Gemotions

Her heart raced as she walked into the bookstore, a smile plastered on her face. The new book by the reclusive and brilliant author, Alistair Finch, was finally here! She’d been waiting with bated breath. This was a moment she’d envisioned for months.

She purchased her copy of *Beneath Silent Tides* and raced home. She couldn’t wait to dive into the world he had created. Curling up in her favorite armchair, she began to read.

The words started to blur. She felt a growing unease. Several pages in, she knew. The plot, the character names, even some of the wording… it was all lifted from her unfinished novel, a story she’d shared with a small critique group years ago. She froze.