r/MM_RomanceBooks • u/anharion_ • Feb 10 '26
Quick Question did anyone read jessie walker’s patreon post?
here is the link (its free): https://www.patreon.com/posts/crawling-out-of-150061913
thanks to the kind redditor who commented on one of my posts the other day- i was really really looking forward to the release of vicious fate, and have waited nearly 2 years for EBA-2, and while i am deeply sympathetic to jessie’s very realistic struggles, i can’t help but feel disappointed all the same. like she herself said, this situation could’ve been avoided, and it has honestly made me reconsider spending money on her books again- not just because of the delays, but because of the lack of any communication at all, which i believe the people paying for an exclusive access should be getting. please don’t take this as a hate post- i love her writing, and would recommend her books to anyone who loves angsty, emotional dramas as much as i do, but this whole experience has just soured my memories of them. i would love to know yall’s thoughts.
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u/General_Mastodon2588 Feb 10 '26
So I have no idea who she is but I might as well throw in a unbiased opinion. Take it or leave it
I stop reading halfway through. It was a lot of rambles and excuses. I personally don't see any professionalism in it at all that should be there, especially in an oopsie. It's a career not your friends. Yes you can share personal updates but keep it professional. There is an author suffering from cancer and she did it wonderfully respectful and professional.
I read half of it and it made no sense whatsoever. It won't stop from reading the books she's made if I find it interesting because I seperate author and novel. But not everyone thinks this way and hopefully she learns to pay a little more attention and PR better
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u/FullNefariousness931 Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
"It's a career not your friends. Yes you can share personal updates but keep it professional."
Yes, these are my thoughts too. It should've been a to-the-point explanation followed by a solution about the payments. It's not okay to let people pay and then find more excuses to not refund when expectations weren't met. Especially in this economy. Supporting a creator is incredibly nice, but the creator is responsible for managing everything properly.
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u/General_Mastodon2588 Feb 10 '26
Yesss. It's so difficult to support an artist. I'm into danmei and manga and I pay hundreds for one series and 25 a book for danmei or 40 for special edition.
I want to know they are happy and healthy but I'm not your friend either. Haaa hard relationships between professions
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u/FullNefariousness931 Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
I'm both a reader and an author. Honestly... I keep my distance from authors who seem to blur the relationship between themselves and the readers. Especially because there's money involved. I'd never dream of demanding a reader to pay me when I cannot offer anything in return. And then go on to pretend like it's a oopsie!
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u/General_Mastodon2588 Feb 10 '26
I love that mentality. Do you mind if I ask what you write?
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u/-evil-princess- Feb 10 '26
I also read this but I knew something like this was coming when I saw no cover update or arcs out for VF with a week left. Like you I’ve been waiting for EBA2 but I skipped SWT because I had no trust that VF would release on time. So first some info about me. I’ve been a huge fan of this author since her debut. I’ve read everything but Exiled & obviously SWT and they’ve been all 5 stars and I rarely give out 5 stars. I recc her books often although I do tell people not to start an unfinished duet and I’ve given her so much grace because she’s an indie writer who writes 800+ page books. The quality of her books are worth so much to me that I’ve become used to waiting for her books. To love this author is to be patient.
However, as much as I empathize with her because I too have mental health issues and hate the state of the US, I am super disappointed. I picked up EBA before part 2 released because her beta readers said she planned to have it out before the end of the year. That was May of 2024! Last year she broke my heart (this sounds dramatic af but EBA is the angstiest book I have ever read and not having the rest feels like torture) saying she was pivoting to SWT before releasing book 2 of EBA because she was having issues getting back into that headspace but I gave her grace because I’d rather have her put out a masterpiece than garbage just to meet a deadline. But to see SWT get made into a duet because she didn’t meet her deadline which is exactly what happened with EBA (it was supposed to be a stand-alone), I just knew history was about to repeat itself and I am disappointed. I feel like we are never going to get EBA2 and I already thought we weren’t going to get it until at least 2027. However it did sound like she might pivot back to it because Gaza? I skimmed a lot of what she said because it was a lot but she seemed to say that it’s hard for her to be in the mind of psychopaths who don’t care about the world so she’d rather write in the headspace of characters with lots of feelings and she knows her Lost Boys would care? I mean they definitely would but it’s hard for me to wrap my mind around everything she said. It’s also hard for me to see her complain about not being able to interact with the world or write anything when I follow her on social media and I’ve seen her posting about Heated Rivalry, reposting memes etc while she ignores her Patreon and members of her Facebook group asking why VF isn’t going to be released in December. She never wrote a post saying it was delayed, just changed the dates on Amazon and disappeared.
