One would think that as the author of the novel and the screenwriter for the film, more people would have sought out his advice, or at the very least, his input, but that had not been the case. Maybe it was Michael's own fault. Writing was, after all, a lonely business. It wasn't something one could do in the company of others. In order to write and write well, one needed quiet and solitude and that meant spending a good amount of time alone.

Of course, Elena would only let him hide in his office for so long, and now that the movie was filming again and he was welcome on set, he had set his keyboard aside for awhile, so that he could spend a few hours on set each day, in case he was needed. Even so, a writer's mind was rarely still, and he was often found cloistered away in a corner booth in the cafe, a cup of black coffee near at hand, while he jotted notes the old-fashioned way with pen and paper.

So it was when Eregor had found him, scribbling furiously at his notepad while the words were still flowing in his brain, a half-eaten ham and Swiss sandwich on the table beside him. It took him a moment to realize he was being spoken to, and he lifted his head from the notebook to turn to Eregor, a blank look on his face for a moment while his thoughts returned to the present.

"Yes" Oh, uh ..." he began uncertainly, wondering what the movie's lead actor wanted with him. "Yeah, sure. I was just finishing lunch. Would you like anything?" he asked, amicably enough.

Michael frowned thoughtfully, wondering what exactly it was Eregor wanted to know. He thought all the information he needed could be found in the book and the script - or the previous book even - but he was open to answering any questions the man might have that would help him better understand and interpret the role, if only he knew what questions those were.

"I think so," he replied after a moment's hesitation. "You know, Ryan isn't really me, anymore than Roxanne is Elena. They're just fictional characters based on some of our experiences. I don't want to tell you how to do your job, Eregor. I'm not an actor, and I don't really know much about acting. Obviously, Jonathan and Mataya believe you're the right man for the role. You should make the part your own and not worry so much about trying to ....be me," he told him, a little uncertainly. "I mean, I'm certainly happy to answer any questions you have, but I'm not really sure what you want to know."

"Well, it is and it isn't," Michael tried to explain. He had written the damned thing after all, but it wasn't exactly autobiographical. He wondered if he should explain further, but held his tongue until the man was finished. He took a sip of his coffee, arching a brow as Eregor sang a few bars of an old familiar song. Having origins on Earth and a decent knowledge of popular music, he was familiar with both songs, but had a preference for the latter.

"You're right," he replied at last, when Eregor was finished. "Only, it's not just about whether he's worthy of her, but if she still wants him. See, what Ryan doesn't know is that Roxanne is going through struggles of her own, so while the first book was mostly about Ryan, the sequel is mostly about Roxanne."

He took another sip of his coffee before continuing. It would have almost been better if he'd been able to jot down his thoughts rather than speak them. He was a writer, first and foremost, and while he might be a master of words, writing was a much different process than speaking. Speaking called for expressing thoughts in words without taking much time to think, while writing was a much more contemplative process.

"You know," he started, though Eregor most likely didn't. "I hadn't met Elena yet when I wrote the first book. I had a horrible crush on her, but I didn't meet her until she was cast for the part. She was even more beautiful in person than she was on TV, but she didn't even give me the time of day at first." He chuckled a little at the memory of it. "She had no idea I'd written the book with her in mind. It started out as a fantasy - a love story - a boy meets girl story. I was as surprised as anyone when it ended up a bestseller."

Michael paused, a small frown on his face, unsure just how far he should go in the telling of his own tale. He wasn't used to being in the limelight. In fact, he avoided it whenever possible. Just how much did Eregor need to know in order to understand and portray the character of Ryan' He didn't want to tell him so much that he'd feel pressured into portraying Michael's life story, but he needed to know just enough that he could understand what motivated the character and made him tick.

"All you really need to know is in the book," he said at last, reiterating his earlier thoughts. "Both books, really. Ryan is in love with Roxanne, but she doesn't even know he's alive, at first. Or so it seems. In reality, she's dealing with her own problems and doesn't want to get him involved, so she spurns him. His life spirals out of control after that, and he suffers a number of tragedies, which lead him to drown his troubles in a bottle of booze. It's not until the Nexus dumps him in Rhy'Din that he sees her again, and they realize they're stronger together than apart. Then, it's a matter of fighting their own demons and finding their happily ever after."

He sighed a little before continuing, "My publisher is pestering me for another sequel, but I think I'd like to leave it at that before it gets too personal, you know" People are always asking how much of myself I put into the character and the story, and I don't know how to answer that. I mean, there's a little bit of me in everything I write. Did you know most of Hemingway's stories were based on real life events" I'm not comparing myself to Hemingway, but what I'm trying to say is that I think there's a little of of the writer's feelings and experiences in everything they write, no matter how far removed the story is from their own. Do you know what I mean?" He wasn't sure if any of that made sense, but he hoped it helped Eregor make the character of Ryan his own.

Michael smiled suddenly as another thought came to mind. "If I were to pick a theme song for Elena and me, it would be 'All of Me', by John Legend. Have you heard it' I don't want it in the movie because it's too personal, but that's our story in a nutshell."