Souls Unfractured (Hades Hangmen, #3)(105)
And so I put them up. New ones along the bottom: of her sisters, my bike, Little Ash on my Harley as I taught him how to ride, Little Ash sitting beside me in my workshop, “Prospect” cut on his back as I started to build him his bike.
And then there were old ones on top: sketches of our joined hands, the sketch of my face looking up to Maddie from the page, the sketch of her eldest sister, Bella, her sister who’d looked just like Mae… and then at the very top, the biggest sketch of all—the one that held pride of f*cking place, the one that f*cking owned my soul, and the one that was my entire f*cking heart—Maddie’s sketch of us. The one she believed couldn’t ever come true. The one that told me, without needing any words to explain, what she’d wanted for us both, back when I was still locked under the flames. The sketch I knew by memory—every stroke, every detail. The one of me holding her, and her holding me back. My arms around her waist, her tiny f*cking hand on my chest and her eyes closed in happiness.
The one that f*cking started it all.
The one burned forever onto my dark soul.
Opening my eyes, I stared at that picture, as I did all the time, and my heart felt like it might explode.
Then she started to sing.
My wife quietly sang as I stared at my favorite sketch.
At us.
My Maddie.
Her Flame.
The End
Acknowledgements
Souls Unfractured was a very different type of novel for me to write. It had such serious and sensitive topics woven into its pages, that, at times, it felt like my version of conquering Mt Everest! From a first person point of view perspective, it was the most difficult story I have ever written. Flame was the most difficult character I have ever attempted to understand and give life. But my love for him in the aftermath knows no bounds. Flame and Maddie are my soul. They are the fantasy, the hope that everyone can get their own happily ever after, no matter how broken they may be.
I do not think I have slept in all the months writing this. The tears were many, the stress level was high and the coffee and Red Bull consumption was epic! But we got there in the end.
And, let’s face it, IT’S FLAME! Many people waited a very long time for his story, so I wanted to make it as true to his character as possible. Hopefully I have achieved that!
So, to the people who helped me along this very bumpy road…
Dad, your psychological insights were vast and helped me shape this novel into something I could love. Flame and I thank you! To Mam and Dad, thank you for being my rock when I didn’t think I could write this novel. And thank the Lord for Facetime! Love you both!
To my husband. You have put up with A LOT from me over the last three months. To quote you when I wrote ‘The End’, “Thank God that’s over. That was the craziest you’ve ever been while writing a novel!” Love you, babe. Thanks for supporting this neurotic and crazy writer version of me!
Sam, Marc, Taylor, Isaac, Archie and Elias. Love you all. I have abandoned you all writing this, but now the fun sister/auntie will return!
To my fabulous beta readers: Thessa, Kelly, Kia, Rachel, Rebecca and Lynn. Your comments and advice were invaluable. You coped with my breakdowns with understanding and patience. And Rach, huge shout out to you! You steered me through the threatening waters of defeat, with your texts of, “You got this, Tills.” Love you, missus. And Matt for no doubt being your sounding board! ;)
Thessa, my personal cheerleader and good friend. You have coached me through this book every step of the way. Thank you for everything you do. You are the cog to this machine.
Kelly, and Have Book Will Read Book Blog for hosting my blog tour and being an epic beta. You are fabulous, and a true friend. Love you!
Ann Rigby. Thank you for talking me through Flame’s—very dark and complex—state of mind. Listening to your vast and Awe-inspiring medical experience and knowledge in the field of abuse and self-harm helped me more than you can ever know with Flame’s character. You deserve a medal for what you have done for so many broken people in your life. I know in your line of work you don’t see many happy endings, but I hope Flame and Maddie’s happily ever after made you smile.
To Ed Williamson for sketching me the most perfect Flame and Maddie imaginable, and for painting such a gorgeous painting. “My Maddie” will forever hang in my house, thus so will your genius. So so Beautiful.
Gitte and Jenny from TotallyBooked Book Blog. You support and champion me. You have become amazing friends (Yes, I may have squealed like a little girl when Jenny surprised us all in London!). You mean the world to me. And I love you. That is all.
And a huge thank you to all the many, many more wonderful book blogs that support me and promote my books. Souls Unfractured had an epic number of blogs getting behind its release, and for that, you have my eternal gratitude.
To all the fabulous authors that have supported me through this process, thank you. We have sprinted. We have vented. We made it through. What a fabulous world I’ve found myself in.
Tracey-Lee, Thessa and Kerri, a huge thank you for running my street teams, Tillie’s Hot Cole’s and The Hangmen Harlots. And to all of my street team members—LOVE YOU!!!
My @FlameWhores on Instagram. You ladies are just so bloody brilliant. What a fab bunch of chicks you all are!
A HUGE shout out has to go to Josh Mario John, my readers’ muse for Flame. You have kindly embraced the Flame love. My readers and I want to thank you for your gracious comments and support.