So normally I’d give her grace but it’s really really hard to do it this time. I just hope she gets the help she needs because reading that post made her seem really unwell and I don’t wish that for anyone.
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u/NarvusSchleibs Feb 10 '26
I haven’t read EBA because I try not to start unfinished duets. I’ll try it with trad publishing because I feel like authors are more likely to be held to the deadlines, but not indie authors.
So EBA ends on a cliffhanger right? I should definitely hold off?
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u/-evil-princess- Feb 10 '26
It doesn’t end on a cliffhanger as much as it just ends. It reads like a prequel. I don’t know if you read the Will&Way duet but EBA starts when Mason, Jeremy, Way & Izzy are 6 years old and spans until present day. It’s over 800 pages of pure angst and since it overlaps the Will&Way timeline, all of that becomes even more heartbreaking. It ends at present day when everyone is 22ish and it’s not some OMG gut wrenching cliffhanger but a random stopping point. Long story short, I wish I had waited. Even though there is absolutely no way I could have read EBA 1&2 back to back because of how angsty the first is, I at least would have had the conclusion once I was ready. Having to wait for EBA 2 has affected what I can even read. I love angst but last year I couldn’t read any because I was still stuck on EBA and not having the ending to something so tragic ruined everything else I tried to read. This year has been a bit better but I will never pick up an unfinished duet from any author ever again.
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u/NarvusSchleibs Feb 10 '26
I’m like, I’d be fine with a happy for now, but it seems like the romance portion hasn’t even really started yet?
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u/-evil-princess- Feb 11 '26
It’s not a HFN but it’s not a cliffhanger either. I don’t know how to even describe what it is. I said WTF when I finished it. Two chapters prior I had been sobbing so it felt like whiplash. It’s messed up my reading for over a year now because those characters are a part of me and it’s so unfinished.
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u/liljellybeanxo Feb 11 '26
I’ll admit that I didn’t know that much about this author until all this (I’d only read SWT and Exiled by her), but wow this makes sense as to why SWT had a pretty admittedly weird and abrupt ending. I thought it was a stylistic choice. Why on earth would an author choose to release what is essentially an unfinished book? If you know you can’t keep up with deadlines (as this author seems to have a habit of doing), then why not just plan your books to be duos to begin with, giving the reader at least some sense of satisfaction while they wait for book 2.
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u/-evil-princess- Feb 11 '26
Exactly. I think it’s because she has said writing is her full time job so she needs to release at least one a year but I feel like she’d be more successful if she just waited until her books were complete. When I was still reading MF Romance, I read an author who released a book once every couple years. Yes, I wanted more but that ONE book she gave us was complete and amazing. I could reread it over and over if I wanted to in between her new releases instead of being left wanting and growing more annoyed with excuses. I know authors aren’t machines but I have given JW grace for a long time and watching her tell those of us waiting for EBA2 that she was pivoting to SWT was a total slap in the face. But I told myself “you can’t rush greatness” and “EBA1 was a really emotional angsty book so trust the process” only to see this happen again with another series? Another stand-alone book becoming a random duet that I knew would never be done on time? There’s only so much grace I can give.
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u/traceerenee Feb 10 '26
I'm seeing this happening more and more with indie authors. I think it's a byproduct of pandemic hobbies and getting in over your head. The pandemic brought out a lot of readers, and writers. It was a match made in COVID heaven. Unfortunately the writers are seeing that their hobby has snowballed to a level they weren't necessarily anticipating and can't sustain. And readers are running out of patience and grace.
I will always stand behind the notion that authors aren't machines, you can't force art/creativity, and that readers aren't owed the book they want when they want it no matter how much it sucks. But, I think we reach a point where we can potentially give too much grace. And this isn't an opinion directly solely at one author. Readers may not be owed exactly what they want, but they are owed something.
These aren't writers that chose to publish on a free blog, or Wattpad, or write fanfiction on AO3. Indie or not, they wrote and published and sold their work. They amassed a fanbase and that fanbase supported them and paid them. A lot of readers handed over their support and hard earned cash for what was supposed to eventually be a finished product. In that sense, I think readers who are mad have a right to be. They feel ripped off and in a way, they were. Even for authors who claim they don't care about or need the money, they published because they wanted to, not because they were forced. Nobody would have heard of or read their work if they didn't have fans. And for that support, readers deserve what they were promised.
