Let’s all take a moment to hear the Coldplay song my headline quotes in our heads. (If you don’t know the song I reference, it’s The Scientist…and that song has the power to make you cry, I tell you!)

Those words just felt fitting for this post. It’s release-eve…though by the time most of you read this post, The Hail Mary will be live and out in the world. This book…it was the end of a journey for me. I’ve been thinking about what to write here, for my regular-irregular blog post…and the thing that just kept sticking in my mind is the fact that this trilogy was a duet for so long. I keep asking myself why?

I know…I know…a lot of you have been asking me that for about five years. Six? Damn…shoot, yeah…six years. I know…I know…it always was meant to be a trilogy. I think I probably knew that deep down. But these characters, more than any I’ve ever written, are family. My bones are their bones, my insecurities are Nolan’s, my bravado is Reed’s, and the wisdom of my family members is in Buck. This series is my home. It’s rooted here, quite literally. And the truth of the matter is I never wanted to do anything to these books – the first two…Waiting on the Sidelines and Going Long – that would make them less than what they were.

Waiting was my first, and it will always be my precious baby. It’s the book I always wanted to write, and every time a girl like me finds it and identifies with it, my heart beats a little harder. Going Long was the ride. That book was fueled by joy and a new-found confidence that yes…I could do this. But their story–the story of the girl with a boy’s name and the screwed up, competitive, little jerk that she loved and forgave maybe more than she should–yeah…it wasn’t over. You guys were right. They needed their sunset.

I’ve said this a few times in posts and in various places, but this book – The Hail Mary – is the most satisfying cherry on top I could have ever written. I’m never this certain at the finish. I’m never this bold or confident at release. But I know that if you’ve loved the ride, you’re going to love this trip back home. The Hail Mary is for you. Turns out…it was for me, too.

It’s perfect.

I hope you all enjoy!

XOXO

Ginger