Before He Was Voldemort (A Tom Riddle Fanfiction)

Thank You.

Hi guys, Megan here!

I don't know where to begin with this. I just wrapped up the epilogue and I'm kind of in tears right now. It was really a heartbreaking ending and I apologize for that. From the beginning, I knew this story would not end happily. Obviously, Tom does not choose love since we all read Harry Potter and know his fate at the end of the last book. This whole book was a big "what if" scenario that I fabricated due to my fascination with Voldemort's story.

Writing this book was a huge challenge from the start. Corinne's character may have seemed simple, but in reality she was super complicated. Her timid personality was kind of inspired by myself, but I had to force myself to make her very flawed. She's vulnerable, naive, and as you know, she sometimes made really bad choices. She's definitely not your average heroine that is usually headstrong and brave.

But I did want to develop her to become that way towards the end. As Corinne grew as a person, I believe I grew as a person. While Corinne struggled, I endured a lot of struggles. A lot of my feelings were reflected through Corinne, which I happened to notice just recently. My leading lady means a lot to me, and it's gonna be hard letting it sink in that her story has ended.

Then, there is the complex character that is Tom Riddle. I think it's fair to say that we all love him even though he was an asshole. He's a villain that we can't help but love. And I must say that he was a blast to write about. Putting myself in such a dark character's shoes, especially in his diary entries, was a really interesting experience.

The biggest challenge was keeping Tom in character while also keeping the story romantic. That balance was really difficult to maintain at times. I wanted to keep my readers guessing whether he was being genuinely affectionate towards Corinne or not. You never knew what Tom would do next, and I loved keeping it unpredictable.

Other than all the Tomrinne romance, my other favorite aspect of this book was the time period. I love historical fiction so it was fun going back in time to the 40's to write this. I hope I did it justice!

Anyway, my real goal of this author's note was to thank you guys for all the support on this book. It truly means the world to me. Because of you guys, I became so excited each week to post a new chapter and read what you all thought of it. Your comments always made my day so much better even when I was down. Thank you all for putting a smile on my face and bringing me so much joy and comfort.

I've been working on this story for over a year, so it's really bittersweet to end it. It's also going to be the last fanfic I write before I graduate high school. I think I've really grown a lot as a writer through writing this book, so it's always going to mean a lot to me. I'm so excited to move on to other projects though!

Before I wrap this up, I would be happy to answer any questions you may have about this book in the comments! You can literally ask me anything from stuff about the plot, the characters, or even personal things about me. I'd be glad to reply to whatever! :)

Again, THANK YOU for reading this book, voting on it, and leaving your comments. I seriously can't express how grateful I am for all the reads this story has received. I love you guys so much. Thank you for everything.

-MeganWritesBooks 💋

*curtain closes*