479 Author Note & Reader Shout-Outs!
Wow, I can't believe we made it! You are amazing.
For real, this book was a huge stretch for . Despite the similarities of shape-shifter-goodness with Anima, the reality is that this book leaned heavily into contemporary thriller and tickled the toes of science fiction. When I first started writing it my husband asked to describe the plot and I got as far as, "He's a guy who can shape-shift into a wolf because he's a scientific experint run by the Bundaberg group and—"
And ever since my husband shakes his head every ti sothing happens with Alpha and says "I just never expected your readers to want to go the CIA thriller route." (You and I both know that's really only at the heart, but I kinda like surprising him, so let's run with it.)
Anyway, trust , I had a LOT of apprehension about this story and whether readers would take to it. Publishing for the first couple of weeks was literally nail-biting for . To my very genuine surprise, right from the beginning instead of screaming at , "Where's the romance?!" you kept talking about how breathless you were from the fast-pace and shifting worlds.
INSERT MASSIVE AUTHOR SIGH OF RELIEF HERE. (Like, for real, I still go a little shaky when I think back to those first few days…)
So, thank you for taking this very unique journey with . Thank you for not giving up when things looked so dark.
Thank you for having your theories and sharing them with in the comnts (that's a serious joy to !)
Thank you for loving Yhet with , who remains my favorite character in this entire story (more on that in the Author Q & A that's coming next week) and for not going "WHY THE HELL DID YOU WRITE A BIGFOOT?" when he showed up.
Thank you for hating Nick, and loving Ernie. (For real, it was a belly-laugh surprise to when y'all started calling for Ernie's later appearances and torture of Nick.)
Thank you for loving Zev even after he was deceived into so many despicable things. That is, perhaps, the most heartwarming part of this story to , that he had taken steps and gone to lengths that in normal humanity we would often reject a person for, regardless of the circumstances. While I am, of course, NOT a fan of any of Zev's extra-curricular adventures, there are people in my life who have been twisted into events and "sins" that they deeply regretted. I know how precious it is when soone will love them anyway, and I'm so thankful to you that you didn't run screaming from this book after Zev's past was revealed.
And finally, just thank you for being here with . For as an author, literally the most satisfying part of a story is having it out in the world and getting to talk to people who love it. The fact that you do makes feel loved. For real. So thank you.
I'm going to answer your specific questions during the Live author chats, and post the brief, written versions here later. But for those of you who've been here since the beginning (or close to it) I want to say thank you, personally. Now, I know many of you don't comnt, or don't comnt often, so you may have been just as loyal, or just as invested as these readers without knowing or realizing. I want you to know that even if I don't know your na, I know you're there, and it ans so much to . Thank you! Thank you for being here, reading, and for supporting as an Author.
Now, without further ado, the reader shout-outs:
Janell_Apple: Thank you for having as much emotion and investnt in my characters as I do. For real, you are a gift to . I pray God blesses you for the gifts you've given .
PBMamaRae: Thank you for being a sister, a helper, an encouragent, and just for helping write better. (Or help know when I don't have to?) You are my safety net, and it's a balm to my soul.
Sravanthi82: You're a friend and I'm glad to call you that. Thank you for being here for Zev and Sasha and everyone else! I'm so glad I get to keep sharing my boys with you even when they're not on Webnovel. Thank you for being so willing to go with !
Antonette_Wiggins: My giggle-factory! (*Insert cue-dramatic-music GIF here*) I always anticipate your comnts, both here and on Facebook and Discord. Thank you so much for being more than a reader.
Kirstin_Peterson: Girl, you are my heart. Thank you for trusting and for being a friend and not a fan. You remain in my prayers.
Amanda_Tippey: THANK YOU for adding your eagle eyes to my arsenal before the judging for the werewolf competition. That was a gift, and such a stress relief. You'll never know what a blessing you were!
Tessa_Whalen: I think you're my spirit-animal. I'm just saying.
DespinaNY: Your generosity and continued support have humbled in ways you'll never know. You're an example to , and I'm so grateful for ALL the journeys you've taken with .
tal_Mom: You never fail to make laugh. Like, never. 1om: You never fail to make laugh. Like, never.
Thank you also has to go to lissa_Hayes, Cindi_127, Margaret_Mason_7304, Kendal_Michalak, Nyx1663, April_Guerita, Kathleen_Blessing, Amy_Spicer_Szarek, CarolineBarkuloo, Rose43, Annachor, Daoist1twLHF, Veraworks, Maria_Daris, T_Ray6, Michelle_Stephens_4041, Sharne Pretorius, Debbe_Phillips, KaitMarie2003, Aoi_hoshi_cath88, Mariela_Valencia, and so many more of you who have continued to co back for more. (I am CERTAIN I have forgotten important people…) You bless my heart on a personal level just for being here and believing that I can take you on a journey. Thank you!
If I left your na out, just be certain that when I see you next I'm going to kick myself. My brain has holes the size you could drive a truck through (writing 4 webnovels at once last year aged about 10 years, lol.) Please be certain that if you were forgotten, you weren't truly. You are a part of my personal journey as a writer here on Webnovel, and I am grateful every ti I see or think about you.
Now… it's ti. Ti to move on to other things. There will be so new content coming in the next couple weeks. I hope you like it. But if you haven't already, I hope you'll visit linktr.ee/authoraie and et the two NEW heroes that I'm currently writing off of Webnovel (*cough* one of them is a lycan *cough*) But even if we never see each other again, if you made it this far… thank you. You have been the most important part of changing my life in the past year and I will go to my grave being grateful for you!
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