Hello! I’m Harunadon.
Thank you so much to all of you who picked up a copy of this book! The original web novel won the third EARTH STAR NOVEL prize and was picked up for publishing as a result. Let’s call it Beloved Saint for short!
After I found out about the award, I got a phone call. I took notes, so allow me to explain how it went.
Editor: We’d like you to focus primarily on revising the first half of the work for publication.
Me: All right. What should I be aiming for?
Editor: The story is a bit serious in the first half, so we’d like more humor. Of course, that’s hard, since Europa doesn’t appear until the halfway point, but we want to lay the groundwork until she does, ropa.
Me: Eu...
Basically, all we talked about was Europa. Rupy is truly something.
If you’ve already read the book, you know this is essentially a scandalous romantic comedy, so I’m moved beyond words by EARTH STAR’s bold decision! Why did this win, of all things? But I love EARTH STAR for it. Truly, they are the best ever. Yes, I’m a flatterer.
Choosing an illustrator was a difficult process, and my editor messaged me several times to say, “This is a dead end...”
I’m very sorry to have driven you into a dead end!
But thanks to my editor’s arduous efforts, we came upon Kurodeko-sensei’s amazing art, which truly spruced up the story. I can’t count how many times seeing all the cute Evelyns lifted my spirits. Thank you so much.
Both the web and book versions of Beloved Saint conclude for now, but if this book is well received, the story may continue! I’d be delighted if you could support it. I also eagerly await all your fan letters and opinions, greedy gremlin that I am.
I hope to see you all again someday!