A Q&A with Pascale Lacelle, Author of the New York Times bestselling CURIOUS TIDES and the Upcoming STRANGER SKIES
1. Pascale, you’re a debut author, which means that the first book in this series, Curious Tides, was your first published novel. How did it feel when you found out that it was a New York Times bestseller?
It was surreal! I burst into tears when my agent and editor called me with the news, and it took some time to truly sink in. I feel really privileged to have made the bestseller list, especially as a debut author, so thank you to all the readers who’ve given Curious Tides a chance!
2. Curious Tides left us on a huge cliff hanger! Without giving too much away, can you tell us what we can expect in Stranger Skies?
If Curious Tides was all about the “what ifs” of doors to other worlds, Stranger Skies dives fully into this as established reality. Other worlds exist, and they are eerily similar to the ones Cornus Clover wrote about in Song of the Drowned Gods. You can expect to discover more about these worlds through Emory and Romie, who find themselves in the witchy, sinister Wychwood. It’s all very new and exciting, a bit of a departure from the pace and plot of Curious Tides. But then there’s also a level of familiarity as part of the story takes place in the lunar world we’ve come to know. Left behind at Aldryn College, Baz and Kai dig deeper into the school’s history—quite literally, as they get pulled back in time and get to experience that history firsthand. There they meet Cornus Clover, the author who started all of this, which was one of my favorite things to write.
3. You created a vast and incredible magic system for book 1. Now that Romie and Emory are following in the footsteps of the scholar in the Song of the Drowned Gods, will there be more to learn about the magic in these worlds?
Definitely! Each of the worlds written about in Song of the Drowned Gods has its own magic system that works independently of the lunar magic we’ve come to know in Curious Tides, yet they all create a cohesive whole within the larger universe of the series. So you might notice similarities to the lunar magic, like this idea of eternal cycles that the moon phases represent, but each magic system draws on its own themes and elements. Worldbuilding is my catnip, so I absolutely loved expanding this world-spanning magic system.
4. Originally, these books were supposed to be a duology. What made you change your mind to create a trilogy?
While working on an earlier draft of Stranger Skies, it became clear to me that there was too much story left to tell. Trying to condense it all into this one book meant that the ending I had initially planned for the series wasn’t hitting the way I wanted it to. That’s when it clicked: what if the reason it wasn’t working was because it wasn’t the end? All the pieces fell into place in my mind once I saw how the rest of the story might unravel. I reworked the plot of the second book, wrote a pitch for the third book, and everything finally made sense. I think it was always meant to be a trilogy; it just took me a while to see it.
5. Are there any new POV characters in this new book? Will we meet new characters at all?
Yes! While Curious Tides centers around Baz and Emory, Stranger Skies sees the addition of Kai and Romie’s perspectives. I was eager to dive deeper into these two characters, and I think their points of view add a much-needed layer to this sequel. We’re also meeting a lot of new characters, with a few key players getting their own POV chapters sprinkled throughout. I don’t want to give away too much, but I’m so excited for readers to meet these new characters—some of which might even be a bit familiar.
6. Speaking of characters –we finally got to meet Romie at the very end of Curious Tides. You’ve mentioned before that it was hard to write about her since she doesn’t get much actual time in the story of the first book. How easy was it to integrate her into this next installment?
I felt like I was discovering who Romie truly is for the first time. In Curious Tides, Romie is kind of like this mythical creature. We only know of her what other characters know of her—or what they think they know. She leaves behind such a lasting impression on everyone in her life, but she’s someone we don’t actually spend time with outside of a few grief-tinged memories and dreams. She’s a mystery even to her closest friend and her brother. So writing her in Stranger Skies felt like peeling back all those myths to get to the real Romie. She took me by surprise sometimes. I think Emory goes through a similar process as she reconnects with her best friend. How has her perception of Romie changed after everything they’ve both been through? And what does Romie think of Emory’s new powers? That dynamic becomes central to the story as these two try to find a balance between who they were before the events of Curious Tides and who they are now.
7. You’ve also mentioned that you’re a plotter. Did you use the same techniques you used to write Curious Tides for Stranger Skies? How was writing this next book different from the first?
My writing processes for Curious Tides and Stranger Skies were very different. For Curious Tides, that process involved carefully plotting out every detail from the very first draft. Sure, some elements evolved along the way, but the story for the most part always remained the same. I knew exactly what that first book was supposed to be. For Stranger Skies, it felt very much like trying to find the story instead of the story finding me. I did have an initial outline, though nowhere near as detailed as the one I made for Curious Tides. It was like an incomplete map with lots of diverging paths and dead ends, and I needed several drafts and multiple plot overhauls to find my way. It was a messy process of discovery, but I think the end result is well worth it!