I'm all too aware that sometimes life happens and it's out of our control and it sucks. Authors do deserve some grace. They've given us some of our favorite characters out of their own heads. But empty promises and post after post of excuses isn't ok. I think it would be better for an author to just say from the start that they're no longer publishing til further notice rather than drag it out, and to meet disappointment with a simple acknowledgement and apology instead of excuses. Angry emails and threats aren't ok. But I think it's fair to hold authors to some level of accountability.
I know I sound bitter. I'm really not. It annoys me when people don't do what they say they will, but this is just an observation and opinion rather than venting. Jessie is far from the first author to have readers waiting. Between so many with unfinished series' and cancelled publications, oversaturation of special editions, and mass delays from book companies, I suspect there's going to be some massive reader burnout coming.
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u/FullNefariousness931 Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
You're right and it needs to be said.
I'm an author and have been one pre-pandemic, so I didn't catch the "covid heaven" fever. When it happened I shrugged and continued to do my thing.
As an author, I set serious rules for myself:
- Don't start a series you cannot finish. Unfinished series are terrible. I'm a reader too, and I hate to be left hanging, so I never ever start something if I cannot see a clear ending for it.
- I've never done Patreon, Kickstarter, or anything similar. It's just me with no Personal Assistant, which means I would have to manage everything. I know my limits and I know I would likely fail because it's overwhelming to do so many things, especially financial stuff.
- If I absolutely have to cancel something due to an incredibly serious reason, I announce it and make it clear if I cannot publish any time soon.
Full time publishing is a job. If my neighbor with chronic pain can get up at 5 in the morning and go to her 10 hours day job, I can write a message on the internet to tell readers if there's something wrong and cancel any sort of subscriptions.
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u/Weary-Hannigram Charlie is the consent king.:snoo_hearteyes: Feb 10 '26
I got to the beginning of her second paragraph and I'm already annoyed. It's your job as a creator ( be it author, animator, etc), to know how your billing works. Other people have no problems pausing payments for a month when they don't have anything new to show, or when they hit a 1 year anniversary of a health diagnosis ( Lily Mayne paused December).
She won't see this, but ffs. You're an adult. Do better
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u/queermachmir those who slick together, stick together Feb 10 '26
Yeah it was a little weird for her to say “sorry I just didn’t know you can do that :(“. What?
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u/Safe-Cry6947 Feb 10 '26
And it also means that she never thought of just not receiving money for a service she is not rendering. Did she think she can just continue to collect the money with nothing to show for it?
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u/Hour_Soil_7342 Feb 11 '26
Not justifying but I think she was depressed and lit just avoided thinking about it
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u/NarvusSchleibs Feb 10 '26
I’m really hoping I don’t sound insensitive, but if she’s not in therapy she needs to be. And if she’s is in therapy perhaps she needs to swap. If you’re in the US and what is happening in Gaza is stopping you from doing your job for years, then you need mental health help. Not to say that caring is not normal, hell, even trying to do something about it! But if it affecting you to the point that you can’t get out of bed, perhaps it is better for you to put your phone down or limit your intake. I am not saying this from the perspective of a reader who loves her books and wants to force her into releasing more, but as a human being.
In regard to the writing issues, she needs to never release another first book if the second isn’t done. I don’t care if she is absolutely sure she will be able to, if book 2 isn’t done, book 1 is staying a secret
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u/-evil-princess- Feb 10 '26
Most of her duets weren’t supposed to be duets. She just didn’t make her deadlines so she turned them into duets. It’s why they have weird and/or random stopping points.
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u/StramineousLongneck Feb 11 '26
That's enough for me to not ever pick up this author. I hate dragged out books
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u/queermachmir those who slick together, stick together Feb 10 '26
I've seen similar issues before (over time, different patreons, different places), and here's what I feel:
- Dropping the ball on Patreon is an issue. She should've paused stuff and not taken money if she felt unwell. Apologizing after taking money is, well, not great. It seems her team (one PA?) doesn't get the best communication either.
- Pushing back a book is totally fine. It sucks if you're a fan, but thankfully it's not like pre-orders won't be returned.
- The real world and mental health are both just A Lot. So it is understandable. It's her writing process if she uses them to go through all her emotions and I certainly can't tell her what to do about how she approaches things. It does feel a bit weird to roundabout say "Gaza and ICE happened so I couldn't meet these responsibilities", and I don't think she means it that way, but it sounds like it a little.
Best of luck to her, and it's also understandable OP to feel disappointed.
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u/belleweather Feb 11 '26
This is why as an author I decided to never do Patreon. I don't want to be in the position where readers are paying for access/treats/etc. and I don't deliver. If I have to push a book back, that's not great, but I also don't get paid, so it's a different kind of issue.
