𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬┊✓

«a f t e r w o r d»

a final author's note and a thank you for reading

[ a | n ]

first and foremost, the ending has always been planned! the idea of writing a reality of relationships - which might've been inspired by one of my own - was tempting, far more than writing a clichéd happy ever after.

now,

in tears writing this :') i can't believe it

we've finally made it! that's right! we've made it to the end of adrianna and phoenix :') thank you for those that have stuck around since the beginning and those that are new. this novel has come a long way and has been written through many days and nights full of blood, sweat, and tears.

it's crazy, i never imagined this book to become as big as it is right now - i only started writing for fun, to put my ideas into words, and because i always want to escape reality. and writing, i've never imagined it to become such a big part of my life - reading as well - but it's helped me. and i am just so thankful i have such a deep appreciation for words.

thank you x1000000, endlessly if you've managed to stick around till the very end, because i'm about to bash myself :)

believe me, i know gold skies is very rough and there are so many cringe-worthy point along the way. not only that, but there are major plot holes and untied ends and too many concepts that i started but never continued - for ex, the idea of the gang. and the first few chapters, jesus christ, even i reread them and physically cringe. they're not my best, but they certainly were who i was when i first started to write. i will one day rewrite this manuscript, taking out certain things and focusing on others.

the starting chapters - as you might've realised - were very slow and nearly frustrating to read and then as the book continued, the middle moved a bit faster, up and then the end hit, in which everything happened so quickly, everything just crashed, and yes, those were my intentions. i wanted to show how love takes time, yet if you confused lust with love, you're only breaking your heart from the very start. and heartbreak can - and will - happen in an instant.

i will also appreciate and gladly take fan made covers, aesthetics, banners! send them to me at authoredenauclair@gmail.com or my instagram @/authoredenauclair :)

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¡ questions, and answers !

will there be a sequel? as of right now, the answer is no. it's been that way from the start. i never wanted phoenix or adrianna or have a happy ever after, thus they ended apart. however, i have always had in mind making a short lil au for phoenix and adrianna in which they meet again, except this time in england. he'd take some time to remember her, but once he did, everything would fall back into place and then a marriage and family would come. but not before the au followed their life in university. do you guys want a sequel? an au?

was the ending stupid? no i absolutely do not think it was, and yes, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but this IS my story and i'm incredibly proud of how i ended it. as i've said, this is the reality that we tend to forget. not all who think they are lovers end together. in this case, she is halfway across the world, meanwhile he completely forgets her. okay, and i know you're probably tempted to tell me it was a bit unrealistic with the way his memory loss happened, but for the sake of the story that is entirely fictional by the way, let it go.

what drove the ending for gold skies? i remember reading a novel and the author's intentions were to give readers a glimpse into reality, not the fairytale bullshit we all fall victim to and love to read. i've learned life comes with disappointments and you just can't expect anything anymore. i wanted readers to understand that it's okay if things don't work out. that it's okay if things fall apart. because if someone does not want you, it is not the end of the world, but if you do not want you, the world is nothing but endings. i think we all break ourselves by creating false images of people, creating false expectations, but we can't help it. life comes with the heartbreak if you want love.

why'd i choose the title gold skies? because, well, there wasn't any reason. this was never intended to be a martin garrix fan fic of any sort. i chose the title simply because i loved sunsets and watching, literally, the gold skies. and of course when i started this novel two years ago my mind was still maturing and i was just figuring out what it meant to be a writer, so i chose the most basic title of all though if you knew me from the very start, you'd know gold skies was originally golden infinite love. but once gold skies came along, it kind of just stayed.

the meaning behind gold skies? despite the title being 'gold skies,' it was never inspired by martin garrix's song, though it is one of my all time favourites. i want to say it was purely coincidental because nothing was actually thought out from the beginning. for me, i associate gold skies with tranquil and sometimes melancholic feelings. but as i wrote the antepenultimate chapter, i decided to search the definition of the phrase 'gold skies' itself. only the meaning of the song by martin garrix came up. so i looked into it and realised, the meaning behind the song - though entirely coincidental!!! - was perfect, it was exactly my intentions behind this novel. basically, the meaning behind his song is that not everything is fun and happiness; not all that is gold glitters just as all that glitters is not gold. two lovers can only see the bad through beautiful memories they've had. happiness, in some cases, only last a second before they're gone in an instant. happiness exists right before the thunderstorms and tornadoes, before the smoke, dust, ashes. memories still and will forever linger and the lovers see it in their eyes even though it occurred in the past. they are trapped in the beautiful times they had together because the memories are the only thing they know about their love story. in the end, they will forever be trapped; in the end, love just can't conquer all.

who was my favourite character to write? i have to say writing phoenix worthington was quite the ride. i dunno why but i suppose it was because i knew the outcome of this story before i even wrote the first chapter, and i just wanted to write his character, who was a total arse. okay that sounded incredibly stupid, but i guess because adrianna was entirely me so it wasn't really surprising to write through her eyes, all i had to do was channel my deepest emotions. with phoenix however, i did leave a piece of myself within his character, but also writing him, i had to force myself to think and write the perspective of a guy i didn't want to ever be with. cause let's face it, phoenix worthington was and still is a grand bastard. he was toxic and that's something i'd steer myself away from. for phoenix, i really only wrote through his eyes for good scenes that would have been viewed as cute or swoon-worthy, for ex. the date he took her on, their sexual encounter (i think?), but other than that, the story was either adrianna or third. and phoenix was ill tempered and rude and cold, and rather a womaniser. he really only lusted after adrianna. what he said during their fight was true. it was only ever lust on his part. but like any arse out there, he played her - left, right, and centre - and got her where he wanted. and even though that is absolutely and completely sick, it was interesting to write, thus he was my favourite. and even though he was a total jackass, phoenix is still my first book bby, i love him :')

what was cavier's purpose in the ultimate chapter? cavier might've seemed like a bland and very minor character, which he certainly was, he was introduced at the very end. but since i knew of the ending of gold skies and how it would, well, end, cavier existed all my many notebooks and plot line drafts. he was minor, but in the final chapter, he served as the purpose of giving adrianna and being her reason for a new and fresh start.

feel free to leave questions in the comments and i'll definitely answer :)