1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 167 Robin Hobb

The urgent ringing of the telephone interrupted Xu Shengjie's train of thought.

He picked up the phone, a little impatiently saying, "This is Jeffrey Xu, who is this?"

"Jeff, this is Susanna. Are you busy?"

"Susan?"

Xu Shengjie was taken aback for a moment, then changed his tone and laughed, "No rush, just smoking and watching the snow. What's up?"

"On the 21st, which is Saturday, Estée Lauder and Prada are having a collaborative fashion show. Are you interested?"

"A big fashion show by Estée Lauder and Prada?"

Xu Shengjie thought for a moment and then smiled, "I do have time, but I haven't received an invitation."

"Don't worry about the invitations, I happen to have two on hand."

Ronald from Estée Lauder just sent me a few, but I don't have time—damn it, don't you care at all about Buffy? I'm getting so annoyed by Diane lately; she has an audition on the 28th, so if you have time, you'd better come over. Joss and James have been wanting to talk to you about the specifics of the shoot.

Joss Whedon, script doctor and general director of Buffy.

James A. Contender is the other director of this series.

Susanna had previously invited Xu Shengjie to audition, but Joss and James reacted very indifferently.

To be frank, Xu Shengjie at that time was at best a promising writer.

But now————

"They changed their minds?"

"Haha, it's not exactly a change of mind, but Director Spielberg and Director Joel Schumacher mentioned you in an interview a few days ago. Joss thinks you are the original creator of this series, so he wanted to talk to you."

That makes sense!

Before Spielberg's screening, Xu Shengjie was considered nobady by a TV director of Joss's caliber.

But now, with the endorsement of Spielberg and Schumacher, he has no choice but to take Xu Shengjie's existence seriously.

"28, right?"

"Yes!"

"No problem, just let me know the time later and I'll make the arrangements."

In addition, the invitation letter —

"I'll have Pao deliver the invitation to you."

"no problem!"

Before hanging up the phone, Xu Shengjie suddenly remembered something and asked, "How's James doing lately?"

"he?"

Susanna was a little dissatisfied, "He's been very busy lately."

Remember Puff?

"PuffDaddy? Wasn't he shot dead?"

"Yes!" Susanna lowered her voice and whispered into the phone, "That guy had quite a bit of influence backing him. I heard he was backed by the Strauss family of Macy's. The Strauss family was very unhappy about his death and put some pressure on the NYPD. James is handling this matter, and it seems to be related to the Chinese gang on Bloom Street."

I expect the Fifth Precinct will be taking action soon, so you'd better be careful.

"Ha, I spend most of my time around Beach Street now, Aunt Susan, don't worry."

"That's good!"

Susanna then hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Shengjie looked thoughtful.

Susanna never interfered in James's affairs, but this time she was able to accurately name Bloom Street, which suggests that James may have deliberately leaked the information.

Danny Airo had mentioned this before, but he hadn't paid it any mind.

But now————

Xu Shengjie thought for a moment, then picked up the phone again and sent a message to Roger's pager.

A moment later, Roger called.

"Brother Jie, is something the matter?"

"I just received word that the Fifth Precinct will be taking action against the Wang family gang on Bloom Street soon. Contact Uncle Kenny and Uncle Jimmy and tell them to be careful. Also, are you sure there are no problems with Gray Wolf and Old Snake?"

Roger paused for three seconds, then said softly, "There are no problems."

I spoke with Uncle Shrimp on the phone last night. Old Snake and the others are safe and sound; there won't be any problems.

"That's good!"

Xu Shengjie and Luo Jie chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up the phone.

James Huang certainly suspected he was involved, but he had no evidence.

Furthermore, his shift of focus to Wang Shang on Bloom Street also indicates his attitude towards the matter to some extent.

Xu Shengjie finally felt relieved.

We still lack the strength!

If he were famous enough and rich enough, why would he be so anxious and worried?

The second part of "Buffy" has been completed, with a total word count of 320,000.

The third part has just begun—

The Buffy series is good enough as a stepping stone, but it doesn't really have enough influence.

When he was reborn last year, he did consider stealing Harry Potter. But there were just too many problems.

Harry Potter, a work with a distinctly British feel, is somewhat difficult for him, an American of Chinese descent, to articulate. That uniquely British character doesn't quite fit in the American context. And his previous works were all set in America.

Whether it's The Matrix, Crysis, or Tomb Raider, they all fit seamlessly into an American setting.

But if a young man who has never left New York City in his life writes a Harry Potter book with a distinctly British feel, then there's a problem.

Moreover, Xu Shengjie has great respect for Luo Lin.

He time-traveled too late!