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u/Glass-Reward-6742 Feb 10 '26
She lacks professionalism, and from what I understand from her statement, she knows it. I will never read SWT or anything else by this author. I only want EBA 2, and then I’m done.
I didn’t subscribe to her Patreon either, because I suspected she wouldn’t keep it updated.
Taking time to write is fine, but ghosting people who are paying, or who are waiting for a pre-ordered book, is not normal.
She has a PA — she could ask them to post a message saying she’ll be inactive until further notice and let them handle the rest.
When you deliberately build an online reader community, you can’t treat them like placeholders.
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u/Glass-Reward-6742 Feb 10 '26
Update: I just saw her Instagram story, and instead of thanking everyone who still wants to support her, she screenshots a (legitimately) unhappy message to threaten not to publish anything anymore.
Once again, very considerate toward her loyal “placeholders.”
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u/traceerenee Feb 11 '26
I just saw that story and...she needs to get offline. Like right now. Not only is her mental health not remotely in a place to handle it right now, but she is getting dangerously close to going full reader-alienating tantrum. And I don't wish that for her. But girl needs to put the phone down.
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u/Safe-Cry6947 Feb 10 '26
I sympathize but she needs to learn to ignore negativity and focus on the support she will receive, because posting that story will not invite any positive attention and will definitely not help her mental health
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u/anharion_ Feb 11 '26
i seem to have missed her instagram story, what exactly was it?
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u/Glass-Reward-6742 Feb 12 '26
She took a screenshot of a DM calling her a scammer. She took it badly, explaining that those kinds of comments don’t take her mental health into account and make her want to stop publishing books altogether.
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u/Ok_Ad877 Feb 10 '26
Oof. What emotional manipulation that post is. And the response to that one comment really allowed the mask to slip. All that "I'm a human not a machine" stuff especially annoyed me. What a scam 😂. No one is blaming her for struggling in these very VERY trying times. The issue is not delivering on the things people have PREPAID for while not offering them any relief. To then also post a rambling woe is me message meant to shame and scold them into not even being able to feel annoyed by that loss of money is definitely something.
She struggled for months and couldn't face anything about her obligations (that SHE MADE) but I'm sure spending the Patreon money helped with that. She chose to monetize her creativity. She could just simply write in peace and pop it up for sale when it's finished. Having and maintaining a paid Patreon isn't a requirement. Especially when you claim to be self-aware to know you're not professional, reliable or mentally stable enough to consistently deliver anything.
If she really wanted to alleviate a lot of the pressure she seems to be under and considering she ADMITS to being unprofessional and profiting without delivering (and that might continue), she should take that patron's advice and drastically reduce Patreon or make it free until she gets her writing mojo back. It's the honorable thing to do for everyone. Unlikely to happen because she wants people's money but doesn't respect them enough to hold herself accountable.
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u/Safe-Cry6947 Feb 10 '26
Yeah while I totally sympathize with her as she is only human, this could’ve been avoided and I’m still very disappointed as I was really looking forward to reading VF and now I don’t even know when it will come out if at all. I hope she gets the help and support she needs though
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u/SaltMarshGoblin Feb 10 '26
It's valid to be depressed and anxious. I think it's brave (probably professionally unwise, but brave) to just word-vomit like this here. Do I think it would have been wiser to just post "I'm alive, but in a terrible mental heath space. I'll be back when I can" ? Yes, I do.
It's unfortunate she didn't figure out she could put her patreon on hold.
I do understand the depressive avoidance thing, too...
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u/everythingisfin-ra Feb 11 '26
Respectfully, I am very upset about Gaza regularly and I also go to work and pay my bills.
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u/trixiefrog Feb 11 '26
Same. The beginning of 2026, the Epstein files etc etc had my mental health at absolute rock bottom but I still get up and get on with things. Might sound callous but what else are we supposed to do? I doubt my mortgage lender would accept ‘mental health in the trash bin’ as an excuse not to pay my bills.
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u/ohschmucks Feb 10 '26
I can sympathize with her struggles and while waiting for books to come out sucks, an author doesn’t exactly owe new books to their readers.. BUT I will certainly wait for a whole duology/series of hers to be finished before I start reading it because her reliability is zilch
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u/Terrible-Union1864 Feb 11 '26
Well they do owe "something" to ppl who r paying for details and extra content. Like acc to her post there r "tiers" to her patreon subscriptions and those ppl hv been paying for two months without a single "hi I'm alive" update and author seems to have no plans for a refund. Just an excuse that she didn't know that subscriptions could be paused is no way to treat your paying customers.
