The Metropolis Series #3: Quinn and Cassandra

THE METROPOLIS SERIES has been my passion project for twelve years. At thirteen, perhaps I had nothing else to do on New Year’s Eve, so I picked up a notebook and began writing. I never thought that I’d still be working on the same story at twenty-five. I wasn’t sure what direction I wanted my novels to take, so I kept drafting, experimenting, and archiving storylines that didn’t work.

My indecisiveness was the reason for taking so long, but with that, Quinn’s story became the documentation of my growth as an artist and a writer.

When you spend so long writing and developing your world and characters, you meet many people along the way. This section is dedicated to all the friends and family members who were involved with Quinn, including those who had eventually drifted apart. I may not have gotten along with everyone in the end, but I will always remember the impact the people in my life had on my work.

First of all, I would like to thank my script writing professor, Sir Jojo, for his feedback on one of my earliest works. In college, I submitted a version of Quinn and the Metropolis as my final project.

After years of struggling to finish the first draft in high school, I wanted to explore the idea of fictional characters stuck in an unfinished novel, wherein parts of the world would be named after different literary devices, archetypes, and tropes.

Originally, the entire cast was aware they were fictional, and the plot navigated around that conflict. When I pitched my idea to my professor, he suggested that I should introduce the fictional world more creatively. He said that I could start with a more mundane narrative and slowly make it more twisted as the story went on.

The summer after that academic year, I took the time to further develop that idea, which would later become the first book of The Metropolis Series.

Next, I would like to thank my family for their support over the years. I am grateful for all the notebooks, sketchpads, and art supplies that helped me pursue my passion for writing and illustrating. Thank you to my grandparents, aunts, and uncles for giving me books and fancy notebooks as birthday and Christmas gifts. Thank you to my parents for letting me watch TV so that I would be inspired to eventually create my own content. Thank you, as well, for my first laptop and tablet from when I was seventeen. I’ve heard of a lot of accounts from kids who were discouraged to pursue art by their families. Thank you for not adding to those stories.

Thank you to my mom and sister for taking a look at my manuscript before publishing. I know that you’re both not into reading, so thank you for checking out Quinn, nonetheless!

To Ms. Joy from JMD Copy and Prints, thank you for supplying Quinn’s paperback copies. You’ve helped me bring my books into readers’ hands.

To our family cats, Max, Bobby, Bob, Macmac, Alex, Mari, and Clara, thank you for all the cuteness and shenanigans at home.

Having all of you around definitely lightens the mood!

To the online friends and communities that kept me company during the isolating COVID-19 pandemic, I would like to thank you all for your friendship and encouragement. Most of Quinn and Cassandra was written during those unpredictable times. Thank you for being there for me whenever I needed a breather.

To the AZ Crew (KB, Arli, Bea, Nikka, Janelle, and Zheng), thank you for all the chika and valuable insights on art, writing, and life. I know we don’t have our meetings as often as we did. Life happens, I guess, but I appreciate the time we had together. Good luck with all of your creative endeavors!

To Anika and all my friends in the Everyday Art Space community, streaming art and games with you guys is so much fun.

Art can be an isolating path to take, and you remind me that it doesn’t have to be that way all the time. To more meetups and art conventions in the future!

To Marq, thank you for appreciating my art while also reminding me to rest and take care of myself. I feel like I met you at the right time; I was confused after leaving my job, but you helped me realize that life isn’t always about work. Thank you for helping me get into watching shows and playing games again. Hopefully, all that new content will inspire me to write a new book someday. But in the meantime, I’ll be taking it easy.

To the early readers of Quinn and Cassandra, I express my sincerest gratitude for your appreciation and feedback.

To Prince, who surprised me with multiple notifications when my novels were still on Tapas. Thank you for agreeing to read the third book when I reached out! I was unsure of how I felt about the story, and your positive feedback gave me the boost I needed.

To Luis and Migs, thank you for hyping up my series in my DM’s!

I appreciate all of your honest reviews, your insights, and your theories. Most importantly, thank you for all the jokes and memes about my characters. They sure make me laugh!

To Ria, I know we don’t talk often, but when you surprised me with art of Julio and Quinn after reading my book, I squealed like a fan girl. It meant so much to me, and I don’t think I can properly express that. I wish you luck with your art! It’s amazing, and I know that many opportunities will come your way.

To Stephen, thank you, as well, for all of your art of Quinn. I don’t know if I was able to save them all; you sent a lot of them by surprise.

Your appreciation for my series means a lot to me. Thank you for your honest opinions, as well. You’re probably the first person to point out that there was something off with Curtis when I was working on Quinn Beyond Bounds. You helped steer Quinn’s love life in a different direction, and a better one, at that!

To KB, thank you for being my professional beta reader and for extending your expertise to Quinn. I truly value your feedback so that my books can be the best they can be. I was particularly scared of chapter twenty-three, where Julio reveals Cassandra’s origin to Quinn. Thank you for pointing out that I was tiptoeing around the topic. As one of the most crucial events in the book, that part was challenging for me to write. Because of you, I was able to improve the scene and get my point across in a better way.

I would also like to give credit where credit is due. In your Goodreads review of Quinn Beyond Bounds, you were the first to tell me to “keep the Metropolis alive,” later inspiring Quinn’s final lines in the book (excluding the epilogue). When I wrote those words for the first time, I couldn’t help but get the feeling I had heard them before.

Good thing my memory didn’t fail me; I can now attribute those words to you forever.

And finally, to Noddy. Boy, where do I begin?

First of all, I stand corrected. In Quinn Beyond Bounds, I mentioned you were a beta reader. I learned later on that you were actually an alpha reader because you read Quinn as I wrote it.

Thank you for being the inspiration for Mr. Simon, the Archivist who has seen all of the Author’s work. For years, you were always the first person to read new chapters. You saw my messiest first drafts, my indecisiveness, and my apprehension to tackle heavy topics. You gave me the courage and motivation to own my creations, to write my books the way I wanted them to.

I am honored that you’ve chosen to join me in this passion project of mine. It is hard to imagine an alternate timeline wherein we don’t meet on DeviantArt as teens. Not only are you my writing companion, but my best friend, as well.

You say that working on Quinn is one of the highlights of your life, so in turn, I say this: I never would have been able to defeat Cassandra without you.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to Melbourne to meet you in person, but here’s hoping!

To everyone who supported my art and books, especially during the unpredictability of the pandemic, thank you! In many ways, you helped me pursue writing and bring this series to life.

To my readers, if you’ve made it this far, thank you for sticking with Quinn until the very end.

And finally, to my past self, the teenager who wanted to write and finish a series:

Congratulations, Jay. You made it!