Search for a Star (5 page)

They soon had a good long list of people, and Ellie was sure Francesca would be pleased with the extras they'd come up with. “I'll owe you if any of yours get chosen,” she said. “But for the moment I'm concentrating on Charlie Daniels, and he's proving tricky.”

She explained the problem to Hannah. “Well maybe he just doesn't have any publicity shots,” said Hannah. “There wasn't a picture of him on the cover of the books, was there?”

“You're right,” said Ellie. “Perhaps he just hates having his picture taken.” She took the first book in the trilogy down from her shelf and studied it. “This is the film version though,” she mused. “It must have come out with a different cover on originally.”

Hannah looked at her. “What are you getting at?”

“Well.” Ellie scratched her head. “Isn't it hardback books that usually have the author's photograph on? Maybe when the books
first
came out there was a picture.”

“But who would have the hardbacks?” said Hannah. “I can't think of anyone.”

“I can,” said Ellie.

“Who?”

“Not a who, a what. The library!”

Hannah grinned at Ellie. “Good thinking.”

“I'll go tomorrow,” said Ellie. “There must be a library not too far from work. I can look online to see where the nearest one is. If I could just find a photograph of Charlie Daniels it would make him more real somehow. That's great, Hannah. Thanks for your help.”

“You thought of it,” said Hannah with a laugh.

“But I never would have done if we hadn't been discussing him together,” said Ellie. She put the book on the bed. “There's a fab competition on the publisher's website,” she said. “Check it out.”

“Okay,” said Hannah, swinging her legs off Ellie's bed and standing up. “I must go now. I need my beauty sleep. I've been stacking shelves for Aunt Bella all day, and my arms are aching. You get to chill out in a library, while I get to build up my biceps.”

“But just think how toned you'll look on the beach,” said Ellie with a giggle.

“And maybe Kurt Draagan will turn up,” added Hannah. “If so, I'll put in a word for you.”

“Thanks!”

Ellie saw Hannah out and then went back to her room. She tossed her notebook onto her desk. Then she picked it up again. Did her dad have any comments that might help? She paused at the first page, as she always did.
You can do this!
was inspiring, but she wanted more. Her father had been a great journalist. He must have known all the tricks of the trade.

Ellie yawned as she turned over the pages. It was too late to be thinking of this now. She ought to go to sleep and start again in the morning, when she was fresh and clear-headed. Then she came to a page that made her stop.
Don't overlook anything
. She read it again. Her dad had often been abroad in violent situations, reporting for his newspaper. Overlooking things then probably could be very dangerous. But Mum had said how careful he always was. Sometimes though, however careful you were bad things could happen, and eventually, her father had lost his life. At least Ellie didn't have to worry about danger in her job. All the same, the advice was sound. A good journalist would certainly try not to ignore anything, in case it was important.

Well…she stifled another yawn. She would make notes on this page, to keep herself on track. She wrote the next day's date on the page and marked it. Tomorrow she would attempt to build up a profile on Charlie Daniels, and she would try especially hard not to miss anything, in case it might prove useful. She snuggled down under her duvet and, just before she closed her eyes, she saw her father's black notebook waiting on her desk. She smiled sleepily.
Thanks, Hannah, and thanks, Dad
.

First thing in the morning, before breakfast, Ellie looked online to see where the nearest library was to the
Heart
offices. If she got off the bus a couple of stops earlier than usual she could easily visit one, so she emailed Francesca's office address while she ate her breakfast. Francesca always started work early.

Okay if I visit library on the way to work today? Might have a lead.

It wasn't long before she got an answer.

Fine. See you a bit later.

The librarian was very helpful. “We do have a couple of the hardbacks,” she said when Ellie asked. “I'll just see if any of them are in.”

Ellie waited anxiously while the librarian looked on her computer. “We should have one on the shelf. I'm afraid it's volume two, so if you haven't read the first one you might not want it.”

“That's all right,” said Ellie. “I don't actually want to read it.”

The librarian gave her a startled look. “Really? Well, it should be over here.” She led the way to the shelf and picked it out immediately. “This series is so popular,” she said. “Since the film came out we can't keep up with the demand.”

Ellie wasn't listening. She looked on the back, but there was no author picture. She looked inside too, but to her disappointment she drew a blank there as well. There were some notes about the author, but they were almost as brief as the ones in the paperback version she had:
The Fanghurst Trilogy attracted unprecedented excitement when it was first offered for publication, and has already been sold to over a dozen countries. Charlie Daniels lives in London, and is now working on a prequel,
Fanghurst Born.

Ellie closed the book. “Thank you,” she said politely, handing it back to the librarian. “I just wanted to see if there was an author picture, but there isn't.”

The librarian turned the book over in her hands. “You're right,” she said. “Publishers like pictures of the author as a rule. I expect it helps a bit at bookshop signings. I wonder why they didn't do it for this author?”

“I don't know,” said Ellie.

She decided to walk the rest of the way to work.
Well, at least I've found out that he lives in London!
she thought to herself.
That's something
.

It wasn't that far to walk, and it was a lovely morning. But nearby there was a bookshop, and on a whim, Ellie went in.

She very quickly found a pile of the paperbacks and took one to the counter. “Do you know if Charlie Daniels does book signings?” she asked. “Or if he's going to some time?”

The assistant held out her hand for the book, but Ellie held onto it. “I don't want to buy it,” she said. “I was just wondering about book signings.”

