Sailing West

Closing Thoughts

Thank you everyone who has supported this story. Thank you to every reader who took a chance on this wild, Newport romp, and to all my writing friends who lent me your support.

You da best.

This story is very near and dear to my heart. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2018, and I know all about biopsies and surgeries and scars and scary words like cancer.

Writing Stella's journey through cancer was a very cathartic experience for me.

Fun Fact about Spencer:

Spencer Fredericksen WAS NOT A PLANNED CHARACTER IN THIS NOVEL!

He was simply introduced as the smiling boy with chocolate curls at the beach. Then he waved. And then he jumped in the water. And I had to give him and his friends names. And then you all fell in love with him, right alongside me and Stella.

Writing Spencer was pure magic. As much as I love West Tenney—and I do love West—Spencer was by far my favorite character.

And every time I tried to veer Stella back into West's orbit, I could feel her character rebelling. I wrote so many chapters that never made it to fruition. Stella and West kissing. Stella and West having sex. Stella and West riding off to New York together.

All those words trashed for him. Sigh. Spencer was totally worth it. He was the happiest accident I've ever written.

Please thank apickypisces for being Spencer's biggest supporter! Her support of this scoundrel convinced me to make him the end game. That, and because I couldn't seem to rip him away from Stella. Or Vice verse.

But also thank Mrsdeemo for being my biggest Team West fan! Because she kept reminding me of her support for a hero—I had to keep pushing West's character towards change.

You two changed my book for the better. So thank you!

I cried and cried and cried when I wrote the final epilogue chapter. Messy sobs. Every single time I opened the draft or reread for edits.