It's taken me three years to write this duo-logy and it's honestly been such a blast. It was both such a peaceful experience and a stressful one. Having to write characters that were so much older than me meant I really had to think outside of my maturity and experiences which was sometimes very difficult and always exhausting. However, I loved it. I loved challenging myself to write characters with more depth and more weight than I ever have before. Harley and Danté are honestly so close to my heart and I hope they are to you too. I drew a lot of strength from Harley in my own personal times of need, coming to learn- through her- a lot about self-healing because it was a road I was just beginning to walk as well. There were times I felt like I couldn't do it and I thought of Harley and realised I could. And, truthfully, that's what I aim to provide for everyone- a story that eases your pain and helps your mind relax, characters that give you strength or simply make you laugh on a bad day. My goal is to ensure that every reader is affected by my books, walking away with new perspectives or ideas. I only pray my stories provided you with that.

Harley was frustrating at times, as was Danté because they both had a lot of accepting and moving on to do and yet you stuck with them and for that, I am incredibly grateful and hope you think it was worth it.

With Guns and Roses, I initially wrote the first ten chapters before realising that Harley and Danté's characters didn't do them any justice. I scratched the first version and then restarted. However, with Guns and Mirrors it was even worse... I wrote the whole story before realising it was terrible. There was lack of characters, events and overall- interest. It was only after I read a book about gangs did I realize why I found the first draft so dull and tried my best to correct it. Also, the original draft focused more on Danté's darker side whereas in this version, it's mainly on Harley's which was what I was aiming for in the first place. So, here is the third draft of G&M. There's room for improvement in everything but I'm glad with how the stories played out.

One of my favorite things in this story was introducing you all to Ramiro and Katalina. Especially Ramiro... he's by far my most favorite character for some reason. I came up with him when I realised that Harley needed a friend who she could confide in without shame because it wasn't fair for her to rely on Danté for everything. Ramiro's character came quite naturally to me and, over time, I realised that he was- in all ways- Harley's soulmate. A soulmate doesn't always have to be romantic, it's someone who is meant to be in your life because they connect with you on such a deep level even if it is only platonic. In another universe, if Harley had never met Danté, I imagine her and Ramiro being together because I think they had a deep connection. There were plenty times I was tempted to end the story with her and Ramiro being together and Danté going on with his life but I knew Harley and Danté's love was too unique. They may not be soulmates but they are meant to be together. I owed it to them as the writer... besides, I love Danté. I don't think I could break his heart like that. Ramiro was also originally going to be the sibling to die but I figured his character had a lot of potential for his own story and, well, with Katalina becoming someone like Carla for Danté, I found it rather bitter that he lost her too. I'm a sucker for subtle tragedies sometimes.

Katalina's character was a lot of fun to write because despite her own heaviness from her past, she was able to provide a sense of lightheartedness for Danté. It was heartbreaking having to write her death but I felt that her death was necessary, albeit very painful.

There were a couple of themes I tried to touch on in the story, some of which were hard to write. For example, how Harley resented a part of Danté for putting her in a place where she had to kill Frank. I think many of us have gone through something where we've hated someone for what they didn't mean to do and, honestly, that hatred is exhausting and both guilt-causing because you know that person didn't mean to hurt you. I wanted to highlight that because it's okay to feel angry at someone for them hurting you even if that was never their intention or they're not aware how they affected you. I also touched heavily on depression and self-harm and it was very strange writing it because I never planned it, especially the self-harm. However, it came naturally and I realised that Harley was even more broken than I originally thought to write her as. I do not know what it's like to self-harm like Harley- although I too have had my fair share of the experience- but I hope I did justice for those who do. Ramiro was also based on the idea I had in my mind of a friend that I want- someone who isn't judgmental, is supportive but more than anything, reminds me of everything good life has to offer. So often we forget the beautiful things in life and it's nice when you have someone to remind you of them. Anxiety was a major theme and topic from the very start and something I think I could do more justice on. In time, I will go back and fix it where I feel necessary. Healing and forgiveness was another thing I wanted to touch on because it's two very important factors when it comes to anyone with mental illness- you need to learn to forgive yourself so that you can heal and move on. I hope I inspired all of you who needed it.

With this been said, I will be writing a spinoff story for Ramiro. That is one of the reasons why I didn't kill his character off as I originally planned. His story will take place a couple of months after this story and will focus on him and his life. While Harley and Danté will not actively be in the book, they will pop up here and there and you'll get to understand the gang from the perspective of a true member who has been there for so long and plays a big role. Cyrus and Persephone will also be present and you may even get to meet Claire- the girl who broke Ramiro's heart... it will be a romance as Ramiro will find someone new and it will be their story. While anxiety won't be the main theme addressed, drug abuse and a form of sexual abuse will be.

The Guns Series has a long thread of very dark and heavy themes which is what I aim at achieving.

However, I am currently emigrating and I'm sure you can imagine how overwhelming and difficult that is going to be for me (especially since I'm moving to a place I can't speak the language of) so there's a lot that I am going to have to be doing which is going to make writing less of a priority, unfortunately. Therefore I will not be writing Ramiro's story this year. Instead, I will be focusing on more of a thriller/mystery novel that will focus on high school students. I feel that if I were to write Ramiro's story at this point, I would not be able to do it justice. Therefore, I am taking a break from writing this series. I know some of you will be disappointed with this but I hope you can understand where I'm coming from.

I'm honestly so happy with the way the story turned out and even though there is room for improvement- there always is- I'm so proud. And that Epilogue! Oh my worrddddd I am SO HAPPY how it turned out.

However, I would like to give thanks to certain people.

Firstly- and most importantly- I'd like to say thank you to God. This story would never have been possible without him and there were so many times I was on the verge of giving up when I hit an obstacle like lack of inspiration or was just feeling bad about my writing and God pulled me through it.

Then I'd like to say a huge thank you to my sister. My sister is my partner in all my books, helping me brainstorm ideas and come up with plots. But also, she has always encouraged me and motivated me when I couldn't do it for myself. Thank you Shannen. I love you so much and am so grateful to say that you are my sister and have been by my side since the beginning of my writing journey.

To my parents- THANK YOU! Not only have you supported and encouraged me but you have also celebrated my successes with me. I love you guys.

Thank you to my friends who have always motivated me. You guys are awesome!

And lastly- but certainly not least- thank you to you; my readers. Your comments, votes and overall support doesn't go unnoticed and I loved reading every comment starting from the first book. Your comments made me feel like my writing wasn't for nothing and you guys never failed to make me smile. Every comment made my day and I still love rereading some of them.

Thank you to everyone I've mentioned. Your support has fueled me and I will forever be grateful!

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