Carry On (52 page)
Authors: Rainbow Rowell
Baz looks up from his phone. “The Chosen One's making us tea the Normal way,” he says. “It's occupational therapy.”
“I already know how to make tea,” I say. “And I wish you'd stop calling me that.”
“You really were the Chosen One,” Penny says. “You were
chosen
to end the World of Mages. Just because you failed doesn't mean you weren't chosen.”
“The whole prophecy is bollocks,” I say. “â
And one will come to end us. And one will bring his fall.
' Did I also bring my own fall?”
“No,” Baz says. “That was me. Obviously.”
“How did you bring my fall? I stopped the Humdrum myself.”
Baz looks back at his phone, bored. “
Fell
in love, didn't you?”
Penny groans, and Baz starts laughing, trying not to crack a smile.
“Enough flirting!” Penny says, flopping down into a stuffed chair her parents gave us. (Which I carried up by myself.) “I've endured enough flirting for this
lifetime.
I'm hungry, Simon. Find the biscuit box.”
Baz grins, then leans over and kisses my neck. (I have a mole there; he treats it like a target.)
“Go on, then,” he says. “Carry on, Simon.”
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Joy DeLyria and I have never met in person or talked on the phone, and sometimes we go months without e-mailing. But
every time
I was feeling desperately lost and stuck with this book, she'd send me an e-mail, asking,
“How is Simon?”
And every time, she helped me get unstuck.
Thank you, Joy, for rooting so passionately for these characters, and for being so generous with your good advice.
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 Americanâor worseâit'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.
Finallyâthank 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.
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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. Leslieâand 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.â¦
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 storiesâhow 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.
Â
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
.
    
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CONTENTS
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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
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CARRY ON
. Copyright © 2015 by Rainbow Rowell. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
Cover design and illustrations by Olga Grlic
Interior illustrations by Jim Tierney
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-04955-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-5054-5 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466850545
Our e-books may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at (800) 221-7945, extension 5442, or by e-mail at [email protected].
First Edition: October 2015