Reaching for the Stars

Parting Words

When I was still in high school, I told myself that one day, I shall write a book I'll be proud of. That book would be my dreams put into words, what I cannot have put into reality. Back then, I was a young and aspirational boy dreaming of reaching for the stars. I was naïve, thinking that a novel-length book could be written in a short span of time. As a result, I couldn't write it. The idea was there—and still is—but it was a much bigger project that sadly could probably only be enjoyed by the fandom I wrote it for.

When I was in university, I started again. Joining the furry fandom gave me fresh ideas. Given the abundance of romance-themed furry books, I decided to maybe give it a shot. At first, Reaching for the Stars had a fairly simple and frankly overused premise—a nerd falling in love with a jock. That made me think, what if I put a personal touch into it? The result is this book.

This book to me is... more than just a book. I know this is also true for many writers out there, so I'll keep it short. This book is a book I'm proud of. This book is the result of countless nights I spent in front of my laptop, pulling myself away from depression. This book is what I imagine myself to be.

Many characters and events in this book are based on real life. Many monologues and dialogues are based on what this broken self has thought. I still remember that night when I finally decided to post this book. It was 1 January 2020. I'd just arrived home after a new year party and posted this book, letting it to the universe to decide.

With that said, I thank you very, very much for picking up this book! I'm extremely grateful for all your support, your votes and comments, and your feedback. They keep me going and fill my heart with warmth, knowing that people enjoy a silly story that I wrote. I may not reply to all comments, but I read and cherish them all. I'm thankful for your input and I learn from them. I know this book has many mistakes and is not perfect. Besides, perfection cannot exist without imperfection, can it?

Now, what's for the future? This book is over, but Tom and Max's story is not. As I said a few chapters ago, there is a second book to this series and it focuses on Kevin and Octo, with Tom and Max as side characters. Heck, there may even be a third book but as I'm writing this, the plot is not finalised yet. I'm also hoping to extend the Barrowisle series, maybe writing another book focusing on other characters and their story. Also, one day, I'm hoping to finally write that idea I made in high school. It would be complex, it would be long, but I'm still hoping to write it one day.

For now, though, I'm focusing on writing the next book as well as re-reading and editing old chapters of this book. I've been doing it this week and aimed to re-upload all the edited chapters today, but life got in the way and I couldn't. Hence, the edited chapters shall be up one by one, marked by the "Revised" note in the beginning. Right now, I've re-uploaded chapters 1 to 5.

Anyway, the next book in the series is already up now, and the first chapter shall be up this Sunday (05/09) on my profile. I'm keeping the same update schedule—on 1, 11, and 21 of each month. It picks up where this book ends, and you need to read this first in order to read it as the plot tying them together is the same. I know it shan't live up to Reaching for the Stars, but I still hope that I can tell an engaging and interesting story through it.

Again, thank you very much for your support! The prologue for the next book is up now!

—Haśtse Apxan, 1 September 2021.