... a STORY within a STORY

   “A first-time author. A hotshot book editor. A whirlwind romance and a runaway bestseller nobody saw coming. The meteoric rise and stunning collapse of a cross-platform media empire. All of–”

 

   “I’m sorry, ‘cross-platform media empire?’”
   “I forgot — you weren’t in ‘Chapter 1.’

 

   “Jillian’s a dynamic, career-oriented super-achiever — ambitious, talented, well-connected — she’s the Gordon Gekko of publishing. She’s intensely focused on her work and craves success, thrives on achievement. Augie flies at a lower altitude, flipping the occasional car or house, stocking shelves, and ringing up customers at Vortex Books, one of a handful of bookstores remaining in a hundred-mile radius.”

 

   “I thought Augie was bibliophobic.”
   “Not phobic, more like ambivalent. The owner hires him precisely because he doesn’t care too much for the printed word. He is 50, not 20 — he shows up when scheduled without continually calling off and trading shifts, and he doesn’t ‘borrow’ merchandise then forget to bring it back.”
“Alright. Go on.”

 

   “As a couple, Jillian and Augie bring out the best in each other, encourage one another to greater heights. Together, their whole is greater than the sum of their parts. Without Jillian, Augie is pretty aimless. Without Augie, Jillian is content to remain in her comfort zone as a book editor with no aspirations to expand or diversify her business model.”

​

  “You’re summarizing again.”
  “My bad. It’s hard to talk like a trailer. I’m still trying to explain the ‘media empire’ and don’t feel like I’m doing a very good job.

 

   “Let me just say that Jillian branches out and finds successes in media and communications enterprises beyond exclusively book editing. They win awards and accolades and even enjoy a measure of celebrity. They also buy Vortex Books and rename it after Sir Agatha. Together, Jillian and Augie become wealthy in the most dazzling sense of the word.”

 

   “Still summarizing. Go back to pitching me.”
   “Pitch you. Okay, pitch you. How about this?

 

   “Inspired by true love, Jillian heeds a calling to do more with her life. With Augie at her side, she discovers a clarity of purpose and develops a grand vision for her future and his. She leads them both on a path towards happiness, fulfillment, and financial independence. Augie, rudderless before Jillian, is happy just to go along for the ride with her.”

 

   “Is this essentially just another ordinary love story?”
   “No love story is ordinary, but this one stays in the background.

 

   “Jillian and Augie basically provide only a ‘frame’ for the ‘picture,’ which itself is ever-changing. The Objet d’art isn’t a story but a series of unrelated, freestanding stories that were written while Augie was test-driving ACW©. He wanted to make sure it would work.”