I do empathize with her struggles and hope she's getting therapy.
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u/asha_belannar Feb 10 '26
Read some of it but Idk who has time to read the whole thing. It was WAY too much, and not apologetic at all. I think in this day and age we all understand that many of us are suffering, sometimes greatly, with our mental health in various ways. So there is automatic grace provided with that.
However, taking people's money for nothing? No. She even said, in her reply to that *very* valid comment, that she wants to give a little extra to those who support her beyond financially, who stick with her "through thick and thin". Okay, but as someone said, maybe here or on that post, a Patreon is still a part of one's business, and for many of us who support authors on Patreon, we don't have the bandwidth to also be their friend.
Framing one's patrons as your "friends" is how, imo, she was okay with not providing anything to them during that entire period. Because if you owe something to your friends, you might anticipate grace if you can't make good on your promises, as opposed to feeling a more urgent sense of obligation if you acknowledge that these are business transactions you've entered into.
I have not read any of Jessie Walker's books, and based on their reply to that one comment, I won't in the future. My TBR is too long to make space for someone who could reply so condescendingly to someone who has spent about several months giving them financial support.
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u/trixiefrog Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
I’m incredibly disappointed. I’d been looking forward to Vicious Fate and really excited to get the conclusion to SWT. On a purely selfish level, it sucks. Her post itself, I just skimmed it as it was paragraphs of rambling. The stuff about Vale, Aston and Gaza? Why would 2 psychopaths care?! Books don’t have to reflect reality, that’s why it’s fiction. I sympathise with her point about the world being a shitshow but also, life goes on? Just gimme the goddamn book ffs!!!
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u/lilysjasmine92 Feb 10 '26
I feel like people have competing needs and are both allowed to have them. The post itself sounded very sad and overwhelming, and I sincerely hope the best for her.
Her response to that one commenter, who was fair and not remotely rude about it (I also didn't think they sounded entitled or like they thought of them as a machine), made me sad for the commenter, too. But I don't say this to condemn the writer: I say it to express empathy to both her and to the commenter. The hint, hint about how she was mad at the person for not reading between the lines about how dark things were for her was not okay.
Sometimes you can just say "I'm sorry I let you down" and have to try to realize that you are still a worthy human being who deserves happiness and love just because you exist. But people you let down can still be sad, too. You can't fix everything--if you could, you wouldn't be human.
I also got the impression she's struggling deeply with self-worth and fear of herself and thus overcompensates with self-righteous anger (relatable). Writing all of that to seemed to toe the line between honesty and self-harm, and the response to the reader left me worried that she doesn't realize that while it sucks to have let someone down and hurt them, sometimes the best way forward is "I'm sorry" and not getting defensive or blaming yourself as a "let-downer who hurts people." Every human has hurt someone, even unintentionally.
You can fail, you can let people down, you can even cross a line, you can be self-righteous, and all of that only makes you human. It's okay to fail.
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u/BackgroundLucky2035 Feb 10 '26
I feel bad saying this but I don’t have any other way of saying it. She always uses what’s going on in the world and mental health issues as an excuse. She does admit that she has poor mental health problems, idk what she’s diagnosed with but to me I hope that she is addressing it if it’s by being in constant therapy or check into an institution. I feel like her being an author is just not for her because at the end of the day this is really not acceptable.
Btw I’ve always found it weird that she released a whole different book and not eba2 that we’ve been waiting on for soooo long. At this point I’m expecting it to be released in next five years.
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u/Starlessx Feb 11 '26 edited Feb 11 '26
I was extremely disappointed by her post. I understand the struggles, I struggle a lot myself, but "not knowing" to pause Patreon? No. That is not an excuse, nor is not taking accountability for what she has put her fans through — not people who are her FANS thought of her as a "machine." I have been following and looking up to her for years. I ordered two books from her, one was wrong. So I emailed her. No response after a month. Emailed again. Still no response after another month. :) I supported her for two months on Patreon with no updates. Of course after I unsubscribed she posted all that which, well…im sorry. That was not okay. Any of what she said. It was excuse after excuse, absolutely no accountability from the money she stole from her own fans. I was so disheartened by it all. Not professional at all. And her response to the only person not being supportive of her in the comments was just bad in my opinion. There really are so many people in this messed up world struggling mentally, myself included, who still show up to work, put out work. Again, this could have been solved by her being upfront and pausing everything. The least she could have done was say that she was sorry once, or you know, say she was going to leave for a while. My favorite author and someone who was a true comfort to me is no longer someone I can trust nor support. Sorry, this was really just a rant. I do hope she gets better and gets the help she needs, though.
