Julie Kagawa on returning to the world of the Iron Fey

Born in Sacramento, CA, Julie Kagawa moved to Hawaii at the age of nine. There she learned many things; how to bodyboard, that teachers scream when you put centipedes in their desks, and that writing stories in math class is a great way to kill time. Her teachers were glad to see her graduate. Julie now lives is Louisville, KY with her husband and furkids. She is the international and NYT bestselling author of The Iron Fey series.

Today, Julie is on the blog to share a few of her thoughts about returning to the world of the Iron Fey in The Iron Raven (and how she was convinced to give Meghan and Ash a happy ending).

Read on …

Julie Kagawa

When I first started writing The Iron King, way back in 2008, I had no idea of what it would become. That it would spawn a massive, sprawling world filled with creatures, places, quests, magic, heroes, villains, kings, queens and beloved characters. That readers all over the world would read about Meghan’s adventures, fall in love with Ash and Puck, and want a Grimalkin of their own. Not for a moment did I think the series would continue as it did.

Originally, the Iron Fey series was only intended to be a trilogy, one that would conclude with The Iron Queen and a very non-traditional ending, where Meghan and Ash did NOT end up together, but were forever separated due to the deadly nature of Meghan’s new realm. It was supposed to be a story about Meghan growing up and realising that she had to put the responsibility of becoming Iron Queen above everything else. That her realm and her subjects came first, even at the cost of her own happiness and love for Ash. I sent the original Iron Queen manuscript to my editor with a bit of smug pride; here was an ending that would not only shock readers and make them cry (authors want you to cry over their books, it’s just a fact of life), it would end with Meghan learning responsibility and becoming the queen she was meant to be. I received a call from my editor a couple days later. “No,” was the first thing she told me. “This ending will not stand. Not after everything they’ve gone through.” I tried arguing with her, throwing out words like responsibility and tragedy and reader’s tears feed my muse, but my editor was adamant. “You cannot end the book like this,” she insisted. “Your fans would kill you. You can have this ending … on one condition. You have to write me another Iron Fey book.”

“Oh, fine,” I grumbled. “Fine, I’ll give them their bloody Happily Ever After.”
And thus, The Iron Knight—the story of how Ash found his way back to Meghan—was born.

Of course, my editor was right. It was a much better ending than the tragic fate I’d planned for them. And I’m super happy that I wrote that “final” book of the Iron Fey, because in The Iron Knight, several events, places and characters appeared that would pave the way for the continuation of the series. Phaed, the Forgotten, the Lady and, of course, Keirran, were all introduced in Ash’s quest. Even then, I had no idea how much the story would continue.

So, here we are, eight books, four novellas, and ten years after The Iron King was first released. I’m still amazed at the scope and breadth of the Nevernever, and how these characters have become so much more than words on paper. They have entire backstories, histories, relationships, fears, loves and past lives. And the Iron Fey series has grown more than I had thought possible.

So, thank you everyone who has been with the Iron Fey from the beginning. You are the reason it has gotten this far, and the reason that, eight books later, a certain faery jester can finally tell his story for the first time. I hope you enjoy The Iron Raven, and that it gives you the same feelings of wonder and magic I had when writing The Iron King, all those years ago.

Thank you again.

Julie Kagawa

—The Iron Raven by Julia Kagawa (Harlequin Books Australia) is out now.

The Iron Raven

The Iron Fey: Evenfall: Book 1

by Julie Kagawa

‘You may have heard of me…'

Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Prankster, joker, raven, fool…King Oberon's right-hand jester from A Midsummer Night's Dream . The legends are many, but the truth will now be known as never before, as Puck finally tells his own story and faces a threat to the lands of Faery and the human world unlike any before. With the Iron Queen Meghan Chase and her prince consort, Puck's longtime rival Ash, and allies old and new by his side, Puck begins a fantastical and dangerous adventure not to be missed or forgotten...

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