Wendy Good, in the comments to the previous post, asked: How many more Cast books are you currently contracted for with Luna? Will you seek contracts for further Cast books or is that too far reaching of a question? I dare to ask because I don’t want them to end. I know all good things must eventually, but would love some reassurance regarding the next few years, if at all possible. : )
The answer was: The one I’m working on now (which is Cast in Peril).
The answer is now: The one I’m working on now (which is, oddly enough, still Cast in Peril) and three more Cast novels, none of which have titles.
Some of the questions about various elements of possible future books – the Dragon Court – are affected by events in the almost available Cast in Ruin. Which is all I’ll say for the next few months, because anything else is so heavily into spoiler territory I will get hate mail at the very least.
I try very hard, with the Cast novels, to start with a very, very simple statement about the book before I begin writing. Cast in Silence was: Kaylin confronts and finally accepts her past. No, really. Cast in Chaos was: An influx of refugees causes panic and fear in Elantra. No, really. Cast in Fury was: In the aftermath of the panic caused by the tidal wave Kaylin must deal with an artiste — while Marcus Kassan is relieved of his duties on charges of murder.
Cast in Peril was a small paragraph. Some of which I can’t detail, because it follows from Ruin. Cast in Peril is not the book I planned. Which is to say, it is the book I planned, but in planning, I seem to have forgotten that plot takes words, and the more plot there is, the more words there are, and at some point, there are too many words, because clearly I thought I could fit everything into one room. An apt analogy would be furniture: the fridge is now sitting in the hall and the dining room table is the TV stand, and there’s no room for anything but the couch because you can’t get past the table, and for some reason I thought it would all fit in one room.
In this, I absolutely blame Teela; it is entirely her fault. Well, actually, that’s possibly not fair. It is also the fault of another character I can’t name yet.
What I really want to do is post Chapter One of Cast in Peril. And no, of course I won’t, because it will make no sense if you haven’t read Cast in Ruin.
ETA: I think Cast in Peril will make sense to a reader who hasn’t read the previous books, in as much as that’s possible, but readers who have will immediately say: who the heck is (character name redacted)?
Michelle West & Michelle Sagara 
Sep 07, 2011 @ 13:38:14
Very happy to hear about there being more Cast books. Well, I’m always happy to hear about more Michelle books.
And… I completely read this post in your voice. And giggled. But in a good way. :)
Sep 07, 2011 @ 13:43:30
@Ann: I just went back and reread it, because – as you probably guessed – it was posted entirely in a happy rush, and entirely off the top of my head.
Sep 07, 2011 @ 14:12:11
LOL at the ‘happy rush’ post… A ‘small’ sense of glee DID seem to come across. :-)
Sep 07, 2011 @ 14:29:33
Yea! Yea! Yea! I read the first Cast book because the back cover and front art read/looked interesting. Yep, I’m hooked and anxiously await each new chapter in the journey.
Sep 07, 2011 @ 15:59:04
That’s exactly the way I started reading the series as well-glad I’m not the only one who does that. I am very happy to know there will be more Cast novels for years to come, but am waiting very impatiently for Ruin!
Sep 07, 2011 @ 14:51:29
“What I really want to do is post Chapter One of Cast in Peril. And no, of course I won’t, because it will make no sense if you haven’t read Cast in Ruin.”
How about posting it around December, as a present to your (us) readers? That would really make my holidays. :) (and probably one of the best gifts I would ever want)
P.S. I’m checking the mail everyday hoping Amazon might ship my copy of Cast in Ruin early.
Sep 07, 2011 @ 15:26:43
*Does a little happy dance around the room*
I like the suggestion that Fyreink proposes but having the first chapter so far in advance of the book would be pure torture. Now if you wanted to start a spoiler mailing list and give us hints throughout the year, that I am on board for.
This news made my day! YES!
But one question, will the future books, still come out around Oct and are you still planning one a year?
Sep 07, 2011 @ 15:31:50
@Genna: In the past, the books have been August releases, with the exception of Fury and Ruin. In both of those cases, previous books were released in mass market leading up to the publication of the new book, and the new book was pushed back (which in publishing terms actually means to the following month or two later).
I’m not sure what the schedule is for Peril at this point; I’m guessing that it will be an August release, given the lack of mass markets to precede it.
Yes, I plan on one Cast novel a year until I have run out of stories I want to tell in this world.
