Path To Resolution (Fighter's Den, #5)

Author's Note

I know you're all completely freaked out about the second epilogue, aren't you?

So yeah, maybe I lied a little bit. While it's true the original Fighter's Den series is officially done (don't cry don't cry don't cry), I'm not done with this world just yet. That teaser you read is...*drumroll please*

A spin-off!

That's right. So many of you asked for a spin-off with the kids and I tinkered with that idea for so long. I thought long and hard about whose story I wanted to write most when one day the idea just came to me. It was the middle of the night and I had a literal dream about Lucas and his love interest (whom I won't reveal just yet) and woke up like WTF? I grabbed my phone and quickly jotted the idea down before falling asleep again. Then the next day I played around with it and before I knew it, an entire outline was born.

Now you could tell from the teaser that Lucas's story is going to be very different. Did you pick up on those dark and edgy vibes? I'm sure you're thinking, is he just being dramatic and whiny and a self-proclaimed bad guy? I assure you that's not the case. This story is going to be all kinds of sad and fucked up and depressing. I'm going to make it real and raw and pretty much about the worst parts of life. I mean seriously, you guys are going to HATE Lucas. He's angsty and cruel but at the end of the day he's a kid in pain. That doesn't mean all of you will have the patience for him so bear that in mind.

Anyways, that's all but more information (title, cover, synopsis, release date) coming soon!

You can skip this part if you don't want to read but my loyal readers know that I live for the author's note and always pour my heart out so here we go, LOL!

Where do I even begin? I'm going to be completely honest here and admit that for the first 60% of the book I HATED this story. Literally, I'd open up Wattpad to write and just groan in misery at having to write this book. I was SO over it. I started coming up with future projects to keep myself busy and I was so much more invested in those than book five. I'd wish so hard that I could write something new instead of having to finish this story, that's how much I hated it.

The thing is it gave me so much trouble. So. Much. Trouble. I can't even begin to explain how much of this book I wrote and re-wrote. I changed the entire plot twice. I deleted chapters over and over again. I couldn't get inside Wolfe and Melanie's head and feel like I was doing them justice. I felt like I was writing about strangers and not the characters I hoped they would be. It was so hard to live up to the expectations I had for them and that you all had for them. I think it was the pressure? Last book in the series and the one everyone was looking forward to most. I wanted to do an unforgettable job and I was so hard on myself the whole time I wrote this story because I didn't feel good enough. You guys have no idea how many times I've cried over this book because I just couldn't get it right. If you read the original drafts (the story was headed in a completely different direction and Wolfe and Melanie were nothing like what they are in the final draft) you'd be like WHAT THE HELL IS THIS. It took me so long to get it right. I almost gave up on it so many times.

I'm so glad I didn't. Doubt is such an evil thing. It makes you feel like the worst version of yourself and if you give into it, if you surrender to it, there are so many things you'll miss out on. If I surrendered to the doubt I constantly felt while writing this story then it simply wouldn't exist. I was completely prepared to not give you guys a fifth story at all. But I forced myself to suck it up and write anyways. I told myself "even if this is the shittiest thing you write, just write it because that's what you do. That's who you are." Most of the time I didn't feel like an author and instead some girl who was living in a fantasy world. I mean, please. Author? What gives me the right to call myself that? I had some really ugly thoughts about myself and had to force myself to be kind, patient, understanding. I had to cut myself some slack because I was wrapped up in self-loathing and it was affecting my writing. And believe me, it showed. My writing lacked depth and I couldn't connect to it because my heart just wasn't in it.

I had to step back and take multiple breaks. That's why I stopped updating on Sundays for so long and took that two-weak hiatus. I just needed some room to think about the story and what I wanted to do with it. I had a vision for it and it didn't work out at all and I had to remind myself that was okay. It's okay to change your vision as you go. So I kept writing and writing and writing until finally something clicked. I knew exactly what to do with the story and I knew exactly who Wolfe and Melanie were. And once everything clicked, I fell in love. I saw them through a completely different lens and I was smitten.

These two characters are an example of what happens when you don't give up. Now when I look at their story, all I see is my hard work and dedication. Some characters came to me easy, like Nate and Del and Ash and Ria, and some characters I had to earn. Even if they all came from my head I had to earn these characters. I couldn't just make them. I had to understand them and pay attention to them before I could dive into their heads. Wolfe and Melanie are a privilege to me and I'm so honoured I got to write their story. God, they taught me so much. It's hard to believe it's all over.

I'm such a different person than I was at 19 when I first began this series. I've changed so much and I think the growth in my series reflects that. I was just a kid with an idea when this started. I was a booknerd that was constantly reading and obsessed with the book world. All my life I wanted to be an author and when I had the idea for Path To Redemption, I told myself to write it as a joke. Fuck it, let's see if you can actually do it, I told myself. Little did I know four years later I'd create an entire world, a family that felt so real and unforgettable, created individuals stories that are so unique in their own way. It's surreal to me that I made this happen.

All the books in this series mean something different to me. I can't say for certain which book was my favourite in the series but I do know that each of these stories made me who I am. They all represent different parts of my life so I love them all in their own way. What about you? Which book was your favourite and why? What about this series is going to be the most unforgettable for you?

Okay, I'm going to stop blabbing now before I start crying. This is a crazy moment for me. I can't believe I made it to the end of the series! I never thought I'd get this far.

Thank you, first and foremost and most importantly, to my readers. More than anything YOU guys are my family. I love talking with you all and interacting with you and getting to know you. I've come across incredible people since I began my journey and I'm grateful for each and every one of you. I can't even imagine life without my wattpad fam, like what even is that? I brag about all of you constantly to my friends. I think you're all such amazing individuals and I truly consider you my friends. I love you guys so fucking much!

Thank you to my best friend for supporting me from the very beginning. I texted her randomly about the idea for Fighter's Den #1 and she said BITCH GO WRITE IT. She's been cheering me on since. I love you, hoe.

Thank you to itsmyaah for making the notoriously gorgeous covers for the whole series! Your work is the eye candy that draws everyone in and I adore you. This series wouldn't be possible without you working alongside me.

And lastly, thank you to me. These last four/five years have been an amazing ride. I learned so much about myself and who I am and I think a huge part of that is because of writing. Writing has given me purpose and drive, an escape when things get hard, and the motivation to hopefully take this to the next step. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll all own hardcovers of the Fighter's Den family!

And, as always, please follow my Instagram! I'm going to be posting all kinds of teasers and excerpts of Lucas's story, even a teaser trailer that's HOT HOT HOTTT! Wattpad is limited in the sense of how I can interact with you guys. Comments just don't cut it. On IG, I can do Q&A's, polls, giveaways, contests, go on IG live with you guys, etc. So please follow me @its_author_tfb to get the best content!

Happy Reading!

— Amber Isabelle