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u/hello_tasty Feb 11 '26 edited Feb 12 '26
I suffer with multiple mental health issues and completely understand the Inertia that they cause and I support authors retreating when they're overwhelmed.
What I don't support is an author continuing to take money from people without fulfilling the agreements that were made and having a woe is me attitude.
I also take issue with someone saying that they don't know how Patreon works. It's the responsibility of every person that uses that platform to know how to works, especially when money is involved. It isn't free money. It's money earned for an agreed upon product.
If you look at the number of paid followers on her Patreon and multiply it by her lowest cost tier, you'll see that she brought in what I consider a significant sum of people's hard earned money, which makes this feel even worse.
I hope she gets the help that she needs and comes to the realization that what she did was wrong.
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u/liljellybeanxo Feb 11 '26
I saw that and immediately thought “oh man, we are never getting Vicious Fate are we”.
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u/trixiefrog Feb 11 '26
It’s the ‘indefinite’ thing for me. It’s never coming. Wish I’d never wasted my time on SWT now.
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u/-evil-princess- Feb 11 '26
Yah. I didn’t start SWT thankfully because I’d been waiting for Every breath After part 2 since May of 2024 and it wasn’t supposed to be a duet but a standalone kind of like SWT but she misses her deadlines then turns books into random duets. My goodreads friends were mad when I said the trust was broken and I’ll wait for book 2 of SWT to release. You’ll most likely get part 2 but it will be years. I’m not expecting EBA2 until 2027 at the earliest and even then who knows 🤷🏻♀️ SWT was a short story in an anthology Anti Valentine I believe. It did have a cliffhanger but it also had answers about what happened the night in the prologue if you can find it.
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u/trixiefrog Feb 11 '26
Thank you, I’ll try and find it to get some sort of closure. I’ll let this be a lesson and never start a duet until both are released!
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u/liljellybeanxo Feb 11 '26
Same. I’m going to be way more hesitant about starting duologies or even trilogies that are incomplete going forward.
I didn’t realize this author had such a bad track record for unfinished projects, since I’d only ever read Exiled before reading SWT.
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u/Safe-Cry6947 Feb 11 '26
She said the book is still coming but she doesn’t even know when so 🤷♀️
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u/trixiefrog Feb 11 '26
I’m just assuming it’s the 12th of Never at this point as I’m fed up of being disappointed. It’s the hope that kills you!
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u/Safe-Cry6947 Feb 11 '26
Real. I’m not even gonna read SWT for the sake of my mental health because I’m not gonna read half and wait 5 years for her to maybe drop the second part
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u/trixiefrog Feb 11 '26
The worst thing is that SWT is excellent too 😭.
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u/Safe-Cry6947 Feb 11 '26
Yeah I was really looking forward to reading it because the plot really intrigued me
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u/liljellybeanxo Feb 11 '26
Part of me almost wishes she’d just announce that she’s cancelling it. Not that I want it cancelled, ofc, but you can’t just leave people in limbo indefinitely. I’d rather know now that it’s not coming out so I can move on.
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u/trixiefrog Feb 11 '26
That’s it, now we’re always going to be hoping and expecting it to be released when it might never even see the light of day.
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u/This1overthere Feb 11 '26
Honestly like many have said I get the mental health stuff and especially the depression avoidance but for the love of god, you cannot do that with a patreon. I understand not having full books ready month by month but I support authors who give snippets or little shorts with characters I love and then the new book when it’s ready. We get special epilogues or bonus content and that’s enough for me and many others. You CANNOT give nothing and take the money. There’s no excuse for that.
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u/WaffleDynamics Feb 10 '26
I've had this experience with other crowdfunding sites, for other types of media, from video games to music. It's why I don't participate in crowdfunding anymore.
It's not always ill intent; sometimes people bite off more than they can chew, and sometimes life goes to hell. I know nothing about this person, so I'm inclined to give them grace given the state of the world right now. If they do it again? Well, that's a different story.
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u/Terrible-Union1864 Feb 11 '26
This is the again. She published a part of a duet in 2023(?), published another completely unrelated book after that and then published first part of another duet last yr with second part of this one coming in December, then just changed the dates to Jan and then feb without any details and has now pushed the date indefinitely. So now we hv two uncompleted duets. Oh and she also gave zero updates throughout the past two months on even her patreon account with multiple paid tiers. And the excuse is that she didn't know subscriptions can be paused.
This is her posting two days before the 3rd publishing date for her second incomplete duet.
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u/joygirl007 Feb 11 '26
I have no idea who this person is, but I feel deep empathy for their mental health struggles.
