Dear Readers,
This is it--the big day. Finale is officially on sale, which means many of you will know how Patch and Nora's story ends before the sun sets tonight. I'm feeling nervous/excited/antsy/hopeful. It's a much better combination of feelings than the ones I experienced this summer, after turning the final manuscript in. I spent the summer feeling a strange melancholy about finishing the
Hush, Hush series, knowing I'd never spend time writing these characters' stories again. Part of the problem was not being able to talk about the story events with readers--with
you. I had to keep everything to myself, and the not talking about it--well, that meant I had to carry everything alone. Over the past few weeks, I've felt a simmering excitement knowing that very, very soon, I'll be able to talk about the characters, their journeys, their triumphs, their struggles, and their sacrifices.
I hope you love
Finale. I hope it touches you, and makes you feel a range of emotions--most of all, deep satisfaction. I feel a special kinship with those of you who've been with the
Hush, Hush series from the beginning. We were in the trenches together, watching Patch and Nora's story unfold over the years. To those of you who came to events on my first book tour to Texas, Arizona, California, and Toronto--thank you for your support early on. You gave me confidence and the desire to keep writing. I kept you in the back of my mind as I wrote
Crescendo, the hardest book I've ever had to write. I thought of you as I wrote
Silence and
Finale too. I didn't want to disappoint you. I knew you were out there, expecting something special.
To my readers who've discovered the books recently--I love your enthusiasm. I love hearing that you plowed through all three books in a week (sometimes less!) and are anxiously awaiting
Finale. Your enthusiasm is contagious. Thank you for sharing the books with your friends, neighbors, teachers, students, parents, daughters, boyfriends, etc.!
To the librarians, teachers, booksellers, and book-lovers around the world who've championed my books and put them into the right hands with such care: thank you. I wish I could thank you individually. I follow your example and spread the love of reading with everyone I can. I never grow tired of saying, "If you don't like reading, it's because you haven't found the right book yet."
It's been an incredible, life-changing three years since
Hush, Hush published in 2009. I've learned so much about the writing process, and I've made lasting friendships with readers all over the globe. What a ride it has been. I wouldn't change a thing.
Enough of my rambling on. What are you waiting for? Go read
Finale!
xoxo
Becca
