Hello,

I just want to let you know that with a heavy, yet steady heart, I am retiring my stories and my active status as a writer from this website.

Why? Oh, I think that's been made clear. I think that the response to a great many of Jate stories on this site, by some of the finest Jaters I have had the pleasure of knowing, is such crap, and it's time to stop giving you readers a pass, and placating your laziness with more hopes and dreams about you getting the message. So, here is the message, in black and white.

I have so many more follows and favorites than I do reviews. A FAVORITE AND/OR A FOLLOW IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR REVIEWS OF NOT JUST ONE CHAPTER, BUT A GOOD NUMBER OF THEM. That's textbook. They are different functions on the site for a reason. I'm also very upset at the functionality of this site, because I just blocked a good bunch of readers with the 'Block User' function, but they can still read my stories, so what is the point of it in the first place? The writer has no power over who has access to their work on this site, which is why anything I write from here on out will be posted elsewhere, in a private and blocked manner. Those who care will care enough to go through the steps of being granted access. It'll weed out those who could give a damn, which is a big chunk of the lot of you and not just my audience, but Yas' (yas-m), Monica's (emerson023), and Cort's (MorningGlory2) readers as well. Even writers who are just starting out are feeling deflated and ready to turn it in, because the returns are not matching up to the investment made. The silence is more than loud enough to walk off-stage, never to give our all to any chapter, ever again.

I understand that LOST is four years post-mortem, but between myself and the writers I just mentioned, the stats and traffic for our work indicates that there are a lot of you who are still out there, active (which is a very flimsy word at this point, because you don't actually do anything but read), but who don't care to keep writers here who want to write and entertain. This is not a single action that is about me and only me and my stories, this is about the other Jate writers as well, who give and give and receive little to nothing. It's supposed to be a conversation between artist and admirer, and not this dead-silent bullshit.

Furthermore, to let you in on a little secret, this is why I have yet to complete THIS story since I put the brakes on, cold turkey, back in 2012. I was not receiving the adequate response necessary for all the hard, arduous, detail-oriented work I was putting in, so I stopped. I didn't say that was the cause back then, because I was trying to power through it, but I didn't have any power left for minimal returns, when I give maximum effort. Work, graduate school, family, I gave it all to them, because they actually gave enough of a damn to give it back.

I remember how I felt (and still feel) after I wrapped the story, "He Has Her." That epilogue was a labor of love that I SLAVED over, no detail was left to chance. I felt downright cheated at the lack of reviews for it. Monica was a huge help in producing that perfect ending (I modeled Maddie after Monica's own daughter for crying out loud, because I don't have children of my own and I wanted her to be as vivid as possible for YOU as readers), and I share that epilogue with her, it was a labor of love for the both of us. Even she believed that I deserved more reviews. I have collaborated with Monica on both of her stories, and Cort as well, and to dismiss their efforts is to dismiss mine, pretty much. This just verifies and strengthens my reasoning for leaving this website.

Readers expect Jate and LOST writers alike to churn out entertainment with no contribution at all. These stories take time, planning, commitment, and MORE TIME heaped on top. The excuses about being in the grocery aisle and forgetting to review, or having poor English are loose and flaccid. We have time to go grocery shopping, to work, class, exercise, spend time with family, hell, for some of us, RAISE families, and we carve out of that to write, to keep the Jate Fan-fiction community somewhat afloat, but you give nothing back. It's just come to the point where I'm going to make the first big move and take control of my stories by appropriating granted access to them in another place altogether. A closed mouth will never be fed from my hand ever again.

Now, to those of you who have been absolutely great about leaving reviews for anything I write, past and/or present, THANK YOU SO SO SO SO SO SOOOOOOO MUCH. You have no ungodly clue how much your vocal presence means to me. You know who you are, and please don't hate me for this decision, or think that your contribution is not enough. It's everything, but the six or seven of you are pulling the weight of twenty-some other readers. I would love nothing more than to continue to post to this website for you and you alone, but I'm tired of other readers taking advantage of your desire to see this story written to the finish (and believe me, I've seen the viewing and visitor stats, and more people are reading than reviewing). Also, I'm pretty tired of this website's sheer absence of options when it comes to creating a private audience. Anyone who is anyone can read my stories, and I'm done with allowing that. Only those of you who care to speak up have earned a special place, and I have created that place for you, so please be open to following me there.

With that being said, I have completed the next chapter for this story, and it is up on my private Jate fan-fiction blog RIGHT NOW. For those of you who would like to both read it AND review (there is no longer the former without the latter), please send me a private message and I will provide you with a link and instructions on how to view the blog and its contents. I have to say, this is the chapter of "I Will Come Back Here For You" that I have been waiting and wanting to write for three years now. It's the game-changer.

Finally, to those of you who do dog shit every 6000+ words, and especially after I made myself completely vulnerable to the situation by asking for more involvement explicitly, good luck in your future searches for worthwhile Jate fan-fiction.

All the best,

Erica