40 Days In The Desert

Author's Note

Hello dear readers,

You're now about to read one of the stories that are very dear to my heart. Written in just one month and a half, this book was initially meant to be published as a prequel after I was going to end the second volume of Beauty and Decay, as the main protagonist is a secondary character in that part. Yet, after I finished writing this little experiment, I couldn't wait anymore and wanted to share it with you, so I decided to publish it earlier.

Just as a warning, throughout the end there might be slight spoilers from Beauty and Decay 2. Other than that, this story can be read as a standalone and has very little connection to the series. The action takes place decades before Beauty and Decay, hence it can be easily read by someone who has no idea about the characters in those books.

The idea of this story started from the fact that I wanted to write something about my favorite city, Berlin. It ended up becoming very dear to me, not only because I got the chance to feature the places I connect with and talk about the music scene, but also because it managed to become a work combining everything that I love. So, regardless of whether you feel like criticizing it or if it's not your cup of tea, this story is what I've been wanting to write for so long and I'm just so happy that I got the time to do it.

Obviously, all forms of constructive criticism and feedback are accepted, as I'm willing to improve and I love reading each and every comment. Thank you in advance to anyone making an effort to leave their opinions.

One last notice before you proceed reading — the trigger warnings. I don't have warnings for each chapter, so venture at your own risk, but be aware that the story features: violence, language, drugs and alcohol consumption, non-explicit sex scenes, gore, and slight mentions of occult elements.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.

With love,
amoreodiamanti