I just wanted to take a moment to thank anyone who has ever read this story at all. It has been a very long time since I started this thing, back when I was around Alice's age at the beginning of the story before I posted it on Fictionpress. Now I'm twice Alice's age. (I'll let you do the math).

I'm not even sure whether there are even any of the original readers still around there or whether they would even remember enough of the story to read the last chapter, especially given the last time I updated it was in 2018. But I thought we all needed the closure on it. It was incredibly surreal, writing a lot of this section. I've been thinking about a lot of the images and lines since I first started. Seeing them on the page is incredibly cathartic.

Another major reason I wanted to finally put a wrap on this first draft is because I've been overhauling and rewriting this from the beginning for a while now in an effort to get it ready for publishing. And I figured I'd offer a few notes on what that's currently looking like for those who are curious.

First off, I'm currently imaging Voice as a five book series. Each of the current parts is a book with the current part 3 being two books. There's also another completely new book I'm writing that is set between parts 1 and 2 to give us a little more time to travel with Bear's Teeth before they break up like the Beatles. At present I've already completely rewritten the first book (Now titled The Bluebird and the Pit) and am working on that mysterious new second book.

The core of the book series is pretty much the same. Alice is still largely learning the same lessons and most of the beats are even rather similar. What is different is our setting. The kingdom which in this version is sort of a nameless medieval kingdom somewhere in Europe now has a name, a history, and lore that affects the plot and the characters. I've also added some extra little tidbits to some characters' backstories. Most of these additions don't change the characters too terribly much. Mostly they give greater context to their motivations and actions.

(I did try to overhaul Sir John quite a bit though... pretty sure I was about fifteen or sixteen when I wrote him and I really wasn't sure what I wanted from him at the time.)

I'm planning on trying the traditional publishing route and finding a literary agent, so we'll see how that goes.

Whatever happens, I just want you to know that I totally appreciate you all and the support you've given me over the years. It may have seemed little but it meant a lot to me. This book is literally like reading a time capsule of all the things God's done in my life, all the tough times, and things I've had to work through. And I hope that if you've ever felt cursed with silence, that you start to see the roots of where it can come from and, like Alice, you can take steps forward bit by bit and realize that you too have an impact, you too matter. We simply can't help it. It's part of existing. Trust me.

Sincerely,
Potoperson