The End :)
I moved the author's note from the end of a chapter to its own note, so that later I can reposition it as we go along, adjust it, or kill when irrelevant. This book (well, all of mine) are important to me for various reasons, and I've worked on it for a while. I know many readers are stumbling on this new and may have no idea where I'm going next or believe they have it all figured out. Maybe you do. The only way you'll know is if you continue, and if you feel some sort of way about anything that happens, I'll be here patiently, pointing to the next page/chapter/installment. There's a plan overall.
I am trying to unsettle you, throw you off, fool you, leave images in your mind that don't leave. I do want you to get comfortable/complacent/lazy. Please, enjoy the sights and drama. Stay a while.
My inspirations are both fiction and non-fiction. I'm drawing, respectfully, from true history and horror. At times some characters know more than the others, sometimes you know more than the characters, and sometimes the characters know more than you. Then, there are moments only I know until it's time.
The cast is flawed, but you'll see them change. Every character is right about another character at some point.
As always, I appreciate the readers that find and enjoy my offbeat and colorful character-focused approach to modern grim horror. There's a little pop satire and tongue-in-cheek horror tropes within to lighten the mood, but soon it'll be hard to find that lightness again. This is a journey, and you're on it.
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The contents of the note are below. I'm still sharing freely despite this, since I reorganized myself to own all the ways I can share my work without overlord pressure or rules. I'm still going to create completed ebooks you can own and reread whenever you want (and more later, I hope.) If you find along the way you're really enjoying what I've created and want to support/read faster, I added the full draft to my shop on timed release. I'll be sharing work from my other stories and concepts too, from excerpts to full chapters and even books, so you can decide if you like my horror style overall.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
I write for everyone. If you're resonating, we're from the same planet ð
(Author's Note)
My site is live again: Olivia's Site - and I'm doing something special for this story for those that want to support it and also read the whole thing much faster. From 8/30 to 10/9 the shop version of my book is automatically posting one new chapter every day. The whole draft is already there in living form, with advance draft chapters up to 17. The ending date matters too, in a trivia way. This is NOT the posting pace for the sites I'm on, since I'm revisiting each chapter individually before posting. Then re-revisiting and going on like that 'til I have a smooth story.
With the way it's formatted, I can continue my edits as you read and add more whenever I want. That's the way for right now I'll be sharing in-progress drafts for readers that like raw, faster stories. If you visit my Shop you'll easily see how. There will be a downloadable version at the end.
I truly appreciate every reader that stops by, and the handful I see that repeatedly stop by. There are guests who read, and I won't know if you're a past reader who found me again, or someone new. Regardless, I'm glad you're here, and the journey's continuing for good. I've got lots to write, lots to draw, and lots to share. (I'm going to be drawing out some story scenes and reintegrate the art part of what I do.)
This entire book is still going to be shared for free; I won't cut off access as I own all the ways to share it, and kind of want to deliver most of my work freely this way. My stories are for everyone who wants to read them. Support is from anyone who'd like to continue reading my horror & dark scifi-fantasy in the future, and in better ways.
Updates and upgrades are constantly evolving. As always, you guys eternally have my ð«
Does Elias need another drink yet? The poll will return and you can tell me if so. It's just lurking, not dead, hahaha...ha...