As someone who is primarily a writer and not an artist I massively appreciate all of your help in bringing this story to life!

Also, Dear Reader, if you haven't yet. Please read the prequel comic, The Adventures of Ruby Starfire Volume 0. It's not required, but it's about 22 pages of the best art you'll see in a while from my friend Fird. He's a master of human expression and I think you will agree, a fantastic car artist as well!

This story was written during one of the hardest years of my life. I made a lot of mistakes including some that were catastrophic to a friendship, I nearly died on a couple of occasions including getting into a car accident involving live power lines, and a pair people very close to me did pass away including my grandmother Helen at the age of 97 and my childhood best friend Devon who died so suddenly he didn't even drop his Playstation controller. 

This story is dedicated not only to them, but to this whole year, 2025 and all of its failures. This story is not perfect, I'm sure there's several misspellings, feel free to point them out and make fun of me as much as you wish... (I pledge to correct them overtime...) But the fact that you are reading this now means the world to me. Because it means that I actually completed my goal for the first time as a writer. I got something done to the point that I felt confident enough to push it out into the world, and to show you the reader for your feedback, criticism and hopefully praise. Not just a short story, and not just a poem, or a flash fiction but a full length novel. 

And for that single fact I am incredibly happy.

Ruby's story is so enthralling to me as the writer, that it kept me going through one of the deepest and darkest depressions I've ever gone through. I credit that to her, Ruby that is. I designed her character to have every reason to hate the world, and yet she chooses not to, and wakes up every day with a smile on her face and the goal of doing the best she possibly can for the world and herself. Putting myself in that mindset as well to write about her is what got me through this year. I owe it to a fictional Australian girl in my head and those who believed in story enough to see past my failures as a man and as a friend.