Whew. It’s been a ride, hasn’t it? Two years. It’s been two years since I’ve started this novel. After spending dozens of weekends writing and dozens of hours editing, rewriting, suffering, and losing my mind, we’ve arrived at our first checkpoint. I honestly never thought I would ever get this far. But, after 75 chapters and almost 530k words, here we are. The end of the first Arc, the first chapter in the story of our youngin’. I’m still a little caught off from this moment. It’s almost ethereal. It feels like a dream, honestly. As if I’m dreaming. But, I am glad. For the first time I’ve achieved a goal of mine and it’s as exciting as it is saddening.

I’ve mentioned it before in a few of my authors' notes but I’ve been writing since I was a teen. 12 or 13 I think is when I started putting pen to paper but even younger than that, I was always a fan of campfire stories and storytelling in general. Being able to create something with just your imagination, spin the details into a glorious tale, and share it with others has always been something I’ve cherished.

Am I the best at it? Oh gods no. Out of all the ratings on my book, plenty of people have made it clear that this isn’t their type of book and I’ve watched many Follower tallies come and go. But, for those of you who have stayed up to this point, I am thankful. I am thankful for your constant support. I am thankful for your comments even if they’re simple ones. I am thankful for the fact that you also enjoy this story as much as I enjoy it. And I hope to continue to write a tale that is deserving of your attention.

As we round off this Ravine Arc, so begins the next adventure that our boy will need to face. He came face to face with the Maedra, a envoy of Crux, and fought many hard battles. If we were to put it all on a scale, it would be fair to say that he’s lost more than he’s gained. Many names we’ve met along the way are now lost to the pages. Faces buried within the Ravine and their stories ended. Such is life, though.

I am thankful to those IRL who have supported me up to now. I am thankful for you all who continue to read. I am thankful for the voices in my head that have driven me forward.

But, I am nervous. It’s always new territory and has been ever since I put out the first chapter. With this book finished and as I begin my outlines for the second, things will be hectic once more. I will do my best to meet all of your expectations in the future and I look forward to sharing more of Jake’s adventure with you all.

I will be taking a brief hiatus from the story for a few weeks due to work and also so I can go through my notes, outlines, and plan out the next Arc properly for you all. I sort of winged it in the beginning, thinking it would all come together, and we all know how that went. Lots of stumbling. Lots of mistakes. And about three months of rewriting that made me dread my life choices. Hopefully, the next book doesn’t have all that mess.

As always. Be well,

-- Mr. Chemist