We're done, you guys. We finished it. It feels a little like sending your kid off to school for the first time—bittersweet. On one hand, it's super exciting because this book has taken up an absurd amount of brain space over the last eight months. On the other, it's a little devastating knowing it's over and that Maisie Rhodes and August Williams aren't real people I can go Instagram-stalk to see if they've had babies yet.

Also, you guys—writing is hard. You'd think it would get easier the more you do it, but it really doesn't. If anything, I just ended up over-analyzing everything even more. I think Taylor says it best: I've never been a natural. All I do is try, try, try. And that's pretty much what I did with this entire book. Try very hard.

With August, but especially Maisie, I knew they had so much emotional baggage to work through. I poured so much energy into overthinking every little emotion they experienced, which is probably why this story consumed me the way it did. Honestly, there were moments when I wasn't sure I could pull off what was in my head and translate it into words. But I think I got close.

Anyway, all that to say, let's get a little sappy for a second, shall we?

When I started this book, I had no intention of writing it. In fact, I forbid myself from writing it. I was working on another book—Mixed Signals, a cowboy-falls-for-social-media-influencer story (which I will finish hopefully?? Idk)—but I'd hit a wall and couldn't figure out where to take it next. At the time, my goal for writing was really simple: to write something I personally would want to read. And Mixed Signals wasn't doing that for me anymore.

Then, one day, my four-year-old daughter came home from school and asked me about Taylor Swift. I'd been a fan in middle and high school but stopped listening around the time of the Red album. So, naturally, I had to introduce her to the Eras Tour, which had just come out. I kid you not; I ended up sitting in front of the TV with a glass of wine long after my children went to bed, completely mesmerized for three hours straight.

If you asked my WP friends whether I was a Swiftie before that, they'd probably send you screenshots of me saying, "This might be an unpopular opinion, but I'm not a Swiftie."

Lol, that aged so very well.

And yet, somewhere in the middle of that three-hour rabbit hole, the story of Maisie and August started playing out in my head—and I couldn't stop thinking about it. I decided to jot down a few notes, just so I wouldn't forget the idea. Those "notes" turned into 10,000 words in less than a week. It was like word vomit spilling onto a Google Doc. That momentum carried me until about halfway through the book, when things got more emotional, messy, and antsy, and writing got hard again.

I think so much about the backstories and what the other characters' lives look like. I catch myself wondering what a book about Lucy's love life and her little bakery would look like. I think about Andrea's secret relationship with Ryan (did we all catch that?!), or Maisie's sister, Bridget, who I'm convinced never truly got along with their dad, no matter how it might have seemed.

And Gwen— Gwendolyn. I spent so much time thinking about her. I don't think she's the bad person she's made out to be through most of the book. In fact, I think she's the opposite. There's something really sweet about her, something lovely that got buried beneath everyone else's perception of her. A lot of people were upset that she stayed with August even after being suspicious of him and Maisie, but I think there is still so much more to the story that we really don't know...well, that you don't know. I know it all, lol. But I have a lot of thoughts when it comes to Gwendolyn Caldwell.

And then, sometimes, I catch myself imagining what would've happened if August had just asked Maisie out back in high school—at Hannigan's, the first time they saw each other. In a different life, in an alternate reality, they'd have dated, fallen in love, gotten married way too young, and had babies not long after. They'd have stayed in that same little house in Green Harbor, right next to Mrs. Harris, who actually adores August. Maisie wouldn't have been famous, but she would've been just as happy—if not happier.

I feel like maybe some of you might be disappointed that the ending didn't include a supermassive grand gesture—like August standing out in the audience with the sign his sisters made for him saying, "I love you, Maisie Rhodes," and Maisie hopping off the stage to run to him and kiss him in front of everyone. But honestly, that felt a little too Hallmark-level cheesy to me.

I think, first, both Maisie and August are pretty private people, despite Maisie being a pop star. Second, August is way too shy to pull off something like that. And third, as far as the audience knows, they all think he cheated on her. They probably would have been extremely confused.

Anyway, you can probably tell how much unnecessary time I spent thinking about this book. Maisie and August will forever live in my head rent-free. Honestly, it's funny sometimes—how these characters I made up in my head have turned into these little people on paper (or Wattpad, in this case). And those little people went on to win me a Watty Award.

I'd also like to take a moment to thank a few people who made this journey possible.

First, my husband, who has been endlessly supportive of anything creative I do, always encouraging me to chase my ideas and push them further. Ily. And thank you for letting me listen to folklore on the Sonos every day.

And to my amazing WP friends, who were there for me every step of the way—answering my endless questions, giving thoughtful feedback on Maisie and August, letting me soundboard ideas, helping me choose the right POVs and directions for the story, and even taking the time to read chapters before they were out in the world. I couldn't have done this without you. A huge thank you to my lovely friends Pollyf79 , LNRoberts1 , UnbalancedMom333 , JSPRomComs , melissadyb , HeidiCarroll , and LVann26 . I love you all and am immensely grateful for each of you.

Also, they all have such lovely, well-written books that I highly recommend reading!

And finally, the most important thank-you of all goes to you—my readers. Thank you for showing up for me again and again. Week after week. Commenting, voting, and falling in love with Maisie and August almost as much as I did. Truly, there is no one like you. I am so lucky to be supported by such an incredible community. I think about you constantly, and I hope I've made you proud. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

xoxo,

Viv

And if you're wondering what I'm writing next, I'm not sure lol. I might revisit Mixed Signals, but I've also got a Pinterest board for a story, but I'm still figuring out what that story is. Follow me for updates—I'm sure it won't be long before I'm writing something new!