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!
How much so I love the Hades and Persephone myth? I’ll answer by sharing that my daughter’s name is Persephone. 😉 Though it was technically my husband’s one non-negotiable, he did not need to twist my arm. Haha!
So yeah, super stoked for the next series!! I am also thrilled to hear there are more Magiford series coming. I love Magiford!
Ooh I love Hades and Persephone. Especially the older versions in of the tale in which there is less kidnapping and more of an uninvited houseguest. I have read about some interpretations that cast Hades as the laid back, fair ruler, while Persephone is the one doing all the raging and terrifying and coming up with… unique punishments.
Super excited to read your version Kitty!
I told my sister about this and her response was “Lord Linus.” Although, Fell was also a possible name. Other names we came up with were Lord Iason and the Day King. My sister just thought of Rupert. He was in the second Leila book. And saying the Leila series would through off anyone who would think to look for a character that was introduced in the Hazel books.
Actually, at first we thought that the black cat may have been the elf the Paragon was looking for. It is hard to find one small cat, even in a small town. What better way of hiding than in a different form than expected? Especially if that elf had been hiding from its own kind (and the group going after the paranormals).
I was going to reply more to you all, but now I’m having to sit here and bite my tongue so I don’t give spoilers!
I will say catgirl isn’t going to end up with Fell or the Paragon. BUT!!! I actually have a novella idea for Fell, and you’ve briefly seen his girl! Their story will actually work as a kind of “introduction to Magiford” if you will! (Once upon a time I was hoping to write Fell’s novella next year. We’ll have to see how everything goes down, but it’s not looking good as of now…)
Ok, was anyone else not reading carefully, thought she meant Aphrodite, and went absolutely insane for about ten minutes before scrolling down?
Hahahah. There is very little I can safely say about the Paragon, much less Aphrodite, so we’ll leave it with that laugh. 😉
Oh my freaking god!! This is so exciting. Can you make Cat girl and Paragon together because it just seems natural as he’s a cat lover.
The Paragon will show up, but I’ve got other plans for him in the realm of romance! (And books. I’m not sure we could all actually stand a trilogy about the Paragon because he’s so very…Paragon-ish. We’d probably want to smack him by the time it was over.)
I’m so excited!!!!
I really want the Paragon to have a love interest; he’s one of my absolute favorites.
The elf if and interesting idea!
Now I have to re-read everything to see what clues I can find! 🕵️♀️🔍👀
I just re-read everything for that reason!
I could only find Fell, but someone else mentioned the dark elf in the thread below. That sounds like a great paring.
Kitty mentioned that doing the paragon’s love story would be too hard to make (apart from finding a lady he could love more than his cat, he’s just such an extreme personality that it would be hard to write). Even if she changed her mind his story would have to be the final one in the series (since his “search” is an overarching theme so far) and she mentioned wanting to do other stories after the four she originally planned.
Yeah, Christina is right, the Paragon doesn’t get a romantic interest for certain until his “quest”/search is over. And I’d probably wrap his story up in a novella–I think getting a trilogy of him would make us all want to smack him by the time it was over. He’s fun, but there’s a reason he drives Killian crazy! 😀
Thank you, Hades and Persephone retelling are one of my favourite fairy tales. As to the black cat’s mate, could it be the Paragon. We already know that he has a thing for cats, humans and fay are compatible, and if he’s powerful than he can’t be a normal human.
Anyway what do you think?
Yay for another Hades and Persephone fan! Hopefully you’ll enjoy all the references I’m going to attempt to slide into it! 😀
If overwhelmingly powerful is the clue for the love interest… dragon shifter?
I know, right? We even saw that dragon shifter was added to the Magiford quiz when Leila’s series came out.
That would be awesome!!!!
YAY, I’m SO excited!!!
Ok, so the love interest is almost certainly the elf or Fell. However, I’m leaning towards the elf, mainly because it would probably make a bit more sense given the Hades and Persephone tie-in. I really want Fell and Jade to be a couple though, although I have no idea how their stores would be connected enough for a whole trilogy.🤔
That being said, whoever the interest is, it’s going to be SUCH a good book because you’re an amazing writer!😁
Jade would punch Fell in the nose. THAT is a great paring 😀
It’s the elf! 100% sure. I think that we might see King Fell trying to date some other lady sometime in the story, but I don’t really see Fell( the egoistic bullhead) being kind to a bundle of anxiety like CatGirl. Ooh and it might be possible that there is some character we’ve been introduced to who is actually the elf in disguise!
