Chapter 6: Can I Have Your Autograph?

Rory bit her lip as she rocked baby Laurie's bassinet with her foot. In her hands, she was going over the completed manuscript of Gilmore Girls one final time. Her parents and boyfriend sat around her, anxiously awaiting for her to send it off to her publisher. Jess had managed to get Dave Eggers to help Rory publish the memoir.

At last, Rory let out a low breath. "I think it's ready." Her finger hovered over the SEND button. "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

No one said a word, and she clicked the button. The work would be ready, in print and on shelves, within a matter of months. She was going to be an author.


The book Gilmore Girls was finally released as part of the Christmas 2017 rush. Being a first-time author, untested and unknown, Rory did not have the luxury of getting her own book tour to promote the work. All she would have to do was wait for weekly reports from her publisher, on sales and royalties.

So it wasn't until the mad dash between Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day that Rory finally received an indication of just the kind of impact her book was getting.

She was in the middle of a shopping mall with Jess and Laurie when the first sign happened. Going along, treading the mall's tiles up one way and down the other, traversing the same stretch of floor several times as the little family meandered from shop to shop, Rory soon noticed that a young tweenybopper of a girl had been sitting on the same bench for a while, a book in hand.

And the young girl was looking at her, then the book, then back at her. Finally, the girl approached. "Excuse me, are you Rory Gilmore?"

Rory blinked. "Yes..."

"Can I have your autograph?" the girl squealed and thrust the book into Rory's hands. Rory stared at her own picture of the book's back jacket returning her gaze. It was her book...

"I read it from cover to cover. Couldn't put it down," the girl said breathlessly. "My mom did too. The whole time, we were looking at each other, and realizing, 'This is us!' It's so relatable."

Rory laughed, the shock of someone asking her for her autograph beginning to wear off. "That's very kind of you..." And fishing for a pen, she signed the title page for her fan.


The first of many fans. Dave Egger's sales reports began to come fast and furious. Copies were being sold in the tens of thousands... then the millions... Within six months of publication, Gilmore Girls had become a bestseller. The media, sensing a story, began to descend on Stars Hollow, the setting of the memoir now sweeping the mention. Paparazzi would try and swarm Rory whenever she left the Potting Shed, the Stars Hollow Gazette - even Luke's Diner! The reporters were even more fascinated by the presence of the baby Laurie.

"Ms. Gilmore, Ms. Gilmore! Will there be a sequel about you and your daughter?"

"Who is her father?! Emmett? Shane?"

"Have you heard about Steven Spielberg wanting the rights for his next film?"

Rory dealt with the new-found fame as best she could. After a whirlwind book tour, she raised enough money for her and her daughter and Jess to move out of the Potting Shed and into a respectable house in nearby Hartford. This move spared the residents of Stars Hollow from getting bombarded too, if only a little.


Jess stepped into the office of his publisher, Dave Eggers. He was here to talk about a potential sequel to his first work, The Subsect. Jess's sponsor and friend greeted him warmly.

"Jess Mariano! I hear your new book tour is going splendidly! And everyone is fascinated by your relationship with Rory Gilmore; the tabloids can't get enough of it! You heard her book has surpassed you on the Charts?"

Jess smiled with pride. "I did. And no one deserves it more than her."

"Do you think you could encourage her to write a sequel?" Dave pressed.

Jess shifted in his seat nervously. "It is something I have to discuss with her. But I first want what is best for my child and... her mother."


When Jess's latest novel was published a few months later (the fastest output of his career), he went on the media circuit. However, many in the media and many fans seemed more interested in his relationship with Rory Gilmore, who was now fast becoming a feminist icon for young girls, and the mystery author's tantalizing connection to the now legendary Stars Hollow.

Even Ellen got in on the act on her talk show. "So... who is the father of Rory's baby?"

Jess smiled tightly. "That is a question, Ellen, that is never meant to be answered. Not unless Rory wants to." He thought for a moment. "But... there is one question I can answer and that I feel I need to." He took a deep breath. "And that is... I am Shane M. Dodger."

The audience and camera crews exploded in excitement. One of the most mysterious characters on Gilmore Girls was based on Jess Mariano, the famous author.