Fun fact: Writing this book probably saved my life.

I started Flipped when I was 16, a junior in high school, and smack in the middle of what were probably the worst years of my entire life. I was terribly abused at home, suffered from depression and anxiety, had daily suicidal thoughts, and hated myself. I had just come out as gay, too, and was dealing with shit for that.

Sometimes, when life got so painful that I needed to check out of reality for awhile, I would write stories in my head. I liked to dream up characters that were both flawed and tortured- much like myself- and build universes around them.

My all-time favorite characters I ever came up with were Sam and Rose Wyatt; two transgender teenagers with frustrating lives who were just trying to make it through high school. Eventually, I grew to love them and their world so much that I just had to start writing it all down, and the rest is history.

I have to say, finishing this book is probably my greatest accomplishment to date. Never in my life have I stuck with something for so long, and with so much dedication, and I am really, really fucking proud of it. Especially considering the number of times I almost quit, because I was feeling suicidal again.

And yet, when I found myself sobbing in my therapist's office while creating yet another safety plan, on which you have to identify at least three things to live for, one of them would always be Writing Flipped. At some point, finishing this story had become a major life goal for me; I had already put too much of my heart and soul into it to quit. I had to keep writing.

And it is largely because of this that I have no plans of stopping. I will continue to write this story until I feel like it is done, at which point I will likely move on to another project that I hope will consume me as much as this one has. Because now, with over five years of being a writer under my belt, it's as if I do not know another way to live. Like writing is the one thing I know I can always count on to fuel my existence; as long as I know there is more to be written, I have no reason to check out.

As of now, Flipped and it's characters are basically the center of my universe. I write the story in my head while I drive, while I work out, during lulls in my work day, and at night when I can't sleep. I piece together different scenes while I listen to music, which is why the songs I share are so important to me. Flipped is like a permanent part of my life, and I honestly doubt that this will change even years after I finally finish the series.

And you know something? I am perfectly fine with that.

*

And now for acknowledgments:

First and foremost, I would like to thank my two wonderful beta readers: Clarke and Skyla. Both of them spent countless hours allowing me to read chapters aloud to them before they were published, and had to put up with my grouchiness whenever they pointed out plot inconsistencies or grammatical errors. I love you both, and thanks for not hating me when I got snappy from lack of sleep.

Also, Clarke and Sky are a trans boy and a trans girl respectively, and helped provide me with incredibly useful perspectives. Because no matter how much research I do (and I have done a LOT) it will never compare to speaking with real trans people who face the issues I can only imagine every single day. Mad respect to both of them, and all of my trans readers out there.

I'd also like to thank my first therapist ever, Dr. Nichols, who was the first one to encourage me to use writing as an outlet. Also my friend Julia, who introduced me to Wattpad as a template for my writing. These two people are a huge part of why Flipped exists, and I could never thank them enough.

A huge, ironic thank you to the people who tortured me in high school, for giving me the material to write all of the bullies in this story. Callie Dunham and Edgar Thompson are both based off of real people (whose real names are pretty close to these). Both were unapologetic, homophobic dicks who were just two of the people that made my life hell in high school. Fuck you guys, but also thanks for the inspiration.

Also a thank you to my parents, who were huge assholes to me growing up, but eventually kind of got their shit together. They showed me what domestic violence and emotional abuse looks like, which also inspired some of the material in this book.

Finally, and most importantly, a MASSIVE thank you to all of my lovely readers (that's you guys!). If it wasn't for my book getting so unexpectedly popular, I probably would've quit long ago, and this story never would have become what it is now. But it is all of your feedback, support, and encouragement that has inspired me to keep this story going, and I am definitely a better writer because of you guys.

I know there are a lot of you, and I do love you all, but I definitely just wanted to give some specific shoutouts to those of you who gave me TONS of feedback through comments or messages. I always looked forward to seeing your usernames pop up in my notifications :)

pegendeavor

DrewDemon

Sa55sygirl

LilyLuna2018

-honeyrevenge

EmmaWriting

rainbright8

saffix-cherries

one0two

CharWritesOnline

I am sure there are so many of you that I have forgotten, who also love and care about my story, and who may have been with me since the very beginning. So I will just take this opportunity to say that I love you all, and I see you.

I read each and every comment, and I see those of you who have been strongly affected by my characters and their journeys throughout this book. And I just want you to know that this means the world to me. To know that I have changed even a single life through my writing gives me a reason to keep doing it.

I love you all so, so much and I want the best for each and every one of you. And I hope that you continue to stick with me and my stories, and that you never hesitate to reach out if you ever just need someone to listen to you.

Stay Strong <3

-Lily