With the bad news out of the way, it’s time to keep up the fun! I’ve got more Pack of Dawn and Destiny coming your way for the rest of April, but I thought now was an ideal time to talk about what’s coming for Magiford in the future.
I’m going to stick to my plan of one Magiford trilogy approximately every 12 months, so you can expect to see the next trilogy later this year, probably with a December launch for book 1. Regardless of the exact month it launches, that series will finish in early 2023. I have no concrete release days yet–a lot of it is going to depend on my health issues and how everything shakes out.
But I’m pretty certain that the biggest question on all of your minds is who will the next trilogy be about? The fun news: you’ve seen her already! In fact, she’s been mentioned in all three series–though in Hall of Blood and Mercy she made her appearance in an extra, not an actual book.
There’s quite a few characters that show up in the series, so to help you narrow it down, here’s a few more clues! The extra she appears in is “Sincerely House Medeis,” while she’s mentioned in The Queen’s Crown from Court of Midnight and Deception. Finally, she makes an appearance in both United and Fated in Pack of Dawn and Destiny.
Have I stumped you? Here’s a final clue: our new Magiford heroine doesn’t appear in a human shape…
If you connected the dots and realized that there is a black cat that appears in all of the instances I listed above, congratulations, you’ve uncovered our new heroine!
To be specific, our new heroine is the black cat that House Medeis throws at Killian, and she’s the same black cat that the Night Court Fae Lords attempt to domesticate so they can “properly celebrate” Leila’s Pet Appreciation Day. She’s also the black cat that Pip sees who gets chased by Curia Cloister gargoyles in United, and then by the Pack in Fated.
She is unnamed as of yet–I’m trying to decide how badly I want her name to be a pun–but I’ve got her story, magic, and cast of characters all fleshed out!
I think you Champions will like her. She’s a bundle of anxiety since she’s far down on the Magiford pecking order and has gotten harassed a lot, but she’s a brave and determined soul. Despite her ability to turn into a cat, she is 100% human–which should tell you just how strange her magic is! Sadly, her unusual magic has caused a lot of problems in her life, and there’s a reason why she always shows up in Magiford books alone and terrified.
Still, she’s funny, and her crew is hilarious, so I can’t wait for you to meet her!
This new heroine will reveal more about what the Paragon is searching for, so you’ll see him heaps more in her trilogy. You’ll also get some glimpses of characters from other Magiford trilogies and–another fun hint–her romantic interest has been mentioned before! (Specifically in Leila’s series.)
Like Hall of Blood and Mercy–which was vaguely inspired by the creepy fairy tale of Donkeyskin–Cat Girl’s trilogy also has a myth at the heart of her story. It’s so loose it won’t be a true retelling, but you’ll be able to see the hints and similar structure, just as you could with Hall of blood and Mercy with donkeyskin. Cat girl’s myth is……drum roll please….Hades and Persephone!
Hades and Persephone was one of my favorite Greek myths to read as a kid–and, frankly, it’s one of the only myths I feel like I can retell without having to send my characters to therapy in the story. (I thought fairy tales were bad? HAH!) I’m looking forward to this trilogy because there are so many interesting aspects of Hades and Persephone to explore. (And adjust. Because, spoiler, I don’t do Stockholm syndrome romances.)
But if you want to take anything away from that myth reveal…I’d say it’s safe to assume Cat Girl’s main male character is pretty dang powerful. 😉
So Cat Girl’s series will be out late this year/early 2023, but what comes after that?
I’ll be writing another “spin off” trilogy (I say “spin off” because it doesn’t have anything to do with the Paragon’s goal) that will launch at the end of 2023 and finish in early 2024. That trilogy will follow the adventures of Jade–the vampire slayer who was hired to be a part of a Curia Cloister task force. (You met Jade during a Regional Committee of Magic meeting in The Queen’s Crown, but she showed up again briefly in Pack of Dawn and Destiny’s Fated!)
Jade’s trilogy will focus more on the Curia Cloisters and what’s going on there since it’s where she works!
I’m not entirely sure what will come after those two trilogies. I have plans for a couple others, but I don’t know what order to tackle them in. Honestly, it will probably depend on you Champions!
In the meantime, we still have some Timber Ridge/Northern Lakes Pack fun ahead of us for the rest of April, so stay tuned and thanks for reading!