2 Dedication And Forward

Chapter 2: Dedication And Forward

Dedicated to every reader who waited so patiently for this book while I struggled to get my shit together. I am so, so sorry it took so long to get book #2 done.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for still being here after such a long wait.

I just hope against hope the wait was worth your while.

I promise I worked really hard and took plenty of time to give these three boys the book they deserved.

Forward

First off, if Bash and Edge took inspiration from Gossip Girl, then I’ve gotta admit that Mac, Theo, and Klein’s story was sparked by my undying love of season three in all the different variations of the show SKAM. The original Norwegian is my favorite, but the Belgian one and the French one play a close second. I love how they handle mental illness playing a part in the romance, and I love that both boys, in all the versions, have legitimate questions throughout about their feelings and intentions as they grow, separately and together.

Without being an expert, I would say that Mac probably struggles with a touch of antisocial personality disorder, and Klein clearly has symptoms of anxiety and depression. Mac’s situation was clear as I wrote book one, but Klein’s developed more as I created a backstory and full personality for him. They both have challenges when it comes to love and intimacy, which is why it became key to have a third person in the equation. Theo is the balance they both need. He is honestly the core of this whole book. I thought Mac would steal the show (because I’ve loved him since the first moment he popped up on the page), but it turns out our Allstar really deserves the title. <3

It has been a long time since we’ve been at Castle Pines, and I am so sorry about the delay. No, really, I feel awful about the lapse between books. :(

My initial plan was to get the three main books in this series out back to back all within the same year. If they found an audience and paid for themselves, I was going to expand the series in my free time. These stories are my diversion, a fun side project I don’t take too seriously. Though I still make absolutely certain I put out a quality book I have no regrets about writing. Who knows? I may decide to eventually put my professional pen name on the series down the road.

Unfortunately, nothing went to plan after I published Edge and Bash’s book, The Prep and The Punk.

I sold a traditional series under my real pen name to a big five publisher, and those books had to take precedent because I was under contract with them, and those are the books that pay my bills. (The first Boys Only book barely made enough money in sales to cover the cost of the cover and editing. I did not profit from it at all, so when I say I write them purely for fun, I BIG mean it.) I still had time to work on the Boys Only books at first, but then the publisher pushed forward my publication dates for the last two books in that series, and I was stuck having to devote nearly a full year to nothing but those three titles.

Then, I had a few things go haywire in my day-to-day life that required me to shut down all authoring and focus on myself and my family for several months. That put Imogene so far behind, I felt like she was never going to see the light of day again.

Once things in my real life settled down, I made a promise to get the book done by the end of summer and actually started writing (believe it or not, I felt terrible and really guilty about leaving readers hanging for so long)… But then COVID hit. I didn’t stop working because of the lockdown, but I did find myself very distracted by all the news and everything unfolding all day long. It was a fight to keep focused, so while there were words finally written, there weren’t as many as I wanted. A book that should have taken me around three/four weeks to get a rough draft done ended up taking three months to get to The End.

I got there, even though the road was bumpy and ended up with a few more detours than anyone could plan for or anticipate.

Again, these stories are an indulgent side project. I write them for pure entertainment value, and because they are stories I really want to read. I’m here for a good time, nothing more and nothing less. I’m not trying to write life lessons or change the world. I’m not trying to educate and inform. I’m just having fun and I hope you feel the same. Seriously, don’t reach out and bitch about the fact that these boys are never in class even though the series is set in a school. Don’t complain (to me directly, at least) about the way the sports or extracurricular activities are unfolding because of the seasons in this story, please and thank you. This is what reviews are for. Feel free to unleash all you want in those bad boys. I know it can be cathartic... lol.

WHAT I WRITE IS ALL ABOUT BEING FICTIONAL AND FANTASTICAL.

It is all make-believe. I’m taking liberties to make the story flow and move at the proper pace. I’m writing whatever I feel will fit the characters and their storylines, even if it is obviously outrageous. If you want absolute accuracy, you’ll have to look for another author I’m afraid.

However, if you get to the end of this book, enjoy the ride, and end up wanting to know if book three will be a thing, the answer is absolutely YES!

I just can’t say when, or if the wait will be shorter or longer than it was for Mac and his boys. In an ideal world, I’d get it out early next year, but I learned my lesson about making promises and plans I just cannot keep.

Happy reading. I hope you love these boys as much as I do.

It feels so good to be back! <3

Love, The Woman in Black,

Imogene