Sep 07, 2011 @ 17:56:53
I joined Genna in her dance! I’m delighted with the news of more Cast Books; I told you I read one,fell in love with them, and went anxiously looking for more. I’m glad Teela will come back with another major part. She is a happy camper and a good match for Kaylin. We need one book with an adventure for each fief (what’s going on in them?), I’m really curious about all those fieflords. Another in the West March (with the giant insects). I want to find out who are really Kaylin parents. Why did she get the marks, and will she deal with the Ancients? I want Severn’s background, and he needs to find a really good girlfriend (he deserves it), because many of us want Kaylin to have adventures with Nightshade. That’s enough for two Cast books a year. However, do you know that people go to bookstores and can’t find your books in display. I discovered you by chance, only one book,and went to bookstores looking for others and only found one more. The rest came from Amazon. By curiosity, I always look and don’t find them. Of course, they are sold out which is good for you, but you need more books in stores to attract new fans; most of us discover new authors in bookstores.
Sep 08, 2011 @ 15:46:18
Seconded!
Everything apart the Severn girlfriend!!!!!!!
He and Kaylin need to be toghether, now Kaylin has a true name and, as more than one has already implied, she isn’t exactly human or have the lifespan of one.
Nightshade, if he came, is going to have time in the future!!
I’m already going crazy with the familiarity with Severn call the Seargent in the first charapter of the new book!!
Please please don’t set them apart!!
Sep 07, 2011 @ 19:10:15
YESs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please take excellent care of your health, so we get all those lovely lovely Kaylin books ^^ Banzai banzai banzai!
Sep 07, 2011 @ 19:17:10
Okay, I’m not too sure that Severn’s need for Kaylin, even though he’s really good at sublimating it and did so for years and is a heck of a support, is what will be ultimately best for her – but HOW can anyone be Team Nightshade.
If there was a choice to make between Kaylin and his fief, he’d always chose his fief. Kaylin deserves better – as a person AND also as a Chosen. I sort of see him as Li Senya to Kaylin’s/Shurei’s Ryuki/Severn – for all the Saiunkoku Monogatari fans ^^.
I could imagine that one of the new immigrants might be a match for Kaylin – doesn’t have to be the Traveller guy.
Whoever it will be, even if it’s Nightshade, I’m sure you’ll make me root for him in the end ^^.
Sep 07, 2011 @ 19:24:06
Glad to hear you have a few more Cast novels coming out (eventually). I do understand why you might tire of writing them… but you’ve built a world that has so much potential for exploration. I mean, we’ve yet to really get at the heart of the fiefs. And there’s been little about Aerians. And except for the fiefs, Kaylin hasn’t been out of the city. Any possibility of going to West March? What about the dragons who sleep instead of accepting the emperor’s rule? I’d even settle for the Old Ones showing up and opening up a cigar bar in Evanston’s Garden, to everyone’s annoyance… okay, maybe not. This is why I’d rather read your novels than write my own ;-)
Sep 07, 2011 @ 19:37:20
What joy! What news! Oh, happy day…but what a gut-wrenching yearning for the next book. (And the next, and the next, and the next!!!) Can September 20th come any sooner? Argh!
Speaking of future book story lines, what about sailing to another city? And how about some short stories or novellas with back or side stories to tide us eager readers over between full books, hmm? It is sooo hard to wait all year between books. You don’t have to wait because you live in their world while you are writing about it. I am whining, I know, but …well, I’ll just stop.
Thank you so much for the good news! And the good books!
Sep 07, 2011 @ 20:17:08
Yes! I love it when I know more books are coming from a series I enjoy. I had a quick question (I sent an e-mail a while back but I know you’ve been busy writing and editing), will we ever see a map of Elantra? I’m kind of like Kaylin in the sense that I get turned around easily (lol, even with GPS I’ve been known to get lost) and I would love to see a map if only so I can orient myself about where everything is.
Sep 07, 2011 @ 21:29:36
@PV: I’m sorry >.<.
I am not a map-maker, and I am *terrible* at drawing, so the map I have is kind of a series of blobs with words and squiggly lines for the Ablayne and the fiefs. It’s not a map that is remotely professional in any way, shape or form =/.
Sep 08, 2011 @ 15:51:37
Post it!!
Probably someone here can do a good job around it and then you can set it properly!!
I’m not really good but I’ll sure try!!
