ingredients: wheat flour, salt, water, and kansui (かん水?) (from kansui (鹹水?, salt water)) a type of alkaline mineral water, containing sodium carbonate and usually potassium carbonate, as well as sometimes a small amount of phosphoric acid.
6757054
HA! Please, a fedora? I raise thee a feathered tricorn.
Be Castle. You are in a world that has never seen Nathon Fillion. The universe demands it!
7120604
Ick.
Sorry, but I'm real meh about Nathan Fillon. Show is alright, but it isn't all that great.
NCIS, on the other hoof, is fucking awsome! Or at least it was before they killed off Zeva and Tony left.
At least Gibs and Abby are still there; wither one of those ones go, and the show will just die. Like Mythbusters did when the Build Crew left.
Sorry bud, that's season 6.
I assume the pants shall be most fancy?
I assume you tried to italicize everything then went back and re-italicized 'Indian' but that has resulted in everything after 'Indian' being non-italicized. Just a little something that can be quickly fixed by italicizing everything before and after the word. I'm actually surprised this hasn't been pointed out but I guess everyone was just in a rush to see what happens next.
What happened to the italics? It suddenly stopped being italicized in the middle of the journal entry.
6871826
Pft, please. I raise a sombrero that has a fake mohawk coming out the top.
this made me think of a gag in an online comic: "i want REAL Mexican, not "Gringo Bell."
that was in "Nip and Tuck" on RHJunior.com
Nice simpel problems
DONT FORGET MEXICAN FOOD. Mexican food is superior to all other countries foods.
The Italics reverted back to standard words part way through. Thought Page stopped writing there in til I got to the end. Good story so far.
9498677
Ok, Im a mexican, and let me tell you real mexican food is NOT aproved by FDA since the meat in your delicious tacose can range from cangoroo meat to dog meat to normal cow meat. The real mexican salsas are composed mainly of tomatoe onion and maybe one or tow other things plus a type of chill: ALL fresh. And the beans usually have enough lard to get your arteries clogged but damn if its not delicious. XD
I'm a Chinese brony. In fact, in my hometown“baoji”(陕西省的一个市), everyone eats oil chili sauce noodles as a staple for lunch.
( People in Sichuan like to eat spicy food.)
Vegetarian dishes such as won tons and dumplings or baozi are highly recommended
IT IS AGAINST THE LAW WHO BROKE IT I WILL HUNT THEM DOWM AND MAKE THEM TEACH ME HOW TO BREAK IT ALSO
GET A FEZ GET A FEZ GET A FEZ GET A FEZ
Fezzes are cool
First world problems... In another universe
10851448
No. They most certainly are not.
Well he should invite Celestia, if only to make Luna jelly.
Also if you are going to eat something spice 2 items you want are frozen yogurt and something to block your nose, they do qonders against spiceness.
This story Page sure has interesting problems, his future version would laughing at himself remembering it.