Judges

Author's Note (You don't have to read this, but you can.)

I wrote this story almost entirely of November 2014, as a class challenge for NaNoWriMo, (National Novel Writing Month, if you're familiar with it,) and at first I couldn't think of a story. However, it finally came as most of my great ideas do: when I wasn't thinking about it.

I was listening to music when I began to wonder if someone was watching me, even if I couldn't see them. I wondered why anyone would want to, and then the idea for this book came to me.

I'm not sure what made me put Jared in the book as a character. This book was originally intended to just be collection of Augusta's most meaningful memories and people, and in some parts it was.

I didn't ever make a story map or plan out how the story would end ahead of time. I began writing without any idea of how I would end it. In fact, the ending was actually changed, and I wrote most of Alastair's story after I thought I had finished. I think he is one of the most interesting characters I have thought of, and I am planning to continue writing about him, whether in a sequel or in his own separate book.

I'm not sure what the underlying message is for anyone but myself, and when I was writing I only thought about it once, during chapter twenty eight. I wondered what people would think about that chapter, and it was the one I had the hardest time writing. I'm not completely sure why. While I was writing that chapter I was imagining how sometimes people say "the good die young," and what Augusta would think about that. If you would die tomorrow, would you act like Arnold if you saw a similar situation, or would you simply think about how all life ends eventually.

Some people say this is a love story, but I never began the story thinking about it like that, and I still didn't when I introduced Jared into the plot. What his significance is, despite the romantic attraction and the things he has said, is up to the readers. After all, no two people ever read the same story.

This book might be significant to some people, and to others it is just words on a page. No matter what, I'm happy I got the chance to hear these characters telling me a story, and having gotten the chance to write it.

Thank you.