May 29, 2012 @ 12:57:23
Please post a scan of the map it would help a lot fans including myself if you did even if the scetcch is rough. im an artist and i could scetch something out for everyone i just need a rough draft :)
Sep 07, 2011 @ 20:41:28
I LOVE THE CAST SERIES AND HOPE IT NEVER ENDS EITHER, AND I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW IF KAYLIN GETS WITH SEVERNCE OR LORD KNIGHTSHADE?
Sep 07, 2011 @ 21:08:35
Congratulations! And three more chances for a book to be titled, Cast in Nets!
Waaah for all the people (okay, me) waiting for Augustine stories …
Sep 07, 2011 @ 21:31:50
@Joey: but you have both the Augustine stories!
I admit that with revisions and writing I’ve fallen behind in the short stories, but I am working on them. But…the Augustine stories are much later in the sequence, because they were published later.
I actually really want to put Colors of Augustine out there, because it was publishing in a Canadian YA anthology which I’m not sure saw much distribution outside of Canada. But … If I do that, Tanya will make me write more of them.
Sep 07, 2011 @ 22:17:43
I am going to briefly delurk and say I thoroughly enjoyed this post. I also read it pretending you were talking. And then I did a little happy wiggle about 3 more books.
While I want the first chapter of Cast in Peril, considering the suffering that the first 2 chapters of Cast in Ruin are causing (please note this is the first actual book being delivered in more than 6 months because I can’t wait until Oct 1 for the ebook) I don’t know if I want to increase my suffering like that… on the other hand, it is the first chapter, and August 2012 isn’t that far away….
Sep 07, 2011 @ 22:46:34
Since I just finished Cast in Shadow (after carting it around for several years!) and Harvest Moon, I’ve been scouring bookstores in the Bruce Peninsula looking for more. Will have to wait til I get back to the GTA.
And will the final book be Cast in Concrete?
Sep 07, 2011 @ 23:36:39
I feel, at this point, that Joey, Michael and David are about to be voted off the Island. Just saying.
Sep 08, 2011 @ 05:36:08
Hey! I haven’t even weighed in on this forum yet!
But now that you brought it up, you have your three names there: Casit in Bronze, Plaster, and Concrete!
Cast in Oblivion, though…That could be neat.
Sep 08, 2011 @ 13:03:26
Cast in Oblivion is a very good title, actually o.o
Sep 08, 2011 @ 16:59:06
So…Can I stay on the island now?
Sep 08, 2011 @ 02:11:54
Yeah! More Cast in… books. Happy dance!
I just lent a friend my copies of the first 5 books in the hopes of creating another addict. I caved and purchased Cast in Ruin in paper because I couldn’t bear to wait until October 1 for the ebook. I’m hoping for word of early releases either here or the yahoo group.
Posting chapter 1 of Cast in Peril. Part of me says Yes, please; but then remembering that release is probably next August…that’s a lot of time to re-read the same chapter over and over.
Sep 08, 2011 @ 15:45:20
Lovely news! So glad you shared so I know there are so many Cast books to look forward to (and so glad it’s almost time for Ruin to be released!). Definitely joining in all the happy dances going on right now!
Sep 08, 2011 @ 16:05:43
Thanks Heaven!
There are so many thing that I still want to know about the Elantra universe!!
And for now Nightshade and his castle are still wayting! He will blue with rage!
And I really love “Cast in Obvlion”!!
And I’m more than OK for the first Peril’s charapter! As you already know I was hopig to find him in Ruin :) I’t not a thing unlistened!
And I’ll wait for the novellas you nominated!! One takes place after “moonlight” you said..
Ah!
I always wanted to know!!
Does Sanabalis or Kaylin remember their first meeting?
As kanny as he is I can’t imagine him not noticing her and her role!!
And Kaylin can really forget a Dragon??
And the grampa/mage.. when Kaylin didn’t have yet Sanabalis as a theacher I did see him as the perfect one.. will we see him again?
(I’m hoping to see the lord of the west march too)
I’m happy for you and for us!!
We are doing a dance party!!
Sep 08, 2011 @ 19:24:41
@Giusy: I won’t actually post the first chapter of Peril until the book is finished, because once I’ve finished the first draft, there are things that will have to change or be cut – the book is really really REALLY long.
In “Cast in Moonlight”, Kaylin had never seen a Dragon, so she didn’t realize that Sanabalis was more significant than the Barrani (she knew Barrani, and they were dangerous in Nightshade).
Sep 08, 2011 @ 21:11:55
Not getting why anyone in their right mind would have a problem with one of your books being too long.