In his memory, Rowling had the prototype of Harry Potter in 1990, and the first Harry Potter book was completed in 1995. However, the English version was not published by Bloomsbury Publishing in the UK until June 1997.

Actually, when Harry Potter was first published, it didn't have much influence.

Her true breakthrough came after she signed a contract with Warner Bros. and obtained the status of the American Teen Recommended Reading Series through the Scholars Group. With Warner Bros.' support, she gained global acclaim and became the best-selling book of the new millennium.

Without Harry Potter sparking this wave of young adult fantasy novels, many of these works would not exist.

Xu Shengjie originally planned to ride the wave of popularity after the publication of "Harry Potter".

Theoretically speaking, there is no problem.

But now, he feels it's too slow, too slow!

In Europe and America in the 1990s, fantasy epic novels seemed to be more popular.

For example, George R.R. Martin's *A Song of Ice and Fire* and *The Elf Trilogy*; for example, Robin Hobb's *Assassin's Creed Trilogy*.

Examples include the "His Dark Materials" trilogy and the "Heritage" tetralogy.

Xu Shengjie will not consider George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire".

When he signed the contract with Robert, Robert talked about George R.R. Martin's new book, saying at the time that the first part was already more than half finished. However, considering his pace, it's estimated that it won't be completed until this year.

George R.R. Martin is a seasoned author and a renowned screenwriter.

His connections in the publishing industry are no less than Robert's, so Xu Shengjie has no chance at all.

And other works————

Xu Shengjie opened his eyes and picked up the phone.

"Robert, may I ask about someone?"

"Who?"

"Christopher Paolini, have you heard of him?"

"Christopher Paolini? Editor? Author?"

"He's an author!"

"What are you writing?"

"Well----"

Xu Shengjie was taken aback, then suddenly remembered that this Christopher Paolini was born in 83. And the first book in his "Heritage Quartet," "Eragon," was said to have been written when he was fifteen years old.

In other words—

The Legacy Quartet, also known as The Dragon Rider Quartet.

The story tells of a young boy named Eralon who discovers a blue stone in the mountains, which hatches Lan'er, the last survivor of the dragon race. After losing his family, Eralon and Lan'er become partners and embark on a journey to fight against the evil king, gradually growing into a dragon knight.

This series is projected to sell 5000 million copies worldwide, and its adaptation rights have been sold for an astronomical price.

It's just that the film and television adaptation was unsuccessful.

Xu Shengjie watched this series in his past life.

The first part, "Eralong," the second part, "The Elders," and the third part, "The Empire," are divided into two volumes.

And this story is exactly what he was writing at this age.

"It's nothing, I just can't remember right now."

Xu Shengjie quickly changed the subject, asking, "Have you ever heard of Robin Hobbes?"

Robert's tone was a little strange on the phone. "Who is Robin Hobb?"

"Oh, her previous pen name was Megan Lindholm, and she published a book called 'The Flight of the Harpy'."

There was a moment of silence on the phone.

Robert is probably thinking about it too.

After about ten seconds, he coughed and said, "I don't remember Megan Lindholm as an author, nor do I recall the book 'The Flight of the Harpy.' The grades must have been mediocre, otherwise I would definitely remember it."

Did they collapse?

impossible!

Xu Shengjie clearly remembers that when he worked at Guangren Press in his previous life, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press published Robin Hobbe's Assassin series, as well as the Living Ship trilogy and the RainWild tetralogy.

Chronicles).

Yes, 2016?

Robin Hobb was a female author, and her biography specifically mentioned that her novel *The Flight of the Harpy* won the Asimov Readers' Prize. Therefore, even if it didn't sell well, Robert should have remembered the award-winning work.

"She received the Asimov Readers' Award."

Xu Shengjie offered a reminder.

This award was established in 1987 and is usually presented at the Nebula Awards dinner or on the weekend of the World Science Fiction Convention.

It has a long history.

However, it is considered an important award in science fiction.

"I don't remember!"

Robert Gottlieb's answer was resolute.

"If I've won the award, I'll definitely remember—wait a minute, I have a list of past winners of the Asimov Readers' Choice Award here—"

A rustling sound came from the phone.

About two minutes later, Robert's voice rang out again, "There is no such person as Megan or Robin Hobb, nor is there a book called 'The Flight of the Harpy'."

As he spoke, he recounted the names of all the previous winners and their winning entries over the phone.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? Otherwise, this message is fake news, and someone is deceiving you."

Jeffrey, you're starting to gain some fame now, so there are bound to be people watching you. Be careful, and don't fall for any tricks!

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Or, why don't you ask Kate again?"

If this author or this book truly exists, Random House would certainly have information about it, unless it's a nobody author.

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