In The Clear | ✓

a.n. | the end...?

Hi readers,

Here we are again. Another period, end of sentence. Another fin rolling down the credit screen. It feels nice, doesn't it? To feel the world settle after reading for so long.

Take a nice little breather, you've earned it.

This is where I'm supposed to get sappy, right? Say how proud I am?

I'm not good at acknowledging myself. I'll be the first to admit it. It seems stupid to say hey, I finished a project and I'm so damn happy about it that my cheeks are aching from the smiling. A lot of the people on this website have done that exact same thing. But I'm going to have this moment. So buckle up.

When I first started writing Out of the Woods I had never dreamed that people would love it as much as I did. That Jensen and Miles and their kooky cast of sides would become something that people really, really loved. And when I first started writing it, I told myself that I would never write a sequel.

Then I thought about Jensen and Miles and ending their story with a kiss until the credits. I was walking in the grocery store. Past some trashy magazines that judge people for simply existing and make up the stories in between the reality.

And then it hit me.

Mothers versus the media.

I knew halfway through writing Out of the Woods that Jensen and Miles were going to be married. That they were going to have three kids. That they were going to spend their lives together. But how could I make that story interesting? Easy. The media likes to demerit mothers for silly little things and praise fathers for the bare minimum. God forbid we throw post-partum depression into the mix because mothers aren't allowed to break, according to celebrity journalists.

That's where In The Clear was born. Not from the will they, won't they. But from the how will they get through this together.

Speaking of together. I have so many people I want to thank, none more than Kay (fleurissements), Beth (acupofbee), and Lazarein (_lazarein). Thank you for sticking with me, supporting me, and loving these characters so much. Jensen and Miles wouldn't be who they are without your undying support of them, their lives, and their love. Thank you seems too simple to say, but I mean it with all my heart. With every body in my body. Fibre of my being. You guys mean the absolute world to me, and the absolute world to Jensen and Miles.

I'm elated that this story is finished. It became such a big part of my life these last few months. I hope you enjoyed the ride, because I did. Jensen and Miles' messy lives are such a big part of me now that it seems strange that another one of their stories is finished.

Thing is, though, I've got one more up my sleeve. I'm not ready to leave them behind just yet, and I hope you're not either. Although I'm not sure when it'll come out, it will come. Set seventeen years later, I've got one last Jensen and Miles story in me. Built to Fall Apart will be released when I feel ready enough to start it. Probably the fall. That may seem like a long time, but I promise it will be worth it.

It'll have Rocky, Beckett, and their new baby. I can't wait for you to meet them as their young adult selves. I can't wait for you to find out Rhodes baby three's name. I can't wait to bring Built to Fall Apart to Wattpad sometime this year.

So, this isn't goodbye. It's see you later. It's just wait until you see this threequel. Wait until you see what I've got for you in this last book in the trilogy I never thought I'd write, but know that I want to.

Thank you so much for sticking with me through this messy rollercoaster. I hope to see you for the loop-de-loop at the end.

Love you all,

Jordin