Hey, Guys… Let’s talk.

~ Tara Nichole

Hi, everyone! And welcome to our September fire side chat, helped, in part, by the raging fires of the Pacific Northwest (pauses to cough). Is everyone comfortable? Everyone good? You got a drink in the back? Excellent.

I took a lot of time of time off writing, basically all of 2019, because between 2015 and 2019, it’s all I did and I burned myself out. Hard. It legit took an entire year before I could even sit down at a computer and feel creative again.

Then Covid hit and I got so bored I nearly jumped off a bridge.

This one specifically.

I’d already made it a kind of New Years Resolution for 2020 to get back into writing, but that goal became serious when the world shut down in March. Most of the projects I’d been developing at that point weren’t necessarily meant to be published– I just wanted to test some limits and explore some concepts I’d been thinking about without the pressure of an audience.

But there was always this nagging voice in the back of my mind.

Therapy time: I’m a little OCD. And by a little OCD, I mean that when I drink too much, I clean toilets. Believe me, I’m the life of the party.

So, as I started getting deeper into the other projects I was working on, I found myself getting distracted and derailed over and over again because I had this unfinished thing out there, sitting, in limbo, taunting me… I decided to write a one shot and post it, see if that changed anything for me… and it did.

Because of you guys.

When I posted the Covid with the Greys outtake in April, I got so much amazing feedback and support that it kind of derailed my plans a bit. I started thinking about Shades of Fifty again. I re-read A Different Shade, A Broken Shade, A Stronger Shade, and The Final Shade (Which took much longer than I’m proud to admit– haha), and took a few weeks to just think about what I would do if I were to finish it.

Those thoughts turned into an outline, that outline turned into the first few chapters, and now I’m happy to announce:

The Final Shade of Fifty is coming back!

I will start updating again on OCTOBER 5th. I wanted to give you guys a few weeks to re-read Final if you were inclined, because the update I post on October 5th will be Chapter 26– picking up right where I left off. I have once again created an extremely detailed outline that will get me all the way through the end, so I am committed to posting EVERY. SINGLE. MONDAY. (come hell or high water) until I’m finished, which– if nothing deviates from my outline– will be a total of 53 chapters (28 new chapters).

It ends a little differently than I intended when I first outlined book four, which leads me to my first consequence: I’m going to have to delete the Covid outtake. It was written based on how I imagined the story ended before, and there have been major changes that make a lot of what happens in that outtake no longer make any sense. What are those things? You’ll see!

I’m so excited to connect with all of you again and share the new direction of this story. I’m happy with it, so I hope you all will be too. Because despite my long, long absence, it’s still true that I’m…

WishingMrGreyWasHere

85 thoughts on “Hey, Guys… Let’s talk.”

  3. 2020 has been redeemed!!! I’m so happy it’s going to be finished! You’re are such an amazing author and storyteller, honesty this is a book I would pay for and I can’t wait to support your new original content in the future! Reader since 2016

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    1. Oh my god, thank you! It means so much to me that you’ve stuck with me that long!!!! I’m in an argument with some people around me, but I think this is going to be where my original content is posted too, and it’s coming very soon 😉

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  4. HOLY SHIT YOU’RE KIDDING?!
    I’m happy you’re back and well with your creative juices still flowing.

    I’ve thought about it so many times and was hoping to have an end but it would’ve been fine without one too.

    Frankly, it’s been so long I can hardly remember anything so it’ll do me well to reread everything.

    Looking forward to Final!

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    1. I’m not kidding!
      It makes me feel really great to know that this story has made enough of an impact on you to have you thinking about it after all this time, so thank you for your dedication, it really means so much to me. I hope that what’s to come lives up to your expectations 🙂

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  5. Well really great … amazing news!
    Can’t wait!

    That’s exactly what I need with all this COVID-19 pandemic….

    Thank you so so much!

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  7. I am legit rereading the entire series for the 7th time and just finished explaining to my roommate why this series means so much for me. And how in the past four years getting the new chapter on Monday always made my week make sense. Thanks for writing this and for continuing also for taking time when you needed it and taking care of yourself.

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  8. I dropped my phone when I read this. Like many of your fans, I have been with you from the beginning and was so excited when your website came back online so we could all reread this amazing saga, regardless of where it stopped.

    Like others have said, I too would happily pay to read your stories so the fact that you share your talent with people – just because you want to – is such a gift.

    Can’t wait to see where you take these characters next and to read everyone’s comments afterward. Honestly, that’s sometimes my favorite part! You have a very witty, bright, funny fan base for sure.

    Thanks for the great news. Be safe with all the s**t going on out there. Looking forward to Monday’s again. And Go Seahawks! ❤️

    Allie from Minnesota

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    1. Not the phone! haha
      I actually know you’ve been here the whole time Allie, and I appreciate all the conversations we’ve had on messenger and all of the comments you’ve left both for me and in response to others! I agree with you– I do have a very witty, bright, funny fanbase (who TBH is a little difficult to fool most of the time haha). I love the conversations that happen each and every time I post, and I think those conversations are a HUGE reason why I choose to continue posting here rather than seek more traditional avenues.
      I really hope what I have planned lives up to the two year hiatus. It’s a very wild, up and down ride but I worked really hard to keep it all grounded in Christian and Ana’s love.

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  10. Yay!! I’m excited to delve back into your creativity. You’ve given me an enormous amount of homework (I haven’t done that in 30+ years) . I better get to re-reading!

