Whenever I introduce new readers to either Fangirl or Carry On, I feel like I have to carefully explain the nature of this quasi- Harry Potter fan fiction. I got very excited when I first saw the “2” on the spine of Wayward Son and realized you were planning a Simon Snow series. That was not the plan for Wayward Son, and it is definitely not the plan for Any Way the Wind Blows. I’m in a much better place than I was and I don’t anticipate another four-year hiatus. It didn’t find its people right out of the gate because readers were expecting more contemporary stuff from me. It seemed kind of ridiculous to come back after four years with a sequel to Carry On. I literally dropped over after that book tour, and I didn’t know if I was going to write another book, ever. I was really sick for a long time, and it kind of came to a head when I was writing Carry On. I’m in the middle of writing Any Way the Wind Blows. Rainbow Rowell: My original plan was to have both of these books written and be like, “Boom, boom.” That did not happen. Vanity Fair: Congratulations on all the Wayward Son success and now this surprise announcement of a third Simon Snow book! What is going on, Rainbow? How soon is “soon,” in terms of this announcement? best-seller list, follow the adventures of Simon Snow (a British boy with magical powers, which might sound familiar) and his wizarding-school roommate, rival, and eventual boyfriend, Baz.īut like the Harry Potter universe itself, Simon’s world has room for many more stories-and on Thursday, Rowell teased a third book in the series, titled Any Way the Wind Blows and coming “soon.” How soon is “soon”? As Rowell told Vanity Fair in a recent phone call, it at least won’t be a four-year wait again. Carry On, published in 2015, and now its long-awaited sequel, Wayward Son, currently at the top of the New York Times Y.A.

Fangirl, about a college freshman named Cath and her very popular Harry Potter-inspired fan fiction, not only struck a particularly resonant chord with her readers, but set the Nebraska-based Rowell on a surprising path to publishing some magical, J.K. She published two novels, Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, which cemented her reputation as a young adult fiction writer uniquely gifted at writing smart-yet-dreamy contemporary stories about sensitive young women and the very nice boys who like them.

In 2013, Rainbow Rowell had a year most authors dream of.

Carry on rainbow rowell characters