Finishing a Fantasy Trilogy: A New Year Brings the End of My Story

The Emotional Journey of Completing

The Legacy of the Four Series in 2026

There's something about a new year that invites reflection. Not just on resolutions or goals, but on journeys...on the long arcs we don't always realize we're walking until we reach the end.

As this new year begins, I find myself standing at the closing chapter of the Legacy of the Four trilogy.

This story began years ago, long before it had a name, a structure, or a clear destination. It lived quietly in my head as fragments, characters who wouldn't leave me alone, moments that replayed themselves until I finally wrote them down. Back then, I had no idea it would grow into a trilogy, let alone something that would take years of my life and so much of my heart.

The first books arrived in 2025. They stepped into the world carrying pieces of me, shaped by late nights, stolen moments, and an unshakable need to see this story through.

And now, in 2026, the journey is coming to a close.

The third and final book has a title. It has cover art. It has a blurb. And as I write this, it's deep in editing, being sharpened, refined, and prepared for its last step into the world. Seeing all of that come together fills me with a kind of joy that's hard to describe. Pride, relief, gratitude. A quiet awe that this thing that once existed only in my imagination is now real, tangible, and nearly complete.

And yet…I will miss them.

These characters have been my friends for years. They've been with me through seasons of change, through doubt and excitement, through moments where writing felt effortless and moments where it felt impossible. Saying goodbye to them feels a little like saying goodbye to friends. I can only hope I did right by them, that I honored who they were, that I gave them an ending that was earned, not rushed, not borrowed, but true to the story they demanded to tell.

Finishing a fantasy trilogy was mine to do, and mine alone. Every choice, every risk, every step forward and backward. It wasn't easy, and it wasn't always pretty, but it was worth it. It has been such a ride.

As this chapter closes, my work doesn't stop. I'll continue to promote these books, to fight for their place in the world, to get them into the hands of readers who might find something meaningful within them. These stories deserve to be read, and I'll keep showing up for them.

So here's to a new year. Here's to endings that feel full instead of empty. And here's to the quiet, beautiful satisfaction of seeing a long-held dream finally reach its final page.

Thank you for being here, at the end, and at the beginning of whatever comes next.

Until our paths cross between realms,

J.F. Monroe