Fly With Me | ✓

author's note

Hey, you,

How are we?

I know I'm heartbroken.

Saying goodbye to these characters felt like saying goodbye to part of my soul. And I think that comes with the gig sometimes but I don't think I've cried as much writing a book like I did with this one.

Everleigh and Maverick and their misfit gang of chaos-bringers (including the ones visiting from the MCU—more on that later) were never meant to be a manuscript that was over 200K and almost 1000 pages. This was supposed to be a cute little chaotic romance, and it turned into the project that probably saved my life. I really don't say that lightly. I gave both of them my insecurities, my woes, my fears. Everleigh and Maverick healed a part of me I didn't know was still broken. They lit up a part of me that hadn't seen sun in so long. They gave me some of the best friends in the world who I know will support me in life for a long time—friends that I truly cannot believe I get to scream I love you to you all until the end of time.

Everleigh came to me from all my fears in the world. Of not being good enough, of never being in love with who I am. She grew from my deepest secrets and blossomed into the grump she is today. If you could take one thing away from this book, it would be this: Everleigh was born as the antiserum to the belief that you must love yourself before you can be loved by anyone else. She may never be fully over her eating disorder, but that doesn't make her unworthy of love. That doesn't make anyone unworthy of love. I promise.

To say that these two are going to leave a massive hole in my heart now that I don't get to write them falling in love any more is an understatement. Of course, this isn't the last book I'll ever write. And I'll probably fall in love again like the stupid little hopeless romantic I am. But never quite like this. Never with my favourite spoons who I know would, quite literally, travel to the ends of the earth for each other. I'm going to miss them more and more each passing day I don't get to experience their sunshine—and their grumps.

But none of this would've happened—or been half as fun—without Steph. (Hi, queen. We did it!) I remember the day Steph messaged Kay and I on Twitter to say that she had an idea for this F1 romance book that she really wanted to write. And, oh, how that transformed. When I say that nobody gives us everything quite like Steph, I mean it. Nobody sews pieces of their own heart into the binding of their manuscripts quite like her. To say she is the greatest—of all time, there ever was, pick your poison, Midorii—honestly feels like an understatement at this point, but I'm not a thesaurus on words meaning, "would give you the universe and apologize that it didn't feel like enough even though it will always be more than you ever thought you deserved." There's no one else I'd rather give full reign to my characters to do with as they please. Nobody else I'd rather stay up until two AM writing with while we laugh until our stomachs hurt and cry until we're dehydrated. No one else I'd rather experience life with. No one else I'd rather give part of my heart to as we wrote these books together. Thank you for making me part of the MCU family for now and forever—and for being the best mum to Everleigh and Maverick. Being able to have Stevie, Bash, Jun, Rami, Lauren, and Seira in this world will forever feeling like a blessing. Thank you for forever gracing us with your beautiful words, even when nobody will ever be worthy of them. Thank you for loving these spoons as much as I do, for sharing the brain cell forever, for always giving me sneak peeks so I can scream, and for enabling the ultimate chaos always.

Miss Katie, thank you for never actually laying down in front of an 18-wheeler.  Thank you for always loving these demons as much as I do. Thank you for screaming no less than seven times about one single A Star is Born reference. To say that your constant support of these bozos was instrumental in writing this book feels like an understatement. Thank you for being the reason that it was so easy to write this chaos—there is no one else who Roman would want as his biggest fan. Having you read my words is one thing, having you as my friend, always along for the ride, is an honour. There is no one else I'd rather be threatened by for the rest of my life. And no one else I'd rather make Princess Bride references for. Sad girl libra squad forever.

To my readers—thank you for always commenting and voting. Thank you for screaming at me because you're mad they're hurting. Thank you for loving my grumpy bitch of a character for all her anger and all her sadness. Thank you for loving the man who makes mistakes and learns from them. Thank you for loving their love and all it's weirdness along the way. Thank you for being here to experience their wild little romance and for loving the journey as much as you love them. Through the ups and downs and the New York's, thank you for sticking with them until Maverick got his stupid Oscar. ❤️

Anyone who's read Out of the Woods and her sequel In the Clear should know I have a hard time letting go. Even after 800 words of thank you's—ones that never feel like enough, especially when I can't go and hug every single one of you—and 200K of these bozos, I can't say goodbye. I don't have a direct sequel in the works, but I do have a spin-off. I hope to see you all for Like It's Christmas, launching December 12, my Everleigh's birthday, for one last journey with everyone's favourite family of gremlins, with a small twist. I think you're going to enjoy it. On top of that, it's doubtful Steph and I will ever be ready to let them go. We have a couple bonus chapters in the works that will be posted later in the year. (After Adrenaline wins her Watty.) (Keep both Adrenaline and this in your reading lists to be notified when these bonuses are up. More chaos to come, I promise.) (Reread Adrenaline while you wait. I mean it.) There also might have been a few—something like six, maybe?—characters from a couple future WIPs of mine, so stay tuned for some familiar names in the next couple years. (;

It seems fitting this is the author's note that never ends, because it is the hardest goodbye. This book means a lot to me, and I hope that it means something to you. I hope that you enjoyed the ride. Thank you for being here.

All my love and I hope I'll see you in the next one,

Jordin

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National Eating Disorder hotline: 1-800-931-2237

Panic Disorder Information hotline: 1-800-647-2642

National Suicide Prevention lifeline: 1-800-273-8255