Love consumed her in flames but she emerged untouched

Chapter 138

Madge sighed. Her frustration was evident as she realized she had forgotten to pick up the allspice on their grocery run. “Anne, darling. would you mind grabbing a pack from that shelf over there?”

“Sure.” Roseanne knew it was Madge’s way of getting a moment alone.

Once Roseanne was out of earshot, Madge said, “I mentioned it this morning. I’m still mulling it over’s

“Mulling it over, huh?” Nadine retorted with impatience. “I brought this up three months ago, and you said you’d think about it. Fine. I gave you time, but still no clear answer. ”

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Madge frowned. “We’ve been working together for years. My forte is crafting suspense and thriller novellas, stories that wrap up within two to three hundred thousand words. And now, you’re asking me to switch to online novels? It’s like comparing apples to oranges!”

“But it’s all storytelling, right? How can it be so different? Literature has a universal language. There’s no mismatch!” Nadine’s tone grew stem, her smile fading.

Trying to reason, Madge explained, “First off, online novels usually run into the millions of words. And the popular genres online, like urban romance or elite love stories, are not my cup of tea. How am I supposed to write that?”

“Didn’t we learn anything from Bittersweet Youth? You also wanted to switch genres back then, but how did that turn out?”

Bittersweet Youth was the title of Madge’s disastrously received teen drama novel.!

Nadine got it in a flash and her tone got softer, “I know that book tanked your reputation, and you’ve been struggling to get past it, even left the online scene…”

Madge retorted, “Yes, if you know I stepped back, why push me into those over–the–top romance plots?“2

“Madge, calm down. Hear me out,” Nadine pleaded gently. “Bittersweet Youth failed to break into the market because you were too slow to publish. When it was out, the trends had shifted. Teen dramas were all the rage when I suggested the genre change.”

“So, it’s not all on me, right? You’ve got a slice of the blame pie too. I’m not making excuses. I’m just pointing out where we went wrong.” Madge remained silent. She couldn’t deny that she was a slow writer, but that genre was far from her comfort zone. Her ideas were scattered. How could she possibly write quickly??

Nadine continued, trying to persuade her, “But it’s different this time. In the online world, urban romance and elite love stories in demand. Whether you write fast or slow doesn’t matter. We won’t repeat the same mistakes. I promise.“I

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Madge’s eyebrows knitted tighter. “I’ve read the examples you sent. They’re fast–paced, sensational, and wildly unrealistic. They might start interesting, but the quality dips as the story drags on endlessly. I’ve seen stories where the protagonist’s name changes halfway through a million words. I’m not saying there’s no menit to online novels or that I’m demeaning them. They’re popular for a reason, but I can’t align with that style.”

Nadine’s eyes hardened. “After all this dialogue and all this effog to connect, you dismiss it by saying it is not suitable?”

Madge was perplexed. “What else can I say? It’s simply not a good fit.”

Nadine scoffed, “Do I need to spell it out for you? Fine, let’s lay it all out. In the past ten years, you’ve only produced one novel, and it was a commercial flop. What’s the point of calling yourself a writer if you can’t produce something new?”