The audience cheered, making Carolyn smile and give an exaggerated shrug. "I was of course eager to get such a high-profile part—I mean, who could resist playing a savvy, headstrong criminal investigator?" Laughter broke out, and some people applauded. "I see you agree with me," Carolyn continued.
"So I accepted, and it was the most fun I've had in years. Harvey is, of course, a delight to work with—when he's not driving the rest of us crazy with his pranks. It was an honor to work with Helen St. Cyr, whom I admire so much. The kids in the story were handpicked, just like the rest of us. All in all, doing the audiobooks was one of the best things I've ever done."
Carolyn waited until the applause had died down. "Now, I see a long line of people in the aisle who need to know things. Please, fire away."
Annelie smiled cynically as she watched Carolyn make the large auditorium feel like an intimate little club, with the entire audience listening intently to every word she uttered. Her voice wrapped around them, captivating them completely. What a snake charmer she is, Annelie thought. If they only knew the real Carolyn Black.
"Oh, hello, Ms. Black. It's so wonderful—"
"Hello, darling, and forgive me for interrupting you." Carolyn beamed. "I just want to say, right off the bat, we're all on a first-name basis here. I'm Carolyn. What's your name and where are you from?"
"I'm Ally, from Los Angeles, and I'm thrilled—"
"Hello, Ally. You've traveled a long way to be here. What's your question?"
"I've just adored you ever since you played in The Passing of Time. You were so beautiful. I couldn't wait to see you every day. But I'm dying to know if you regret being in that show, when you're so famous and all now?"
Carolyn walked to the edge of the stage, glancing down at the doting older woman. "Of course not. I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't played Devon Harper. Working on a soap is tough, and it's a good way to learn your trade. The fans like yourself who liked me as Devon have been kind enough to remain loyal through the years. Does that answer your question, Ally?"
"Yes, thank you so much. And I've got to tell you, I just love your voice. I've got all three of the audiobooks and—"
"Thank you. That's so sweet of you."
A tall man stepped up to the microphone in the aisle, nervously cleared his throat, and introduced himself as Mike from Minneapolis. Annelie, watching his Adam's apple bob, estimated him to be about thirty and rather full of himself.
"First of all, I am one of your biggest fans. I have seen every one of your movies and, also, I have seen you onstage in Boston."
"Really? That's wonderful, Mike."
"I would be curious to know if you are going to play Maddox in the movies as well. Personally, I have a huge problem picturing anyone else as Maddox."
Carolyn gave a broad smile. "From your mouth to—well, we'll see what happens. The decision is not mine to make, Mike."
Annelie smirked, knowing full well that Carolyn realized she was listening.
The endless line of people wanting to talk to Carolyn questioned her about both her personal and private life. Annelie watched Carolyn bewitch everyone, even the ones who tried to overstep the boundaries of the strictly personal. Obviously in her true element, the actress managed to extricate herself slickly from questions she didn't want to answer, without ever appearing evasive.
Finally, a teenager dressed in an elaborate black leather jumpsuit adorned with zippers, chains, and rivets stepped up to the microphone.
"How's it going, Carolyn? I'm Cassandra, from New York. See what you think about this question."
Carolyn walked closer and gazed down at the youngster. "Go ahead, darling. Just let me say your outfit is stunning."
The girl gave a surprised smile. "Thanks, Carolyn. If you were peanut butter, which kind would you be? Crunchy or smooth?"
Annelie quickly covered her mouth to keep from chuckling out loud and wondered what went through Carolyn's head. As if she had read Annelie's mind, the actress glanced in her direction. "Funny you should ask," Carolyn answered, her voice a low purr. "There's no contest. I'd be…smooth." The way she said it, her head tilted to the side, one hand on her hip, seemed to shake Cassandra's bravado.
When the girl recovered, she grinned like a Cheshire cat. "I need to ask one more question—for my friend Paula over there. She's too shy to—"
"Come on, Paula. I won't bite, and I'm dying to meet you." Carolyn put her hand up to block the light from the rig above her. The
audience laughed as an obviously mortified teenager dressed similarly to Cassandra slouched up to the microphone, giving her friend a murderous glare.
"Don't be shy—we're all friends here," Carolyn smiled. "Fire away!"
"Hi…eh…well…driving here we were talking…uh…and we wondered…uh…if you and Helen St. Cyr really…you know…kissed. You know. In the audiobooks."
Complete silence fell. Annelie wondered how many people had wanted to ask that particular question but hadn't had the nerve. Falling into old habits, she slid her thumb into her mouth, about to bite her nail when Jem swatted her.
Carolyn gave a charming smile. "No, Helen and I didn't really kiss. We did just like they did in the old days. We mimicked it by making the appropriate sounds."
"If you're gonna…uh…play Diana Maddox in the movies, you know…er…you're gonna have to kiss, you know, whoever plays…eh… Erica Becker, though," Paula reasoned, making the audience cheer.
Carolyn didn't miss a beat. "Should I get the role, I'm sure I'll enjoy making it as authentic as I can…in every way."
Annelie released a small gasp. Of all the calculated comments Carolyn had made during her presentation, this one was aimed squarely at her. Was Carolyn simply letting her know she could be completely comfortable as a straight actress, playing a lesbian? Or was she saying something much more personal? Annelie could not imagine Carolyn hinting at a casting-couch opportunity, yet the woman had made it very clear she would do her damnedest to get the role. Uneasily, Annelie forced her concentration back to the proceedings.
The next question fell to a stylish woman in an austere business suit, wearing her dark hair in a bun. She introduced herself as Penelope from Atlanta.
"Welcome to Orlando and the convention, Penelope. How do you like it so far?"
"It's superb, better than I ever could have dreamed. My question for you ties rather neatly into the previous one."
"Go ahead." Carolyn tilted her head, as if listening intently.
Annelie watched the actress, increasingly amazed that she had been onstage, answering questions and entertaining the crowd with anecdotes, for over an hour without any sign of fatigue. In fact, she seemed energized by the whole experience. The woman was a real professional, she admitted grudgingly.
"Carolyn, did you know that a huge number of us in the lesbian community love and admire you, not just as an actress but as a person? And how do you feel about that?"
"Honestly, I just became aware of my popularity among different groups when my agent told me how many Web sites are dedicated to Diana Maddox, and also to me personally. I was stunned, and very flattered, since I assume a lot of time and energy goes into maintaining a Web site.
"How I feel about it? Honored to be the object of anyone's admiration and appreciation, no matter who they are."
Annelie smirked. The politically correct answer was smart, much smarter probably than Sylvia Goodman could have ever come up with. If the distributors could only see Carolyn in action they might open their hard-shell minds.