• Ember.

A Letter from Author Stacey Jay If you love Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet… I love Shakespeare’s plays--the clever dialogue, the poetry, the epic themes, the tortured characters--but I could never understand why I should love Romeo and Juliet. Yet, it was assumed that I would. That I should. It is our culture’s ultimate, iconic love story, albeit a tragic one. But is it? Really? Let’s pretend for a moment that we’re talking about people we know. People we love. Our friends, our family. There’s a boy and a girl. They’ve known each other only a few days—and the boy was head over heels for someone else just a few days before that—but when denied the right to be together, they each decide suicide is their only option. And so they die. Love over. Life over. What exactly is romantic about that? As much as I love Shakespeare’s work, I hate that so many readers come away from Romeo and Juliet viewing it as a fine romance. For me, Romeo and Juliet is a cautionary tale, about the disastrous things that can happen when you value anything--even your true love--more than you value yourself. I have an amazing husband, but if something were to happen to him I would not even consider ending my life. Because my life is valuable. The love I’ve found with him helped me understand that, and helped me learn to love myself as much as he does. And I’m so glad I did, because I believe only when we love ourselves can we love our mate with the purity and awesomeness they deserve. That’s why Juliet Immortal is about a Juliet who learns to love herself as much as the boy who loves her. About a Juliet who's been through the worst breakup imaginable and learns to love and trust again. It’s not a cautionary tale, or even a warning against sudden attraction or inuation. Sometimes we fall hard and fast--especially when we’re young--and there’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t believe love is something to be approached with guards in place and walls erected. The only weapon you need in the quest for true love is found within. Love yourself, value yourself and your good heart, and no failed romance will ever bring you as low as poor Juliet or her Romeo. That’s what I hope my readers will take away from this book. That...and a love for unexpected monsters. Because what story is complete without a few unexpected monsters?