To Ethan

questions & answers

First of all, I just want to say thank you guys SO MUCH for everything you've done, for reading, for voting, for commenting, for adding this story to your lists / in your library, for editing pic spams and feeling with these two cutie pies. Your support is simply amazing and it wouldn't have reached any rank if it wasn't for you!! You guys are seriously the best readers out there!

This story and its characters mean a lot to me personally and writing this made me happy and sad at the same time and I wouldn't have it any other way. I can't thank you enough for sharing this with me.

Feel free to screenshot & tweet me your favorite sayings/parts of this book to 'capuletsbirdie' on Twitter!

While writing this story I got a few questions via comment and messages concerning the book. If you have any more questions, leave them below and I'll add them here later on to answer them. I'm warning you: I've gotten more questions than expected so far.

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Q: What made you write the story in this format?
A: Inspiration for this format was Love, Rosie by Cecelia Ahern. I really like reading short stories with short chapters with powerful content. But soon I discovered the limitation I had while working on this story because a lot of what I wanted to happen couldn't even be mentioned in any messages or letters.

Q: So is this story based on true events? Did you experience something mentioned in the story? Or are any characters based on real people you know?
A: Parts of it is based on true events. Ethan is more like a combination of multiple people I know/I used to know. I won't say no more, though, sorry!

Q: How old are Ethan and Aubrey?
A: At the end of the book, Ethan is twenty years old. Aubrey is in her first year of college and nineteen.

Q: Why does Ethan use upper case and Aubrey lower case? Is there a meaning behind it?
A: Actually there is! Not only is it easier to identify each of them while reading but it does say something about their character. Aubrey is a very honest person who is straight forward when she feels she has to be and doesn't care how she comes across and is reckless with her words. Ethan, however, does care how he comes across, he hides a lot, doesn't talk about the issues he's going through and tries to hide behind a thick wall. He also expresses himself in powerful ways which is why typing in upper case makes him appear more bold.

Q: What happened to Ethan when Aubrey saw his bruise while face timing?
A: He got into a fight with Connor when he reported him.

Q: Who are those "friends" Ethan hung out with the whole time when Aubrey came to his house?
A: They were a group of friends who had the wrong kind of influence on him.

Q: Where has Ethan been when he was gone and sending those letters/notes? Like, what was he doing?
A: He's been here and there to cleanse his mind and find peace with himself, his past and everyone else but then he decided to stay in Manhattan, New York City where he makes friends and where he and Aubrey eventually meet.

Q: What happened to Conor?
A: Ethan reported him and he was arrested for sharing the pictures that Jackson took since it was child pornography that has been taken, kept and spread.

Q: What were Ethan and Aubrey studying together?
A: They studied Psychology together. Ethan quit that when he decided to leave and stay in Manhattan.

Q: Do you have something in mind for what Ethan and Aubrey would be doing in the future?
A: I do have something in mind for both of them and normally I don't do that after I've finished writing something but I just couldn't not do it with these two sugar plums. In my mind, Ethan would become an anonymous artist in Manhattan and Aubrey would open a café combined with a bookstore (probably also in Manhattan).

Q: Do you have a cast for Ethan and Aubrey?
A: Okay let me first say I originally wouldn't pick any cast for Ethan and Aubrey because, well, they're Ethan and Aubrey! (Do you get what I'm saying? I mean I don't want to take my readers' imagination away.) I only came up with a cast because of the edits I wanted to make. I'm not really sure about Aubrey and just thought of Kaya Scodelario as Effy Stonem because I remember her from SKINS. For Ethan I picked someone without even having to think much: Jakub Gierszal as Dominik Santorski from the movie Suicide Room. But as I said, that's just because I wanted to make edits or because the gifs fit. So you can go ahead and ignore the media section with all those gifs and pic spams!

Q: How do you get yourself "into" the world of the story while writing?
A: I'm familiar with lots of the issues in the book and have been saying a lot that's been said in the book myself and I've also felt the way Aubrey and Ethan have felt at some point so it didn't take much to fall back in those emotions and write. If I can't quite get in the "mood", I'll listen to sad songs or songs that are connected to certain circumstances.

Q: Where did you get the inspiration to write "To Ethan" with exactly those characters?
A: Personal experience, conversations with friends, wishful thinking -- and I always rewrite before I hit publish because I've decided to not go overboard and make it too cheesy because it doesn't quite fit Ethan and Aubrey. When I "created" those characters I didn't think they'd develop characteristics on their own. Which is cool because I get to limit myself to stay true to the characters.

Q: Who was your favorite character?
A: Ethan, my love.

Q: Would you have acted the same way Ethan and Aubrey did? What would you have done differently?
A: Whenever Aubrey tried to comfort Ethan and talk to him, I would've done the same. I would've asked him about the bruise on his face. I would've written the notes at college. I would've sent those voicemails. I would've gone to his house to see what's up. I would've annoyed him about what happened at the accident with Mel. But I wouldn't have talked to Jackson again after finding out what he's been up to, just in case. If it's for Ethan, I guess I would've also left Aubrey and everything else behind just to find peace with myself while being somewhere else for a while if necessary. I wouldn't have done drugs. And I don't think I would've hidden the fact that Mel was drunk driving.

Q: Which one of the characters do you relate to most?
A: I think I relate most to Aubrey because I have actually said things that she's said in the book, I am straightforward with my feelings and don't feel the need to hide them, especially when I'm upset with someone. I also always go with my instinct when it comes to people, e.g. when they lie about something so I won't have to worry.

Q: Do you ever think about publishing "To Ethan"?
A: It would be a dream come true, not only because I've always wanted to publish a work of mine but because it would be a story I cherish with my whole heart. So yes, I've thought about it but I'm not sure whether it could actually happen. But, dream big!