Chapter 132 - FACTS

Now that the book is over, I know that I've said it before, but I want to use this opportunity to say thank you to every single person that read this imperfect book. Truth be told, I didn't think it'd have as much success as it does right now and it's honestly a great feeling. 500k+ and counting is a huge deal to me.

Thank you so much for going on Melody and Jason's bumpy yet rewarding journey, I tried my best to make the story as realistic as possible, also while keeping up with the teen fiction fantasy that people love.

After this, I hope I'd be able to write the second book for Epiphany, If you haven't checked that out, please do. For now, I have nothing planned as regards the second book.

Due to popular demand, I've decided to tell you all a little about myself. Actually, you all probably know a lot about me because some of the things written, events that happened and references made are actually factual. They're not all made up. I won't tell you which is which, instead, let your imaginations run wild.

I'm so happy that a lot of you were able to connect with the characters. They are not perfect and most of the main characters messed up big time. Hopefully it taught you a lot of life lessons.

1. I'm black and I'm of Nigerian descent. That was obvious.

2. I'm a student, a law student to be precise.

3. I'm a voracious reader.

4. I'm nineteen.

5. I love Netflix.

6. My favorite series of all time is The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The Originals is a close second.

7. I'm a lover of almost all genres of music.

8. My favourite female artiste is Taylor Swift. Beyonce is a close second.

9. My favourite male artiste is Michael Jackson. Bruno Mars is a close second.

10. I love taking long walks. It helps me keep a clear head.

11. HYLY was first posted on Wattpad before I moved it here.

12. My favourite book of all time is Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

13. My favourite movie all time is A Star is Born.

14. I'm allergic to nuts.

15. I'm an only child.

16. I'm a K-pop and K-drama stan. I've probably watched a lot more K dramas than what is considered to be normal.

17. My favorite K-pop band is EXO.

18. My favourite band is Maroon 5.

19. I love cartoons. I'm a big baby...lol.

20. I've never been to a Beyonce concert.

Now, let's get to fun facts about the book.

1. My cousin's name is actually Jason. He's a year old and I hope he doesn't read this when he's much older...lol.

2. Melody is actually the name I wanted to give my future daughter, if I ever end up being a mother. Like I said, I love music, and that name couldn't be more befitting.

3. Theo's character is inspired by a reality crime series I watched. I can't remember the details, but what I do remember is there was a cop who went undercover in order to expose the attrocities of a motocycle gang.

4. Paris is a city I've always wanted to visit. It's literally on top of my bucket list.

5. Mariah's character is inspired by Regina George from Mean Girls.

6. In order to describe some of the scenes effectively, I had to act them with my friends. This was so in order for me to be able to have an accurate depiction of events.

7. The original title of the book was Hate at First Sight. I thought it was too long and not that catchy so I changed it to HYLY.

8. I have so many drafts of this book. I think I have like ten of it.

9. In the original draft, Melody and Jason didn't have a happy ending. He died and Melody ended up alone.

10. In the original draft, Bob/Daniel/Vladmir didn't die. He actually lived enough to fight for Melody which led to conflict between him and Jason.

11. My favourite character in the book is Theo. I don't know why, but I really like how he panned out in the book. I've never had a sibling before but I imagine that real older brothers behave like he does.

12. Easton and Phaedra's story was inspired by the countless Youtube videos I've watched of teen mums, teen couples and teen pregnancies.

13. Principal Grande's name was inspired by Ariana Grande.

14. Dorothea's name came from the Taylor Swift song called Dorothea.

15. My friend's name is actually Ryan. He hasn't read the book yet,

16. The events of the book is between August 2019 and April 2020.

17. There is nothing called Type A Sephiligitis.

18. In the original draft, Mariah was going to end up miserable. The plan was to let her live her days as an old hag with fifty cats. But, I decided last minute to take a detour. The reason was because in most books I've read, the ''villain'' ends up being bitter throughout the book. I wanted to change that narrative hence why Melody and Mariah made up. People change, circumstances change and humanity is constantly evolving. 

19. My favourite scene from the book was when Melody whip-cream-sprayed Mariah and Jason when they where making out near her locker. What's yours?

20. In the original draft, Melody was going to reconcile with her dad. How? Well he was a member of the Siddeno mafia family and she found that out through Patricia. Patricia wasn't originally the villain. It was meant to be Mariah down to the end.

21. If I were to create a fantasy cast, China Anne Mcclain would play Melody and Shawn Mendes would play Jason; Lele Pons would play Paris and Trevor Jackson would play Ryan.

22. The book originally had sixty-eight chapters.

23. Melody was seventeen in the beginning of the book. Jason was a year older.

24. Melody's birth month is August. Jason's is June.

With this, I say goodbye to you all.

Till I write again,

With love,

Queen_Of_Royals.