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  11. OMG I’m so so happy you’re back although I did miss your Covid post 🤔 your work is some of the best fanfiction I’ve followed, can’t wait for the new chapters

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  17. Such exciting news! Your Monday updates made the week easier, and your story is soooooooo great! Can’t wait to see where it all leads! Now….I need to re-read everything! What a hardship! 😂❤️
    Welcome back! You just brightened a shitty year! Thank you!

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  18. Hi Tara

    I literally was having such a shitty day until now when I saw your update. I am so glad that you are back and I look forward to the next 28chapters. You never disappoint so I’m looking forward to it

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  19. AHHHHHH LIKE REALLY AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

    The moment I received the notification of a new post, I thought that you’d be telling us about your new journey to become an author and I never truly believed you would continue with this series… it was such a surprise that I LITERALLY started to jump and scream in my room that my mother came and asked me if there was something wrong.

    I feel like Christmas morning all over again. Like the premiere of a new movie. Even better than the lottery. Because you get to light all my days, especially Mondays, with your stories (even days after updating because my mind keeps thinking about all the posibles paths that the story could take). And even more because, after reading this story for like the 20th time, this time it will have an ending, like the official ending, which I will discover every week, racking my head to find out what it is.

    For all that, you don’t know how excited I am! Thank you, thank you a lot.

    And forgive me for every grammar mistake I wrote, I’m too excited right now to proofread.

    Laters, Tara!

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    1. AHHHHHHHH!!!! I’m also very excited. It WILL have an ending and I’m very happy with it. There’s also an epilogue on the end, which was the first thing I wrote when I decided to come back and start again, and it’s pure warm goo. 🙂

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  23. So weird!! I’m actually rereading your series right now. I just got to the Final Shade. That happens sometimes. I go back to reread a beloved fanfic that never finished, and out of the blue the author posts an update (YEARS LATER), as I’m reading.

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  24. Welcome back, Tara! Such lovely news and excitement to be continuing reading your fabulous work again! You’re such an excellent author. Every word you wrote/write have me hanging and wanting more. Am so glad you took time and a break. The end result will be amazing because you’re more than ready, so are we. Since your last post, Mondays have been quiet. Not any more come October 5th. I remember the enthusiasm. Looking forward and to the reviews which are passionate because we want to offer our thoughts and ride the journey with you. More like obsess with your writing. Thanks, for the great news!

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  25. This is fantastic news. I’ve had a horrible year with my own health and then my father-in-law passed away over the weekend. I’ve always loved your writing and your stories and I’m so happy that you’re going to continue. I’m gonna start rereading probably from the beginning and I will be already come October 5, which by the way is my birthday weekend.

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  27. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

    I am so excited. You are an awesome writer and I was so sad when you quit writing your story. Mondays haven’t been the same.

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  29. Oh. My. God. Now I have to find the time to re-read all of them. *runs bath, lights candle, pours wine* Challenge accepted.

    I’m so glad you have found the energy and desire to pick this up again. I’ve missed happy Monday’s so much!

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  30. AGHHHH! I was going through my emails and mass deleting all of the stuff in there b/c so much was spam and hit delete and was like WHOA WHAT and went and found your email. Oh the happiness this brings me today. BEST news of all 2020 honestly (your COVID blurb was great but this knocks it out!). So happy that you are going to write more of this. Yeah for Monday’s starting in October!!!

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  36. Thank you so much. It is hard to put into words the way I have missed your writing, your Christian and Ana. This is super exciting and while I reread the first book during Covid, I am jumping back into the final shade right away to be ready for 10/5.
    What a great gift, your story’s resurrection during a difficult time.

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  40. OMG I am so happy! This has made my shitty summer fabulous! I just got done reading chapter 25 last week. I was bummed about that it wasn’t finished. Now here you are….making my month! I’m excited to hang with you on Monday nights!
    Cool beans babe!

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  43. I’m so happy when I received the email And I can’t wait to read what you planned for the last 28 chapters! I’ve been re reading all of the books too before I start Uni to you know get back into it (something that I enjoy reading) before diving into the real world of studying abroad. Thank you for deciding to continue with this, it means a lot to me 😁

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  44. Love to have you back, been thinking about and I just read the post on Covid that I had missed. I read most of the outtakes that I had missed then been catching up reading other fanfics to keep me occupied.
    Thank you very much for coming back and will be waiting on October 1st.😍

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  45. Yay!!!!! So happy you are back I just reread all of them had a feeling you would come back soon. So happy I get to wake up Tuesday mornings to a update

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  48. Gracias.♥️💐♥️💐♥️💐😷😉 Sólo por favor con todo lo que traiga el drama final, que sea HEA. No podría vivir algo diferente para ellos después de tanto anhelar su felicidad y final.

    El lun., 21 de septiembre de 2020 11:53 a. m., wishingmrgreywashere escribió:

    > wishingmrgreywashere posted: ” Hi, everyone! And welcome to our September > fire side chat, helped, in part, by the raging fires of the Pacific > Northwest (pauses to cough). Is everyone comfortable? Everyone good? You > got a drink in the back? Excellent. I took a lot of time of ti” >

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  49. O.
    M.
    G.

    I’m so glad and so very very PROUD of you. Shades is YOUR world, we all just want to live in it.

    Quite possibly your biggest fan,
    A.J. Mackey

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