For the record… my head cannon is it’s Landon our barista … who is actually Paragon’s source the elf. I think it would be hilarious if the person who yells “Demon horses in the drive through” has a secret agenda.
TECHNICALLY it can be Landon, because everything fits out. But mentally…. I really can’t see sort of dorky Landon being some kind of mysterious, dark, powerful, handsome elf guy/prince.
If the story is based on Hades and Persephone, then how do you think the male character’s personality is gonna be? I would probably expect it to be kind 9f dark and mysterious like Rigel, but Rigel pretty much rules in the dark, mysterious brooding category, so I think that Kitty will try something a little different.
Omg I didn’t even think about that but it would be ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS if that was the case. Although, he would have to be an expert actor since he did seem genuinely terrified when he saw Leila’s…house pets. 😆 Whatever the case I can’t wait to find out! 🤩
Of course Elf-Landon was terrified – the doggos might be able to smell his elf-nature through his glamour and “out” him to the community.
I also think it would be great if, even though he’s a dark elf, if he is a super friendly, goofy, and gentle kind of person. He knows he can’t let people know what his species is because his evil kinsmen tried to enslave everyone. He just wants to make coffee and chill.
I still say that Landon has to be a Supernatural because he’s the only apparent human who was bothered by the appearance of Leila’s pets. Seriously, as far as I can recall, all the humans who encountered them thought they were adorable, and all the Supernaturals were disturbed. Landon is the only outlier.
Also… not as evil as everyone expects and just wants to chill in peace? That tracks with Hades. Though I think Landon would judge anyone who would name a three-headed hell hound Spot (*cough* Leila *cough*).
Okay, this is my new pet theory!
I would die from giddy glee. Landon with the vampire hunter would be cool too.
Omg YES I KNEW IT! And as for the ML I agree that it might me King Fell! Which I have a feeling will be HILARIOUS to read since he can be such a bull-headed idiot 😆. And seeing as Leila made a promise to oversee all his ahem…romantic advances, I can’t wait to see his ego is taken down a notch or two. I can’t wait to read it! 🤩
KING FELL!! Make Cat Girl’s love interest King Fell! Then Leila might see her dream come true! (Cause she’s right; he has a very punchable face) And I can’t wait to meet her crew!! Come soon December!
Yes! That’s the exact thought that went through my head as I puzzled out possible love interests. I’m really hoping its him because it will be hilarious to watch!
I was thinking Fell as well, but I couldn’t think of a way to do it that would work. I could only picture him being cruel to a scared cat and that’s just…cruelty that would be hard to “fall in love” with.
Someone else mentioned the dark elf, I hadn’t considered him. I could see that working more (we don’t know his history, his entire people being killed off could been seen as a parallel to the underworld, he may be super gentle to a scared cat but push her away because of his status in society).
Cat and Dragon??
*Lots of squealing* Too excited to get that many words out, so this will have to do! *Even more squealing*
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!! So excited!! 😀 Have fun writing it! 😀
It would be funny if her name was Kitty or Katrina or Tabby or Kally or something cat related but I am really excited! Someone said above that it would be the mystery elf. I didn’t even think about him. I thought maybe the Fall King (because of his sour attitude) but that elf makes more sense. Is King Fell going to get a love interest? Because it would be hilarious to see who.
I’m guessing Cat Girl’s love interest is the elf the Paragon is trying to contact?
I have to say I’m almost dancing on one foot! I’m so excited! I’ll be looking forward to the next thing you bring us… but remember… your health is the most important thing. Take care!
Awww thanks, Lola! It means a lot to “hear” you tell me that! 😉
So excited for a reference to Hades and Persephone! That’s my favorite narrative and couple!
Yeeeees! If I can frame it right, it should be a really fun and interesting romance!
I am soooooo excited! Go Kitty! (And take care)
Thank you!! This trilogy should be fun, so I’m really looking forward to it!