The assistant shrugged. “I've got no idea,” he said. “You could try the publisher. They might know. I haven't heard of an author tour though.”

“Thanks,” said Ellie, putting the book back on the stack. As soon as she had finished the piece she had to write about Pop's new fashion range she'd phone the publisher. Surely, with so much publicity about the film, Charlie Daniels would want to do a book tour? If it were Ellie, she knew that she would!

“Any progress in your quest to interview our illusive author?” said Francesca when Ellie arrived at work.

“Not really,” said Ellie. “Though I now know he lives in London.” She hesitated. “And I'm going to ring the publisher once I've written the piece about Pop Lowther.”

“Good for you,” said Francesca. “It's great he's in London. That will make an interview much easier to set up if you can make contact. Well done!”

Ellie got straight on with her piece about Pop's new venture, and soon had an article to show Francesca.

“She says she wants to design clothes she loves wearing herself,” Ellie told Francesca. “And she mentions Carlotta Bellini, who she'll be working with, as a huge influence, so I did a bit of digging on the internet and found out a bit more about her. I've attached that to the article in case you're interested.”

“Excellent work, Ellie,” said Francesca, looking very pleased. “Give me a few minutes to edit it and then we'll go and show Angel.”

Soon they were both heading for Angel's office, and Piano was trying to look as if she wasn't interested, but Ellie could see that she was watching their every move. Ellie had to fight the urge to giggle. She could imagine the shocked expression on Piano's face when she found out what Ellie had written. Piano so often liked to make Ellie feel as if she was a hopeless case, but Ellie was certain she wasn't going to be made to feel like an underdog today!

Angel was a formidable Editor in Chief, but Francesca never seemed to be in awe of her. She knocked, went straight in and up to Angel's desk. Angel looked happy to see her, but not so pleased that Ellie had come with her.

“What's up?” said Angel.

“Ellie has been given a scoop by Pop Lowther,” said Francesca without any preamble. “Her agent has sent Ellie an advance copy of the press release so that we can publish the item first.”

“Really?” Angel looked at Ellie with her steely blue eyes, but they held interest and respect, not ire. “And why has she opted to give you this exclusivity?”

“Umm…well…” Ellie tried to explain. “We seemed to get on really well when I interviewed them during my work experience here, and she told me then that she was looking into a new venture and would let me know when she was ready to announce it. I think she was trying to help me with being a journalist,” she added, trying to be totally honest.

Angel nodded. “I remember that article, and the hint in it of information to come.” She smiled at Ellie. “You obviously have empathy, and that goes a long way with people. If they feel you're on their side they tend to open up more. Well done. It looks as if you have the makings of a fine journalist. What is the scoop, by the way?”

“It's about Pop going into clothes design for a big fashion store,” said Ellie, thrilled by Angel's praise. “I've done an article.” She offered Angel the printed-out article but Angel waved it away. “That's all right, Francesca can cast an eye over it.” She looked at her deputy. “But we'll need to discuss where it will go in the magazine,” she said. “Maybe that piece on the film actor…let's talk it over in about twenty minutes, Francesca. I need to make a phone call just now. Well done,” she added vaguely in Ellie's direction. “I look forward to reading it in due course.”

Angel was already starting to make the call as Ellie and Francesca left, but Ellie didn't mind about the interview being so brief. She knew how busy the Editor in Chief was.

“Well,” said Francesca as she closed the door behind them and they made their way back to their desks. “What a good start to your summer. What else are you thinking of impressing us with?”

Ellie couldn't help laughing. She could practically hear Piano's ears flapping. “Well I'm going to get on with tracking down Charlie Daniels in a minute, if that's okay, but I need to give you this first.” She handed Francesca the list of celebrity names that she and Hannah had thought of the night before. “I don't know if you'll want to use any of them, but I thought it was worth noting them down.”

Francesca laughed too. “Thanks, Ellie. It's great to see such enthusiasm.”

“So is it okay if I get on with Charlie Daniels now?”

“So far as I'm concerned, as long as you remember the coffee run and the dog walking, you can spend the rest of today on it if you want. You won't be able to spend this much time on most of the names on the list, but then you shouldn't need to. And I do think it's worth pursuing this one for a bit longer. Just make sure you clear it with me before you actually
do
anything. Okay? I'd hate you to get into trouble, or us for that matter.”

“Okay. Thanks, Francesca.”

“And, Ellie, don't worry if you draw a blank. I won't be annoyed or surprised if you do, but it could make a really interesting, and different interview for the magazine if you could pull it off. Just keep your eyes and ears open, and if you can piece anything together about him let me know.”

“I'll do my best,” said Ellie, feeling pleased at what Francesca had said. The pressure was off, but in a way that made her even more determined to track the author down.

She sat down and opened her laptop. First she went back to the publisher's website and took down their number. Then she pulled her notebook out of her bag. When she phoned she'd need to write down anything that might be useful. She took a couple of deep breaths and dialled the number.

“Bishop and Stoker Publishers. Which department would you like?”

“Um…” She wasn't ready for that. “I need to talk to someone who would know about author signings…” she said, scrambling to try and sound as if she knew exactly what she was talking about. “And about Ch—” But the receptionist interrupted.

“Putting you through.”

The phone rang for ages, and Ellie was beginning to think that no one was going to answer it, but just as she was about to put it down and try again, someone picked up.