Chương 160: Afterword

I hope you enjoyed'The Fires of Her Ambition.' I've written the story to be reread, with things to be found that are only noticeable in hindsight. There are smaller stories within the larger, quieter meanings within the louder, and more experiences to examine than that of Saphienne. I hope you continue to find something worthwhile in my work. Alas: I have a confession to make.

I said quite early on that the whole story was already drafted — that all I was doing was going through and polishing rough prose to make it shine. The truth is that I'd planned the story, but I hadn't written it all out. In fact, once I took sick and burned through my buffer of prepared chapters, members of the Patreon were reading as I was writing. You've been reading my first drafts. Why lie?

Because I'd been forewarned that people are reluctant to commit to an author without any reputation writing a story a chapter at a time. How could anyone be sure the story would finish? Or that it wouldn't go off the rails? I knew I'd see this through; and so I told my lie. Consequently, there are many edits I need to do to this story before I can officially mark it complete.

For now, I'm amending the title line to indicate the story is concluded; once I have corrected everything that I want to, I'll record it as being officially complete to reflect its completion in substance. This may take a month or two. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. I hope you can forgive me; there were no other deceptions. Speaking of upholding my word — I made a promise some time ago that I have yet to keep.

I promised that I would write a short story exclusive to Royal Road, and that it would be dedicated to the people who left fair reviews on'The Fires of Her Ambition.' I have not forgotten. My first plan was to write'The Girl and the Gulls,' but as I worked on that idea I realised it was better suited to remaining a partially-revealed element of Saphienne's history. Feel free to speculate which character from'The Fires of Her Ambition' the short story will instead centre on.

I'll be posting it as a bonus chapter here – after this Afterword – when it's eventually ready.... But that isn't what you're really excited for, is it? You want to know about what happened to Saphienne. The sequel I am presently writing follows Saphienne as she leaves the woodlands and journeys through the lands beyond. It's brighter, for it's not about why she is who she is, but about what she does and the change brought about by her actions... And so it isn't a tragedy.

Nor will it be written in exactly the same style: I'm writing a long-planned sequel, not a thoughtless continuation of what you've already read. It will therefore not be continuing under this same fiction page, for the genre is quite different. Please continue to follow this story to receive an update when the sequel launches. I look forward to telling you the second story of Saphienne: The Elf Who Would Become A Dragon or, The World She Set Aflame My abiding thanks for reading, LJ P. S.

If you have enjoyed the story, please leave an Advanced Review. Your recommendation matters to me.