10 Things We Need Explained In The Sequel To ‘Carry On’

Image obtained via GoodReads

[Updated May 2019}

Rainbow Rowell announced that a sequel to Carry On would be released in 2020 titled Wayward Son, and we finally have a release date of September 24th, 2019!. I, and many others, were extremely excited and surprised to hear this announcement. Carry On ended with plenty of questions, but none that had to be answered. The book was an entire story on its own, so news that another book was on the way was even more exciting.

Now that I’ve calmed down a bit from my intense excitement at the news, I’ve had time to think about the big questions I’ve had since I finished reading the first book.

Note: Obviously there will be spoilers for the novel, Carry On, in this post.

1. How will Baz’s family react to the news that he’s dating Simon Snow?

Class differences are a huge theme in the novel. Baz comes from an extremely old family, and Simon decidedly does not. Simon was, for a long time, working with the Mage, who Baz’s family had a great deal of contention with. How will his family react? Will he be accepted, rejected entirely, or somewhere in between? Baz has even mentioned that he didn’t think his family would accept him being gay. I think this is the question I need the answer to most.

2. What are the societal and political ramifications from the revelation about the things the Mage did?

The Mage did a lot of shady things; too many for me to begin to summarize here. I can’t imagine the entire country doesn’t learn about the role he played in the death of Baz’s mother, among everything else. With the class struggles already such a big part of this society, how will this knowledge impact the way the average person lives?

3. Baz and Simon have had a tumultuous relationship over the years. Has that continued into their romantic relationship?

It is simply impossible to believe that these two confessed their feelings and it was smooth sailing from there. First off, that isn’t how any relationship works. Secondly, Baz actively talks about killing Simon in the book. They have a lot of issues to work through -- you can’t just ignore them because you start dating.

4. Baz is a vampire. How does this come into play in their relationship?

Does Baz’s status as a vampire become common knowledge, or is he still hiding it? And how does it complicate not only their relationship, but their lives overall? And yes obviously I want to know if Simon becomes a food source (you all are wondering too).

5. Do Simon and Penny make good roommates? Is Simon planning to move in with Baz?

Depending on how far in the future the next book is set, Simon may already be living with Baz. I actually hope he’s living with Penny. I feel as if the two of them would be great roommates, and plus then we’d get to see the boys transition from boyfriends to boyfriends living together.

6. What happened to Agatha? Did she find the magic-free life she wanted?

I really enjoyed Agatha from a character perspective. She felt like a real person, though not a person I’d want to spend much time with. But her thoughts and desires make sense, and I’m curious to see how trying to live a magic-free life worked out for her.

7. Does Simon ever find out the Mage was his biological father?

I need him to discover this. I’m so eager to see the emotional fallout that would come from this knowledge.

8. What are Simon and Baz doing with their careers?

Simon has no magic and wings and a tail to deal with. Baz seems like he’d get an excellent job, but what is Simon doing?

9. How has Watford changed?

Or has it changed at all? The Mage is gone so of course, something must be different...at least you’d think so. Has the process for admitting students changed? How are classes being run? What new policies are being put in place to keep students safe?

10. How is Simon dealing with not having magic anymore?

Simon had a lot more problems with controlling his magic than the average person, but he still had it and could feel it. Now that he used all of his magic to stop the Humdrum, how is he dealing with life without magic?

Carry On and Fangirl are the books that made me realize that I could write books about fandom. I’d always assumed that this type of book would never be published, but now I’ve taken my idea of a fangirl accidentally finding her way into her favorite book series and created a manuscript with it. And I actually think I can get it published.

What are the questions you want answered in the sequel to Carry On?

FanFact Progress May 2018

Hello again! Today I wanted to offer up the progress on my current work in progress, FanFact!

Clara’s life is fairly unremarkable. She goes to school, is preparing for college, and spends her free time writing fanfiction about Liam and Blane, her ship in the popular Hierarchy Of Magic book series.

But everything changes when she discovers the world from the Hierarchy of Magic, including Liam and Blane, is all real. Not only is it real, but she’s stumbled into the world in the middle of the soon to be released, final book in the series. Her knowledge of the series is a big advantage for not only Liam, but the reigning Hierarchy Party, who seeks to dispose of any magician who does not fall into line. And Liam is the biggest target of all.

But how much of Clara’s knowledge is helpful versus a hindrance? Who can be trusted? And are Liam and Blane really falling for each other? As Clara gets swept up into the politics and danger of this magical world, she can’t help but wonder...is she meant to be a part of the story, or is her presence the force that will make Liam, and everyone except a select few, lose everything?

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Deadline: None
Self-Imposed Deadline: August 2018
Current Word Count: 59,765
Anticipated Word Count: ~70,000

Where Am I In The Story?

Right now I’m in the area right before the climax. Basically, everything has gone wrong, the characters are in big trouble, and there’s only one final “battle” to go. My beta readers are all caught up and my wife is bugging me to keep writing to see what happens next, so this is a good sign!

Is The Rough Draft Finished?

Not yet. I think the rough draft should be done by June, though, as long as I sit down and stay focused.

How Much Editing Does It Need?

A lot. I’ve been letting people read the first draft as I write it, which has allowed me to close up some plot holes early so I don’t need to do any major rewrites down the line. But there are definitely characters I want to flesh out more, plot points I want to explore in depth, and areas that simply need better writing because they were rushed through the first time.

What Is The End Goal?

Publication from a major publishing house is the major end goal. I hope to start querying agents by this fall, which means at some point they will start pitching my novel to publishing houses.

Will You Self Publish?

I’d consider self publishing, but only after many attempts at traditional publishing have failed. Mostly it’s because I do marketing 40 hours a week for my day job, and I simply don’t have the energy to do it for another 40 hours a week for my novel. Plus I want to be seen in bookshops!

Mini Excerpt (Spoiler Free):

“It was apparent even in book one that he felt something for you.”

“The books,” I breathed. “You read them?”

“Oh yes, all three,” she said, and sure enough there it was, in her hands, a thick, crisp copy of the final book in the trilogy. “But I have to say, I’m not a fan of the ending. But so far the book here doesn’t seem to match up, so I have to say things are in my favor at the moment.”