Eventually, this turned out to be a terrible decision because I signed a dodgy contract, and the book, along with my career, went nowhere, and then the publisher closed down by the end of the year and I never got paid my full advance. But I think you get my point. Sometimes it only takes one yes. Hopefully your yes doesn’t leave you worse off like me.
About my current work, I’ve been writing for a travel magazine since I graduated. I often find myself having very in-depth conversations with people I don’t know very well in different parts of the world, so I don’t find it weird that you’ve shared bits of your life with me. I agree there’s something cathartic about it, which I guess is why I keep responding to you now that I think about it. Other than my boss and agent, you’re the only person who emails me consistently.
I’m currently on assignment in Iceland. Have you ever been? It’s not as cold as I thought it would be. The name is misleading.
Attached is a picture of the waterfall Skógafoss. I read online that this is the most “stereotypical” waterfall in Iceland. Doesn’t look all that stereotypical to me. I hope it cheers you up.
——NRS
P.S. You can stop calling me Mr. Strickland. It makes me sound elderly. I’m 27, only two years older than you.
FROM: Lily G. <[email protected]> TO: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
DATE: July 15, 10:59pm
SUBJECT: Re: You have a website!
Dear [insert name],
If you don’t want me to call you Mr. Strickland, what should I call you?
I’m relieved that oversharing my personal woes didn’t scare you off. From my emails, you would think that I’m used to speaking so freely, but I’m really not talkative at all. In middle school, my classmates called me the Mouse. Middle school was torture for a number of reasons, and I at least wish they would have come up with a more creative nickname.
I’ve never been to Iceland. I’ve actually never traveled outside of the US. It’s so cool that you write for a travel magazine. I guess you’re probably never in the same place for long periods of time. Do you have any favorite cities or countries?
The waterfall definitely does not look stereotypical to me. Thank you for sharing the picture. It did cheer me up. That interview was almost a month ago now, and I still get sad thinking about how much I wanted that job, but there will be others. I just have to keep trying.
Getting out of the city helps （I live in Brooklyn）。 I’ve spent most of today at my parents’ house in New Jersey for their annual July 15th birthday barbecue （they have the same birthday）。 Other than Christmas, it’s the one time of year that we’re all together. My sister Violet is based in New York, but at any given time, she could be anywhere in the world. And my other sister Iris lives in the same neighborhood as my parents with her daughter, but she’s always working, so I hardly see her. On July 15th, everyone is home and it’s nice. Violet is a stylist, so she forces us to participate in fashion shows, and my dad and uncles sit on the patio and play Spades （a card game that I have no idea how to play）。 It’s a good time.
And yikes. I’m sorry you signed a bad contract with Labyrinth Press. I’m sad you don’t think of yourself as an author and don’t plan to write a sequel to Elves, but I’m glad you’re still writing in a way with the travel magazine.
Sincerely,
Lily
P.S.—It’s not a waterfall but attached is a picture of my niece’s tiny feet in my sister’s high heels during our “fashion show.”
FROM: N.R. Strickland <[email protected]>
TO: Lily G. <[email protected]>
DATE: July 21, 12:02am
SUBJECT: You can call me Strick
Lily—
You can call me Strick.
Your niece has a cute, chubby foot. I hope she doesn’t grow up to be a jaded adult with depressing worldviews. Or maybe that just happened to me. （See, I overshare too.） So you live in Brooklyn. What’s that like? What do you like about it? I’ve been lots of places, but never to New York, if you can believe that. My agent lives in Brooklyn too, and he’s been encouraging me to move to New York for months. He has a new position at a fancy literary agency and he’s decided to make me his first project. He has this idea that Elves can have another life with a big US publisher. He refuses to believe that I am no longer an author. I respect his dedication but hate that he’s wasting his time on me.
You’re right that I’m never in one place for too long. All of my valuable possessions can fit in one large backpack. It’s freeing to think that I can pick up and go whenever I need to. Or rather, when there’s a new assignment for me.