Everything Blue [ OMHK, Book 2 ]

Authors Note

A U T H O R S
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N O T E

And that's it, my friends.

All I can say is... wow. I never thought I would ever finish a single book, let alone a single book and it's freakin' sequel! I wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for you guys, and that's the truth.

Now that my beloved Ocean Eyes series is over, I get to focus on my other works. Hopefully, I'll be able to get you just as attached to Holland as I did with Jenna and Tyler. I'd like to thank each of you for sticking around this far. I mean, this is absolutely crazy!

We've made it so far. I may not have a million reads, but I have the best readers ever.

I can't even believe my personal growth. I started this series as a depressed 14 year old that had nothing to give to the world but my thoughts. Now, I'm an accomplished 15 year old who's looking at a publishing opportunity for the words she wrote over the course of a year.

That's amazing to me, and I can't even begin to express my love for you guys — which is why I'm about to do this.

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S P E C I A L
M E N T I O N S
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A M A N D A

Where do I begin with you? Oh right — by saying thank you. You've been here since the beginning. You've encouraged me to push through the droughts, and sometimes I know that I wouldn't have been able to finish this without you. Your dedication and emotional attachment to the characters of Ocean Eyes and Everything Blue has amazed me time after time. There's been multiple occasions where I've updated on FaceTime, and I got to watch your reaction. Whether you were crying, laughing, or jumping around your room squealing, it was amazing to realize that my writing could evoke such a reaction from a real life human being. That's when I started to understand that it wasn't just my life that I was affecting, but it was yours too. I'm incredibly blessed to have such a beautiful, smart, and amazing internet best friend. You're like me: crazy enough to believe that you can change the world, and therefore, crazy enough to be able to change the world. You have so much to offer people, and I believe in you unconditionally. You're going to grow up to be something great, and I know that as a fact. Thank you for always getting so excited when I updated. Thank you for always taking the time to let me hear your amazing theories. Thank you for always commenting the funniest things on my books. Thank you for always treating my characters as if they were real people — even if it meant saying that you wanted to burn Luna in a hole. Thank you for being an amazing friend when I needed one the most. Thank you for being here when I was absolutely nothing, and thank you for sticking around until I WAS something. Thank you so much.

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A M B E R

Let me start off by saying that you're the best cousin a girl could have. You've always supported me and pushed me in the right direction. Over the months, you've gotten attached to my book characters, and I've always loved hearing you point out all the bits of myself that I left in my writing. I've always loved when you would stop reading, look at me, and say, "you can't do this. This sounds too much like you." I've always loved hearing that you could relate to something that happened in the book, whether it was good or bad. You've been here for me, even when I wasn't there for you. You've been here for me when I was nothing more than a burden, and in turn, I love you unconditionally. You've always supported me through everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thank you for always expressing how impatient you were for me to update. Thank you for being the best cousin I could've ever asked for. I'm honored to have such a positive influence in my life.

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C H R I S T I N A

We have an interesting story. From the first time I talked to you on my TØP fan account, to the first time I met you in real life, our experiences together have been great. I still remember how awkward and nervous I was when we first met up at the fair, but you didn't care. You continued to be my friend, and we always bonded over our overbearing obsession of the boys. There was one particular moment that made me think, though. We were skating together, and you said something along the lines of 'Wow. I can't believe I'm talking to the same girl that wrote Ocean Eyes.' That statement made me realize that I was the same person. As silly as it seems, I had disconnected myself into two parts. The girl that was living her normal life, and the girl that was writing a book. Your statement glued me back together, and I started to give myself a little bit more credit for what I was doing. The funny thing was that Ocean Eyes was practically nothing at the time. It was at around, what, 200, 300 reads? The fame didn't matter to you though. You liked what I was writing, and I appreciated it. Thank you for being there every step of the way. Thank you for being an amazing best friend.

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T E A G A N

Now, I know we aren't the closest people on earth, but I know from the conversations that we have had, that you're an incredibly intelligent individual. I was able to hold a conversation with you and actually enjoy it too, despite the age gap. Now, I'm not saying that being young amounts to being stupid, because I know firsthand that that's not true. What I'm saying is that you're very much ahead of most other people your age, and I don't look down on you. In fact, I look up to you. At such a young age, you have the potential to do so much good, and I greatly admire you. You remind me so much of what I used to be like at your age, and that both scares me and makes me excited. I want you to take your potential and use it somewhere. You have the ability to resonate with people, whether you realize it or not. Now go on and use your abilities to do something amazing. You have the same potential that I do, and I want you to never give up. Don't mould to fit the mindset of others. Keep on being your amazing, unique self.

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T O R I

Let me start by saying that you are an amazing individual. You're one of the few other people that have truly devoted themselves to my book. I remember the conversation we had that day about how my book was affecting you and your life. It really gave me the motivation to continue writing a book that had more depth than just... romance. I continued to pour my heart out because of you, because I knew that if I did, maybe you would read it and understand what I was saying. I wanted to let you know that you weren't alone, and I didn't know how to do that besides writing it into my book. You were a major inspiration for the content of Ocean eyes, and I'd like to thank you for that too.

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And to everybody else that I have unavoidably missed; to my ghost readers, to anybody that cares, I'd like to thank you too. The fact that you're there is enough to me.

Now, you guys may still hate me for having such a bittersweet ending, but I like to look at it in a positive light.

Depression can't be cured with love and some good ol' TLC. It takes effort, and in Tyler's case, the best choice isn't always the happiest. You guys get to make up your own ending, and that's the beautiful thing about an open goodbye like this.

Nobody dies. The unconditional love still remains between Tyler and Jenna, and that leaves for many possibilities.

Sometimes in life, you may feel like you're at a dead end. Usually, this comes after something big and bad happens, and in Jenna and Tyler's case, it's having to say goodbye. That's when you guys have to realize that every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end. Yes, I just quoted that one song.

Goodbyes are too permanent. I prefer a different term for the endless possibilities that arise after the initial ending. Rather: Until we meet again.

Your local dreamer,

— Ellie.