It's done! It took me 3.5 years, 313 actual writing days and 113k words, but this is it. Since I started this story, I have written both my bachelor's and my master's thesis, did two internships and found my first actual job. And I wouldn't have gotten here without support.

First of all, I want to thank everyone in the Literary Lounge, who have talked with me about Swift as a Coursing River in particular, but also helped me through my burnout and read my long rambles about Greek and Latin and whatever struck my interest. Secondly, I want to thank everyone who has sprinted with me over the years, in LL and Chucks, and most recently my buddies in two fandom servers, who encouraged and supported me even though I wasn't writing fanfiction. (Fun fact: Edwin and Vincent's dynamic was partially inspired by two fanfics.)

Lastly, I want to thank you, my readers. Whether you're a silent reader, a voting reader or a commenting reader, I appreciate all of you for being here and giving my story a chance. Some of you have even stuck with me since the beginning, despite my two year-long hiatuses, and that means a lot to me.

I started this story in 2021, thinking it'd just be a romance novella. I didn't foresee that it would be a novel of more than 100 000 words, exploring themes of identity and community. While I technically wrote a novel (54k words) when I was 12 and even wrote most of a sequel, I think it's safe to say this is my first true novel. That means this story is far from perfect. I have always line-edited each chapter before publishing, but I have never edited the "big picture" or done an editing run when the chapter was less recent.

There is also the specific matter of representation of marginalised identities. When I started this story, I didn't know much about how to write good rep about identities I don't share. While I am queer, I am a young white woman. I have tried to do adequate research, but please point it out to me if there's anything I could have done better or that you'd like me to change. Especially regarding Vincent, there are a lot of possible pitfalls, like a character of colour only serving as a teacher, not having flaws/vulnerabilities/growth, reassuring the white character they're not a bad person, ... That's why I'd like to request to please let me know if you've noticed any harmful tropes, anything you'd like me to add or change etc. This goes for anything in any of my stories.

Below are a few questions that will help me make my next novel better or that would be fun to hear. You can answer as much or as little as you want, both things you liked and things you didn't like. I always welcome critique of all kinds, be it typos, grammar and spelling, style, plotholes, ... I love learning and improving! If you'd just like to say you enjoyed the story, I like hearing that too xD.

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What did you find boring? What did you find exciting? What did you like/dislike? Do you have a favourite or least favourite character? Favourite or least favourite moment?

What did you think of Edwin? Was he well developed? What about his growth? Were his actions and feelings believable?

Was he a realistic portrayal of a middle-aged gay man? Did I accurately portray the queer male experience (history, gender expression, culture)?

What did you think of Vincent? Was he a well-rounded and realistic character? What about his growth? Were his actions and feelings believable?

Was he a realistic portrayal of a middle-aged, brown gay trans man? Do you think he fits any harmful tropes?

What did you think of the relationship between Edwin and Vincent? Was there enough chemistry? Was it clear why they got together and why they're good for each other?

What did you think of the side characters (Ellen, Caroline, daughters, friends)? Were there too many? Were they interesting and distinct? Flawed and well-rounded?

Did the story ever sound like a lecture or a textbook? Did the story ever feel obnoxious in telling you how to be a good person?

What did you think of the general writing style? Were the metaphors ever annoying or too cliché? Were the chapter titles a fun bonus or too much? Was the style consistent?

Were there places where there was too much dialogue? Where the dialogue should have been cut or replaced with something else?

Were there things that got repetitive? How was the pacing (slow, fast, good)? Chapter length? Plotlines I should have fleshed out more? Things that should be more or less explicit? Plotholes?

Is there anything you would like to see as bonus content? I won't be writing any sex scenes. A suggestion of my own would be Edwin's coming-out to Ellen, from Ellen's perspective.

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Once again, thank you for reading. If you'd like to read more of my writing, the next chapter has an updated list of what's currently on Wattpad and what I'll be working on next. If you'd like to be notified when I publish a new book or when I put out announcements, you can follow me BirtheV. I also have an author corner in the Literary Lounge, a server to connect readers and writers and where I am a moderator (link in the comments -->).