In the Open Cage

Author's Note: Please Read (Here goes nothing)

Hi all.

There are a few things I would like readers to be aware of before you jump into the story. But first, thank you everyone who has helped me come to this decision. Your support has encouraged me to put this up, and after much consideration, I have decided to upload this story.

This story was initially written around, I want to say, 2019-2020ish for a random fantasy-romance contest I wanted to participate in. Nothing came of it, but I ended up pushing through to finish it. It's been sitting unedited for a while now, and I have been wanting to go back to change a few things that were bothering me.

Which brings us to today, when I have decided to upload the edited version on Wattpad. However, given that I am not a romance writer or much of a romance reader, I wasn't sure how I felt about sharing a random romance story I wrote on a whim (it's one of the reasons I was hesitant to upload it in the first place). 

So, I guess this is where my kind of disclaimer comes from. I have no idea if I did the romance right at all, or if I even have a well-written story. It might be overthinking on my part, but I feel like there are more than few plotholes that I can't figure out, which is why I was a bit on the fence about ever going back to it. 

I will say, however, that I have tried to incorporate elements of romance that I really like, such as the grumpy x sunshine trope, proper emotional connections between the characters, a clear reason they fall in love, an actual platonic friendship between two characters without forcing a love triangle, and so on. I'm hoping if your tastes are similar to mine, you'll enjoy what I have to offer. :D

This book is also very long, which is the other reason I wasn't sure about sharing it on here. As in, it's going to take a while for things to take off because I had a lot of set up to do. Also, it's very slow burn so by virtue, it's not going to be a quick-paced romance (though I did try to come up with an interesting and kind of insane plot to counter it).

But, this story was written purely because I had so much fun writing it. I loved exploring character dynamics, their problem-solving, coming up with an absolutely despicable villain, and I found myself quite enjoying the romance itself. I've learned a lot through it, and I feel like I've matured a lot more as a writer thanks to it. So, I thought it would be worth it to share even if the story isn't solid.

So, I will reiterate again. This story was created purely for fun, and I am not too serious about it. I have no intention of ever getting it published (there are other projects I'm much more excited about). I might also change the title at a later time because I'm still not too sure about it. At the very least, I'll make sure the grammar is stellar since that's one of my strong suits. ;D

Still, this book and its characters have a special place in my heart. So I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing and don't hold too high of a standard heh. :)

Edit: Going back to edit this book got me back on the high I felt while writing it. For all the uncertainties I hold about it, it's still something that I cherish dearly, and it's something that reminded me why romance is such a well-loved genre. 

As much as I'm not interested in marketing this book (publishing, getting a movie deal, etc.) I still do want to share it to as many people as possible. So, I truly appreciate any and all readers who decide to give this book a chance.

I will try to update it at least once a week, hopefully on the same day to keep things consistent. I'm thinking late Tuesdays/early Wednesdays for now, but I will try to have a chapter up by Saturday if I happen to miss the schedule.

Thank you for giving it a chance and enjoy!

Happy reading~ 🥰