Afterword

Afterword

 

HELLO, it’s nice to meet you! I’m the author, Necoco. I originally submitted this story to a certain website that features novels, but then I was contacted by Earth Star Novels, who asked if I wanted to publish. After editing and rewriting, it was turned into a book.

When I first received the message through the site asking if I would consider publication, my heart pounded like crazy. I wouldn’t say it felt like it would explode or anything, but I definitely felt like I’d lost at least three days off of my lifespan. Because my heart raced like that for literally three whole days.

It was only the second time in my life that my heart had ever raced like that. The first was when a car plowed through a guardrail right in front of me.

Please drive safely to avoid accidents, everyone. You never know when something dangerous can happen. And sometimes it happens when you least expect it. I still have dreams about that and think “I would’ve been crushed as flat as a newspaper.” Just so you know, there were apparently no serious injuries or fatalities, so please don’t worry.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent there. I was using up space. I’ll get back to the point.

I thought things would go smoothly with the publishing process, but there were tough obstacles standing in my way and one storm after another.

I went back and forth about how I wanted the Status Screen to be displayed. I asked my parents for advice but then they told my entire family about the novel. I was so embarrassed, I got into a huge fight with them for the first time in years. Then, I forgot the password to my email account and couldn’t get in contact with my editor. Looking back on it I can say I totally self-destructed.

But it was all worth it in the end, because the status screen turned out wonderfully. I made several suggestions and someone worked very hard on the layout for me.

To my editor, I’m so sorry I was so demanding even though we were so short on time. I’d like to take this moment to apologize. Even though I don’t actually feel bad about it.

Supposedly it’s getting more and more rare to see status screens in stories published on the web; most of them are written out vertically.

But why? They look so much better when they’re written out the other way! Or at least that’s what I thought, so I decided to do it horizontally. But as the manuscript went on, I realized that writing them out horizontally was so restrictive. I got so frustrated I even cried about it.

After going back and forth on it several times, I finally agreed to do it vertically.

I’m very relieved that it looks like this now. I have plans for even more parts about the main character’s status in the story, so I hope you don’t mind. There might be a ton of status screens in the second volume. Sorry if the book ends up being so thick you can’t even fit it on your shelf. I guess you’ll have to stack it on its side.

I’d like to end this by saying thank you to Earth Star Novels for publishing the book, NAJI Yanagida for the beautiful, realistic illustrations, everyone who supported me since my days on the website, and of course my readers who purchased this book. Thank you all so very much.

I hope we meet each other again very soon.

Writing this as I look out at the wilting avocado tree beside my window.

—NECOCO