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Focusing on his relationships outside of Jeremy this time around helped a lot. Once I realized I could easily work in the diner scene with Mason, Shawn, and Phoebe—a dynamic I’ve been itching to write for a while now, and know some of you will be happy to finally get a glimpse of—and shed some light on some struggles you’ll be seeing in the next couple books… I knew this could work. Mason is the way he is for a reason… He treats Jeremy the way he does for a reason. And it’s messy, and doesn’t always paint him in a good light. But it’s all leading somewhere.
When I think of Mason and Jeremy, I think of them like a hedge maze. (I like mazes, ok?) These two characters entered from the same place, but they got separated. Reuniting in the middle will take a bit. They have about 15 years worth of turns and twists and crannies to explore. Obstacles to overcome. Demons to slay. And their individual maze is just one in an evenbiggermaze…
Does your head hurt yet? Welcome to my brain :)
So let’s let them breathe, yeah? They’ll get there. They all will. And they will be better for it. These books are so much more than a romance. I won’t rush the journey. And for those of you who’ve stuck around, and continue to trust my process — thank you. I appreciate it more than you know. I know I’ve been dragging my feet with Mason and Jeremy’s book, and trust me it eats at me at times (see also: a lot)… I know I’m slower than a lot of indie authors these days, and I know I’ve set timeline goals that I ultimately could not meet. It just wasn’t the right time for them—wasn’t the right time forme…and I have to remind myself of that daily in order to keep sane, and basically not throw my career out the window.
Because at the end of the day, Ihaveto write for me first, you second, and I have to do it at a pace that doesn’t burn me out and make me hate writing. It’s the only way I’ll be able to keep doing what I do, andlovingwhat I do. And the only way I’ll be able to keep delivering books at a quality I’m at least 95% satisfied with.
As for the final chapter in this story and storylines outside of the romance… I didn’t expect to end it with the Lost Boys being “unmasked.” However, I realized the status of their band was not addressed at all leading up this point in the story. And if you readIf There’s A Way,as I’m assuming you did, you know that by August, the secret is out and they’re heading for LA to record.
So it just…made sense. Another sort of “loose end” leftover from the duet (like Waylon’s promise to Will).
If you readStill Beating,you’ll also notice that I answered one little Mason-Jeremy related mystery from that. I won’t spoil it here, in case some of you are just reading this series now, and are reading it in the new order, but feel free to talk about it in the discussion thread in my reader group on Facebook, The Black Sheep.
Lastly, of course I can’t leave you without talking a little about the couple that started it all: Will and Way. The second I was asked to be a part of a Pride Anthology, that little promise Waylon made to Will popped into my head and I knew I needed to write it. I was always planning on writing a Pride bonus scene to show this big little moment of theirs, so I figured what better time than this to do it and sort of use it to wrap up their time in the spotlight officially. (For a long while at least.)
It was definitely bittersweet writing this story in particular, because I wrote it right after I finishedLittle Bird Lost.Again, I’m not going to spoil anything here for those just starting this series. However, I will say that I sort of had to ‘go back in time’ with this one… and, well, IYKYK. (Also, did I psyche you there at the end? LOL. They’ve got a while before *that* happens, but wouldn’t have that been wild?)
Again, thank you for reading, and for loving this little sad, dark world of mine, as it slowly, but surely is brought into the light. The series really is like one big healing journey, for me, for you, for whoever resonates. All these added glimpses into their lives wouldn’t probably exist if it weren’t for your love and support over the years. Thank you for making it so I get to spend time with these characters I probably wouldn’t have spent otherwise. It’s as much a gift to me, as it is to you.
See you guys next, back in Shiloh. We’re finally going home!
XX
Jessie
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ALSO BY JESSIEWALKER
[ THE SHILOH-VERSE ]
LOST BOYS SERIES
Where There’s A Will (#1, M/M)
If There’s A Way (#2, M/M)
All We Are (A Lost Boys Pride Novella)
Still Beating (#2.5, M/M)
Every Breath After (#3, M/M) - Coming soon!
…and more to come
THE AVIARY DUET
Little Bird Lost (#1, MMFM)
TBW (#2) - Coming soon!
