What can we expect from the prequel?

First and foremost, readers will get answers to the question “What happened with that Blood Witch in NYC?!” I was surprised by how many readers wanted to know more about that part of Hannah’s past, so I’m really excited to be able to share her NYC story.

Readers will also get a deeper look into Hannah and Veronica’s romantic relationship. At the start of This Spell Can’t Last, Hannah and Veronica are still together—even sneaking away from their tour group for some alone time—but the events in the city put a lot of pressure on their relationship.

Are we going to meet any new characters?

Yes, quite a few, actually! I’m so excited for readers to meet the trio of Caster Witches (and the Blood Witch!) that Hannah and Veronica referred to in These Witches Don’t Burn. A few of them show up again in the sequel, so it was really fun to revisit their origins while editing this prequel.

How did this story come about?

After I found out These Witches Don’t Burn was going to be published (and after I celebrated thoroughly!), I realized I needed a stronger reason for Hannah to be so scared of Blood Witches. While I waited for my first edit letter, I decided to explore her past and figure out a real reason, something more than “Blood Witches are creepy.” So, I wrote a story about Hannah and Veronica stumbling into a magical turf war, and then I got to use all that new information when I revised TWDB! After revisions, I decided to put the prequel away. I figured it had served its purpose and its journey was over.

But then after the book came out, I kept getting questions about what happened in NYC. Since I already had the story written, I talked to my agent, and she approached Penguin Teen to see if this was something we wanted to share together. Thankfully, everyone was on board and the story will be in readers’ hands soon!

Are there any Easter eggs to keep an eye out for?While readers can still enjoy This Coven Won’t Break (the sequel to These Witches Don’t Burn) without reading the prequel, there are a bunch of little details and clues in This Spell Can’t Last that will make the entire story feel even more complete and satisfying. The prologue in Coven is actually from the POV of one of the Caster Witches from Spell, so readers who want to be “in the know” will definitely want to read Spell before Coven comes out!