dystopian

Author’s Notes – Warriors, The Reverians Series, #3

Thank you to all the readers out there who have taken a chance on my books. Thank you for picking up this series. I know that your time and energy are valuable and you chose to spend a little of that on me. I write because I have to. But you read because you choose to. And your support has enabled me to make a career of writing. This has provided for my family, allowed me to tell stories and experience endless moments of joy.

Once more, I’m giving you author notes from ten years after this series was completed. It feels like I’ve stepped into an old life revisiting this series. I remember being in Em’s mind and feeling the pressures. I can almost smell the fresh pine of Austin Valley. And I long for Tutu to give me advice and Nona to make me smile. And I still and will always miss Rogue. But I hope that after book two and those author notes, you see that I’m right—Rogue always had to die.

The cowboy always knew he was going to die. That house, the one he built for his best friends, it was all a part of his gifts. And really, you must see that Em would never have had the gumption and tenacity to start that war if Rogue hadn’t died.

In my current writing, I don’t care much for love triangles. I don’t really consider Em, Zack and Rogue to be that. They were best friends. And then in the end, there was happiness. But not without pain.

There are so many aspects to the series that feel like home to me. The library, the farm, the family, the spirit and even the town. Oh, and the goats! I still get excited when I see those farm animals.

I really appreciate you taking this journey with me. I know it’s been a long road of tears, but hopefully so many treasures too. I loved Tutu’s story, which was a lovely surprise. And I love the relationships, like the unexpected one with Ren. He has his own series, if you like an anti-hero like me.

I’ve enjoyed time traveling back to the past and exploring the series that captured my heart and made me start running. I’ve finally stopped. Like Em, I found what I was looking for. It doesn’t mean I’m done. It simply means I can really start living, like Em, without fears and with a joy for what’s to come in the future.

I hope you enjoy my stories.

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Sarah Noffke

Jan 15, 2025 | Posted by in Author, Blog, dystopian | Comments Off on Author’s Notes – Warriors, The Reverians Series, #3

Author’s Notes – Rebels, The Reverians Series, #2

Thank you to all the readers out there who have taken a chance on my books. Thank you for picking up this series. I know that your time and energy are valuable and you chose to spend a little of that on me. I write because I have to. But you read because you choose to. And your support has enabled me to make a career of writing. This has provided for my family, allowed me to tell stories and experience endless moments of joy.

Again, I’m writing you these author notes ten years after finishing this series. And that’s given me ten years to think about the ending of this book. It’s also given me ten years to receive emails and messages from readers. I’ve heard about the tears and pains. I know that Rogue dying scarred many, just as it did to me so long ago. I’m not sure I’m over Rogue’s death yet.

This is why author notes are important. I should have said this a long time ago. Maybe it would have helped. Maybe not. But the truth is, I knew when I started writing this series that Rogue was always going to die. I hesitated to put those first few words on a page when writing Defects, knowing that the happy, resilient Rogue Vider would perish tragically at the end of book two. I searched for another way. And maybe there could have been one, but I really don’t think so.

Rogue always had to die…

If you’re grieving now, then I’m sorry. But I’ll tell you what I’ve told others and was true for me. The antidote for this pain is reading book 3. It’s true. You’re upset right now and with good reason. But if you continue to read the series, you’ll find that Em becomes something new. This was only possible after a huge loss. She becomes braver, smarter and stronger than ever before. It is that loss that gives her new powers.

Also, the ending to book 3 is not possible in a world where Rogue lives. I can say no more. But truly, if I could have kept that man alive, I would have. He died for a reason—both in his world and in ours.

I hope you enjoy my stories.

Thanks for reading.

Sincerely,

Sarah Noffke

 

Jan 15, 2025 | Posted by in Blog, dystopian | Comments Off on Author’s Notes – Rebels, The Reverians Series, #2

Author’s Notes – Defects, The Reverians Series, #1

Thank you to all the readers out there who have taken a chance on my books. Thank you for picking up this series. I know that your time and energy are valuable and you chose to spend a little of that on me. I write because I have to. But you read because you choose to. And your support has enabled me to make a career of writing. This has provided for my family, allowed me to tell stories and experience endless moments of joy.

I’m writing these author notes for this book, Defects, to you almost ten years after publishing this book. The reason for this is that I’ve had a wonderful career as an author, and now have the opportunity to look back. These days, readers enjoy the insights I provide in my author notes at the end of the books. I didn’t always give those little peeks into my life, so I thought, why not do that for you now.

The Reverians was the second series I ever wrote. This book was the 3rd one. I’ve now written over 120 books in over 16 different series. I had no idea at the time that I’d go on to write so many characters and stories. And now looking back, I realize, I never really had a choice. I’m the servant of the creative mind. The compelled storyteller. The one who can’t rest as long as a tale needs to be told.

Since writing this much loved series, I’ve written others that are very dear to my heart. I’ve also written out of desperation, trying to simply make money. That never really worked very well. I didn’t start to really “make it” as an author until I believed in myself and wrote from my heart.

I’ve been blessed to craft a very popular universe known as the Beaufonts. That helped me immensely. But please know, the Reverians, was 100% written from the heart. It was only that I didn’t have the time, energy, knowledge or money to make it a big success at the time, although it’s had its share of praises. And it’s different than my newer series. It’s darker. It’s dystopian. It’s raw. And I love it in a way that I can’t say the same about for my newer books.

The characters in the Reverians are flawed in ways I’d never allow in the Beaufont world. There’s death. There’s wicked deceit. There’s tragedy. But with all that comes much bigger highs too.

I remember distinctly the inspiration that started the Reverians. I’ve always loved politics and dystopian. At the time, I felt very trapped in my own life. I didn’t feel lied to, like our dear Em Fuller, but I did think that I’d lied to myself. So, I wrote about a woman who raced through the woods, trying to find the truth and a better life. And at night, in my real life, I did the same, putting on my running shoes and setting off in the dark. It took me a long time to figure things out. It will take Em a long time to do the same in Austin Valley.

I hope you continue to the next book, Rebels. I wrote this series to have so many levels of depth. There’s symbolism in so many aspects of the books. The characters are meant to represent strong archetypes. The politics is meant to make commentary on our own society. We love and we fear rebels. That’s the absolute truth.

Looking back, I feel much like Em. I couldn’t shortcut it to the successful books. I had to carve my writers career through the different series, exploring my voice, finding the truth. And that truth obviously changes as we do. As we grow and learn.

I hope you keep reading about Em as she becomes a new person over this series. And I hope you continue with me as a writer, seeing how I’ve changes as I’ve written. I’m not close to being done after 120 books. And that is simply because there is always another evolution. We are human. We are meant to change, to explore and then to tell those stories.

I hope you enjoy my stories.
Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
Sarah Noffke

Jan 15, 2025 | Posted by in Blog, dystopian | Comments Off on Author’s Notes – Defects, The Reverians Series, #1