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I should have written this note a long time ago, but I tend to shy away from a work once it's finished. Still, as I've been editing Yara's story, I realized I needed to say this.

Witches Burn at Dawn was such a challenge for me. I had no idea if I'd be able to put all the pieces of this puzzle together, if I'd figure the right words, if I'd find readers for this story as it is quite dark and dangerous and emotional.

Every character of WBaD has a part of my heart and soul, they share my fears or my dreams--or both. Yara taught me to fight for your place in the world, to hope. Mir helped restore my faith in second chances. Bogdan showed the value of friendship and reminded me that our world isn't just good and bad but all shades of choices. Kadri inspired me to never give up. Nilam's defiant spirit made me believe in magic again. Laverna kept the party going when no one else could. And Adelard was a voice of conscience when everything went to shit (thanks to Vlad's shenanigans). And above all, they all encouraged me to never forget that there's a fine line between heroes and villains, that sometimes villains can save us--and heroes can doom. That we shouldn't wait for a miracle to save us but be a miracle ourselves.

I'm eternally grateful to everyone who gave this story a chance! Thank you for your reads and votes and comments--they keep me going when nothing else doesn't, truly. Special thanks to my very first readers and fellow writers, , , , , , , , , , , , . Perhaps without knowing, you all helped me make this story a million times better, and I love each and every one of you!

WBaD was intended as a stand-alone, but somewhere along the way, I realized that I've so much more to discover in the city of St. Daktalion: the spooky underworld, the first Vedmaks, the secrets the Angelic Church harbors...And we still haven't properly met Gyoku, Ruslan, and Jasna--and all of them have a story to tell, too.

Hopefully, I'll return to writing a sequel very soon--I already have most of the plot, after all! (Don't even tell me if you want a sequel or not, for I'm writing it sooner or later. Period. Lol).

Yours,

D.

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