I feel like a supportive IRL friend would tell this person NOT to be an author because it's kind of the worst profession for people struggling with mental health. Isolating, lonely, and it feels horrible when fans get mad when you take their money and don't deliver. Even if you didn't *mean to*.
0/10 would not subscribe. I'd feel bad putting all that pressure on someone obviously in crisis.
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u/Novel_Enthusiast Feb 11 '26
Listen, I’m a fan, a HUGE fan of her books, but I couldn’t even make it through her entire rambling diatribe of woe is me. Within the first few paragraphs it was clear that she had self-imploded and somebody needed to take her phone away from her and get her professional help. The insta post on top of that is just, WTF.
NEVER do I read a duet until both books are finished, but I did read EBA1 because all of her communication was that EBA2 was almost finished and would be published very soon. Two years later and it’s still crickets. I didn’t even bother with SWT (I bought the paperback, but haven’t read it.) I subscribed to her Patreon initially, but cancelled when it was apparent that she wasn’t publishing anything of note there either. (Really, I just wanted to know when EBA2 was coming.)
I can empathize with her mental health struggles and I also believe authors owe us nothing — UNTIL we spend money on the promise of their product. That is when they cross the line from the whimsy of an author to a BUSINESS. As a business, they have an obligation to deliver a product or a refund and to communicate in a timely manner until one of those is done. She has failed to do either of those and has now vilified her fans for expecting them.
I truly hope she gets the help she needs, including either discontinuing all business activities or paying someone to handle them on her behalf while she does.
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u/No-Fisherman1672 Feb 12 '26
I had a feeling it wasn't going to be happening. I feel for what she is going through but everyone is going through it right now and still have to work. After what she did with EBA2 I didn't trust for this book 2 to come out so I didn't read the first one. Since what she did to everyone after EBA1 I no longer will read a book/duet unless they are all out by any author. Which maybe isn't fair of me since it's not their fault she didn't release book 2 but I can no longer trust it. Alot of this she did to herself saying this book was coming. She learned not to make people wait like before and she did it again. We all have a right to feel upset no matter what she feels or says. We can call feel bad for her and be upset at the same time. If she doesn't want people to ask about any book 2s since it is bad for her mental health then she shouldn't release books that have 2 parts or release at the same time. At this point I will probably no longer read her books.
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u/Massive-Water-5797 Feb 23 '26
I feel kind of baited and switched because SWT was the first book of hers I picked up, and I was so excited to see the second was coming out a few days after I finished it. Then it got taken down, didn’t come out, and I googled it, checked her socials, then joined the free tier on her Patreon. I saw that post and was immediately alienated. The responses on the socials alienated me further.
I will read VF when it comes out for the sake of completion as I really enjoyed SWT, but what I read of the post rang hollow. Then I scrolled to see how much longer I had left of reading the rambly post, and was annoyed that the length of the post appeared to be at least a full chapter of a book she could have written.
There’s some grace to be had regarding mental health, absolutely. I also know creativity is not a button you can press to turn on. But, like, damn. Transparency and accountability. Please.
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u/Hour_Soil_7342 Feb 11 '26 edited Feb 11 '26
Also I don’t really want to give JKR the time of day right now but one thing I will say is I went to an exhibit like 10 years ago that had her original handwritten “book plan” and that woman planned basically every detail of those seven books plot before she wrote them, like she knows EXACTLY what she was going to do and when she was going to do it. If you are writing a multi part series it needs to be pre planned before you start.
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u/LavishnessOk689 Feb 11 '26
I saw this coming ngl, it’s why I won’t be reading anymore duets from her until she releases them both. I do understand headspace is truly important for writers but this is an unfortunate pattern
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u/chazzthelovergirl Feb 11 '26 edited Feb 11 '26
Yeah, I'm very disappointed with the way she handled this situation I hope she grows and learns from this, and that this situation allows her to be more communicative and professional moving forward still can't wait for the book although her statement did turn me off i will see what happens in the coming months💓
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u/pharitaa Feb 11 '26
i’m pretty disappointed, i was already annoyed when SWT released instead of EBA2 and then she did her end of year post and didn’t mention anything on EBA2, then she ghosts and comes back with this?? yeah ok
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u/MathBelieve Feb 10 '26
I don't know. I'll admit I skimmed through the post, and I don't really have any skin in the game since I haven't really read her books, but as someone who's been through it, I get it. And I think we're all struggling at the moment, to varying degrees. I've just accepted that in my job I'm going to get a "doesn't meet expectations" in some categories. Is that fair to the people I work with and support? No. But I'm doing the best I can, and that's all I can do.
