For a long time, it was just white noise. A jumble of voices, images of gray village squares, and the blinding light of a grand stage. Now, that noise has taken shape. The Price of Applause is finished. It feels like I’ve accompanied Leo and Max for months on their painful journey, documenting every bruise and every triumph, just as Klaus does in the book. I watched rivalry turn into friendship, and two lone fighters grow into a unit that defies the world’s expectations.

I did it. After reading the manuscript what felt like a hundred times and rearranging countless sentences, the email to the agency went out. The synopsis and the author bio also took forever until I was truly satisfied with them. But now, the package is sent. From now on, it’s all about waiting and hoping.

I don’t know how familiar you are with the Busy Beaver concept. To put it briefly: It is a thought experiment from theoretical computer science. With such a machine, you never know in advance whether it will eventually produce an output (i.e., halt) or run endlessly. That is exactly how I feel right now. The agency will naturally come to a conclusion internally – but I don’t know if that output will ever reach my inbox, or if I’ll just be stuck here forever in an endless waiting loop.

Leo and Max have reached a limit. A limit everyone knows. A limit that inevitably arrives when you love something with every fiber of your being.

„Ich halt’s nicht mehr aus“, sagte Max am Samstagnachmittag, als sie nach dem Training aus dem Gemeindehaus traten. „Ich kann kein einziges Plié mehr sehen. Ich brauch mal was anderes, und wenn es nur für einen kurzen Moment ist.“

Leo nickte nur stumm. Die Freude am Tanz war für einen Moment einer tiefen, grauen Müdigkeit gewichen.

What do you do when the first book is finished? As a reader, you wait for the next one. As an author, you try to carry the momentum and start the second one straight away.

In the background, the first new characters are already scratching at the door, but they have to wait their turn. First, the established cast needs to regroup and settle back into everyday life. One needs to get back in shape, while the other is currently astonishing everyone. Together, they’ve received new assignments—some small and on the side, others life-changing. But they do it all willingly, either because it’s necessary or because it’s their absolute dream.

Max is the star of the soccer team. But a secret training session takes its toll—forcing him into a decision that draws the attention of the entire schoolyard…

Note: The following excerpt is currently available in the original German manuscript only. An English translation is in the works and will be added here soon.

Der Muskelkater war brutal. Jeder Schritt fühlte sich an, als wären seine Gelenke durch rostiges Metall ersetzt worden. Max versuchte, seinen Gang normal aussehen zu lassen, als er in der Pause über den Schulhof auf die Gruppe der Fußballer zusteuerte, aber er wusste, dass es ihm nicht gelang. Er war noch keine drei Meter entfernt, als Klaus’ spöttische Stimme ertönte. „Was läufst du denn heute so komisch, Max? Sieht ja aus, als hättest du ’nen Stock im Arsch.“