(Above: me and my inspiration for Ollie)Well. Today is the...

(Above: me and my inspiration for Ollie)

Well. Today is the day. Champion, the final Legend book, is out in the world.

Here I am, sitting in my hotel room, at a loss for words, unsure how to feel now that I’ve said goodbye to the characters and places I’ve been so thoroughly immersed in for the past few years. I won’t lie; I’ve cried and fretted a lot. I’ve been alternately excited and scared. But mostly I am happy, so very happy, that I am sitting here and living my dream.

I don’t have many words today. It’s hard to vocalize exactly what I’m feeling right now. All I can say is this: The publishing world is very, very hard, and the life of a writer is full of twists and turns—both bad and good, most of it completely out of our control. I have been so extraordinarily blessed on my journey, to the point that I wonder if it’s all deserved. After all, I am only as good as my last book, and there are still a million things I need to improve on. Who knows what the future will bring? It’s a scary thought, but it also pales in comparison to how grateful I am for what I have today. I know I would not be here if it weren’t partly for lucky coincidence, for catching the general love for dystopian and science fiction stories. I know I would not be here without the support of so many amazing people and loyal friends. And I know I would not be here without my readers. Champion has been dedicated to you guys from the very beginning.

This is about as articulate as I can be. Thank you all for the honor of telling you stories.