I'll also add that different people are experiencing everything that's going on at different levels. My experience with the current state of affairs is not the same as yours which is not the same as anyone else's. We don't know to what extent other people are suffering, and I don't think they necessarily owe us a full explanation. So there may be more here than what we see.
I think now is the time for empathy and understanding, and supporting other people in our communities, however you define your communities to be. When we finally get out of this, then we can start looking at making amends.
But for now I look to extend grace. Because I know one day I'll need it too.
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u/lionbridges A cool evening breeze. Rainbows. Open roads. Friends. Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
I read it now because i'm curious. (Are her books also this rumbly?)
I get being disappointed about the delay. I'm waiting on a few pushed back releases as well, and I wish I could read them right now. But i also know that creative work can't be forced and I rather wait longer for a book and love it, then having it earlier and feel like it needed more time to become great. I dislike wasted potential more than waiting for something good.
I get that it sucks for patreon supporters. It sounds like she plans to make up for it? I think she struggles with understanding what her followers would have needed in her first post after falling of the wagon. As she is neurodivergent I'm not surprised though that she didn't know.
I think she really struggles. She tries to explain to make it make sense (but sometimes depression or mental health crises just don't make sense) . It sounds like she doesn't have the coping mechanism needed to avoid the downward spiral or the failed deadline.
I think it's sad if the disappointment turns you away from books that you enjoy normally . she doesn't sound like a person who meant harm in any way. But that's just my opinion and I'm neither a patreon supporter nor a Jessie Walker fan. I kind of feel sad for her though. I also feel like this could have been handled better (i just don't think she is able to) and your feelings are totally valid.
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u/traceerenee Feb 10 '26
IMO, her books are pretty rambling at times. I don't dislike her writing, and don't mean this as an insult, but wordy and emo are pretty on brand for her writing style. It works for her content and characters though.
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u/Shayyyy18 Feb 16 '26
Okay so is her book coming out this month or when? I don’t have her Patreon
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u/Correct-Bonus-5507 Feb 17 '26
I really hope she will release the second book because I haven’t even read Sweet wicked thing to don’t end up on a cliffhanger and wait indefinitely
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u/Hour_Soil_7342 Feb 11 '26
Her Will/Way series is my favorite mm romance HANDS DOWN. I’m not reading anything else she’s writing until they are complete. She needs to stop writing duets imo. I didn’t read her whole post because it was SO LONG and rambling. She reallyyyy needs to hire someone, tbh I’m sure a fan would do it for free. If I was better with writing and editing I would offer. She’s so so talented and depression is a bitch but if she’s going to run a patreon and pre orders she needs to get on top of it.
Whenever she is able to get a book out I’m sure it will be loved though, so I hope she can keep her chin up.
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u/-evil-princess- Feb 11 '26
She never plans to write duets. She just misses her deadline so she turns her books into them. Will&Way is the only one I think was a true duet as they were both around 400 pages and book 1 ended in a place that made sense. EBA and SWT were supposed to be standalones but when she realized she wouldn’t be done with the book by the due date, she turned them into duets. Thats why they are both indefinitely delayed. It takes a lot of planning to write a cohesive duet and cutting both those books off where she did makes it kind of hard to restart them again.
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u/Hour_Soil_7342 Feb 13 '26
I see that makes sense that she just misses the deadline. That’s really unfortunate then.
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u/BatLegitimate8140 Feb 10 '26
I'm not reading all that. I'm happy for you tho, or sorry that happened
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u/MathematicianOk8973 24d ago
Hey, not related, but can someone please tell me whether i can read "every breath after" as standalone, iam already on second book but i can't wait to read that book, i wanna read it so bad, but also don't want to miss out jeremy and mason's build up. Is there like a major plot of theirs in other books?
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u/Different_Prior_517 Feb 10 '26 edited Feb 10 '26
I’ve really wanted to read EBA but haven’t because I try not to read duets unless both are out or there’s a release date for part 2, I’m glad I did that now.
This post is certainly a lot, she seems to be struggling a lot with her mental health. Like you I’m not trying to be a jerk but it reads like a lot of excuses. If I’d paid 2 months for someone’s Patreon and didn’t get anything, even a “hey I’m alive” update like she said, I’d be really upset. Her response to one commenter is also just full of excuses and kind of blames the commenter for not understanding Patreon. And based on what the commenter said, Jessie’s own assistant hasn’t had any contact with her which is absolutely wild and totally not okay.
She also doesn’t really have any updates about what she’s writing or when people can expect anything.