Every novel begins with a terrible first draft, written on a whim by its author. Before revisions, editors, or corrections, that draft is inevitably riddled with plot holes, shallow characters, and tired clichés. On the day his debut novel was published, Athen sat on a train, obsessively refreshing the review page and thinking back to that messy first draft. “I've come so far...” Ten years of work. All leading to this moment. Unfortunately, he would never get to see that review page.