Thank you, too, to Leigh Bardugo and David Levithan for being good friends and good readers. (Even if one of you was so tough, you made me cry.) (It was Leigh.) And thank you to Susie Day for really listening to all this dialogue and talking to me about it. And to Keris Stainton, who answered countless questions about British life. If these characters sound American—or worse—it’s despite their patience.
Thank you to my husband, Kai, for his love and encouragement, and for never running out of clichés.
To Christopher Schelling, who insisted on a higher body count.
To Sara Goodman, who has given me such freedom as an author and so much support as a friend.
And to the wonderful people at St. Martin’s Press, who keep surprising me with their creativity and enthusiasm.
Finally—thank you to Nicola Barr, Rachel Petty, and everyone at Macmillan Children’s Books, for making me feel so welcome in the UK and for making such gorgeous books.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
If you’ve read my book Fangirl, you know that Simon Snow began as a fictional character in that novel.
A fictional-fictional character. Kind of an amalgam and descendant of a hundred other fictional Chosen Ones.
In Fangirl, Simon is the hero of a series of children’s adventure novels written by Gemma T. Leslie—and the subject of much fanfiction written by the main character, Cath.
When I finished that book, I was able to let go of Cath and her boyfriend, Levi, and their world. I felt like I was finished with their story.…
But I couldn’t let go of Simon.
I’d written so much about him through these other voices, and I kept thinking about what I’d do with him if he were in my story, instead of Cath’s or Gemma’s.
What would I do with Simon Snow?
What would I do with Baz? And Agatha? And Penny?
I’ve read and loved so many magical Chosen One stories—how would I write my own?
That’s what Carry On is.
It’s my take on a character I couldn’t get out of my head. It’s my take on this kind of character, and this kind of journey.
It was a way for me to give Simon and Baz, only half-imagined in Fangirl, the story I felt I owed them.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RAINBOW ROWELL lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and two sons. She’s also the author of Landline, Fangirl, Eleanor & Park, and Attachments. Visit her Web site at www.rainbowrowell.com. Or sign up for email updates here.