The Screaming Plague of Ash has been in the works for about four years now, which is absurd to think about. It wasn't a consistent four years by any means, with writes and rewrites and rewrites yet to come. Sometimes when writing this story poured out. Other times, it felt like chipping away at marble with a mechanical pencil. But it's finished, and I'm proud of it. Regardless of what comes with this project, I felt myself grow as an author and committed to not only the art but the love of writing.

What I didn't expect was for people on here to enjoy it. This isn't the biggest thing on RR by a long shot, but there are many of you out there who kept up with this story despite all its crazy turns and my more than occasional hiatuses. The fact many of you stuck with it truly meant the most to me. Without you guys, I don't know if I could have pushed through to the end. Before RR, I only had myself to judge SPOA's merit (anyone who writes fantasy knows that getting people to read your stories is more than daunting), but you all gave me the feedback and energy to push it through to the end. To each and every one of you, I thank you immensely.

As for what's next, I'm not sure. I'm not on RR as much as the early days, and I'm not particularly interested in publishing this work on Kindle for now. As far as I'm concerned, this is still a first draft. I already have several ideas on how I can improve the story, and I still want to give myself room to breathe before revisiting this. I'm currently diving into the world of screenwriting, and I already have a couple other works in the lineup (they're not fantasy or a novel, so they won't see the light of day, at least here). But I want to return to this story and make it as good as it can possibly be. As such, it'll stay up on here for the immediate future.

Some of you may be upset that the story ends the way it does. While the story of Ash is complete, I have a very strong idea for a sequel. I want it to take place in Jyvask, Appo's home city, and for it to take place several years after the events of SPOA. In between writing this, I've also written nearly one hundred pages of lore that I'd love to explore in some capacity. I intend for Jere and Appo to return, and I assure everyone that the threat of the Screaming Plague is far from over. I don't have specifics for how that story would end, as my writing process for this began with little outlining and I found that much more engaging to write with that strategy. I think it would be a very fun story. It would also be longer (something like four parts instead of three). Unfortunately, as of right now, I haven't started it for a few reasons. 1). This book took way longer than expected and I'm still giving myself space from it. But more than that is 2). it's a lot of work and it doesn't pay the bills (I also don't think I have the popularity to rely on donations on here and I'm not really about that life anyway). If this initial work got published that'd be one thing, but I'm still a ways from that and the publishing world is a crapshoot. So for the foreseeable future, the story is on standby, and if I do return, it'll probably be to tighten this up. You may see this story again, but slightly different.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

But that's down the road. We'll see what happens. Life is weird like that.

For now, I want to thank people both offline and online that got me over the hump.

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To K.W., for whom the world of Ostior owes a great debt. I credit him for looking over early drafts, world-building, brainstorming, and being a general source of inspiration and encouragement.

To C.A., for being an early reader, writing partner, and an occasional source of inspiration (you know how). He was the first to read my story and the first to encourage me to finish my tale.

To my loving family who always support me regardless of what nonsense I got into, and were more than willing to give feedback whenever possible (sometimes too willing... looking at you, Dad)

To my close friend, poetry confidant, and early editor X.K., who has been an encourager of reading and writing for many years, and someone who I can count on to always give me constructive literary criticism.

To C.C., another editor and close friend of mine who did an outstanding job of catching many of my early grammar errors, especially in regards of “show, don’t tell.”

To Dosei, one of the first authors I networked with and was an important mentor throughout the later writing process. Thank you for introducing me to the art of marketing and being an energetic and compassionate friend.

To StainedGlassThreads, for being my first editor and one of my earliest fans. The person I can count on to make sure I put my commas where they need, to, b,e,

To LooseCultivator, the most dutiful of commentators. Even if there's only one person left to read this story, I knew you'd be that person. Thanks for sticking with it.

To everyone else on RoyalRoad and all those who read this first draft. Your comments and feedback gave me the endorphin rush I needed to push myself through to the very end. I don’t have enough kind words for you all.

To D.D., who was a source of encouragement through the good times and the bad. Hope you are well.

To J.E., for creating my first cover art.

To that one radiologist who answered a million questions I had regarding epidural hematomas, answers which allowed my to write one of my favorite chapters.

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I'll still be around on occasion to respond to comments. This isn't goodbye, but make sure to keep an eye out for my work in the future. I'll return to Ostior, one day.

-B