That said, if scenes get cut, any chance of them getting posted at random over the next year while we wait for Cast In Whatever Comes After Peril? Little bits that fit into the book we’ve already read would be just as lovely as an early first chapter of the yet-to-come book, without torturing us with months of waiting to see What Comes Next. Sort of like a Deleted Scenes reel on a DVD, except parceled out over time while we wait for the next book.
Sep 09, 2011 @ 07:08:06
Long is REALLY good!!
Thanks
Sep 08, 2011 @ 19:26:10
@Michael: Yes, you can stay on the Island – but I have a feeling, given your general propensity for mockery, that it’s always going to be touch-and-go :D
Sep 08, 2011 @ 22:14:31
Mockery? Mockery? When have I ever mocked you?
…
…
…
Yeah, okay, I could barely write that sentence through the laughter. Still: ISLAND! WOO!
Sep 08, 2011 @ 20:36:54
I’m voting for them to stay – they make me laugh. :-)
I like Cast in Concrete (snickering a little here), or maybe Cast in Bronze – as they erect a statue of Kaylin for the pigeons to land on…
Cast in Question maybe?
I think Cast in Brevity might cause you some trouble though…
Sep 08, 2011 @ 21:16:48
I read Cast in Silence with no previous knowledge of the series (I thought it was a single novel) or your works. It hooked me, and it was well set up enough that I wasn’t lost even after I figured out that there were prior books. :)
Sep 08, 2011 @ 23:27:43
@ H.Renee: a) thank you and b) I’m happy it worked without knowledge of the prior books. I try to do that, but…I don’t think, for instance, Cast in Courtlight works emotionally without Cast in Shadow.
Someone said on Twitter that their first Cast novel was Cast in Chaos, and they didn’t find that one confusing either.
As author – and even series editors probably have this to some degree – it’s hard to separate what I know from what it’s necessary to know.
I’m really curious about where people started, now, if they didn’t start with the first one.
Sep 08, 2011 @ 23:34:41
Speaking of Cast in Moonlight, I didn’t see it anywhere on the Bibliography? I probably just missed it, but in case it is omitted, then I wanted to bring that to your attention.
Sep 08, 2011 @ 23:49:30
@Chris: No, you didn’t miss it, sadly. I just added it, and the mass market paperbacks of Fury and Silence. I actually added it as part of the Cast series, rather than in the short story section, which I may reconsider. I haven’t, however, added it to the Cast page, which I’ll also have to do.
After the rest of tonight’s words!
Sep 09, 2011 @ 01:12:03
On the one hand, I am sorry to have added to your workload. :(
On the other, I am glad to have helped in the very, very, very small way that I did. :)
Meanwhile, in a very strange turn of events, after posting here I visited whedonesque .com and saw that someone had attempted to post a link to a story called “For the Love of Riley”. But they were unsuccessful with the site address. So I searched for the story and discovered that Smart Pop Books had posted it for free here: http://www.smartpopbooks.com/871
I then noticed that it was written by you in 2003. If this had been even a month ago I wouldn’t have made the connection, as I hadn’t read any of your work yet. I certainly wouldn’t have just posted here an hour previous. Sometimes the world indeed works in mysterious ways.
Sep 12, 2011 @ 19:31:00
– Cast needs a story for each fief, ( i can’t write them all in my mind) which brings me to maps. I love them for this type of stories. I can’t figure out where to locate each fief, the ocean/port, the West March, the ancient ruins where no one dares to go, all the places where the Barrani came from when the Caste lord called them, the caves where the dragons play when they are little, and where all the dragons outside of the 5 at court must be living.
– If it doesn’t fit in a novel, can there be a short story about the female dragons?
I know we are asking so much and there is only one of you, but we can’t write like you; and we love all the books.
Sep 15, 2011 @ 19:50:47
I just went on Amazon, and they have Cast in Ruin listed in stock, but may take a a day or two to process. Fingers crossed that I might get my copy early, :)
Sep 18, 2011 @ 12:02:41
I am really too glad to read a few more castbooks will coming out. I fell in love with the tome number two ,witch book I bout by my boostock. after that, I went looking anxiously for the tome one and the news. today, i buy there by amazon directly. But it is too hard to wait for them and more for the translate of them in french. do you know wenn cast in silence, in chaos, in moonlight and in peril will be finally translate ? I have learn english by school, it was 35 years before. I have new learn english specialy for and with your book. but I can understand only 60-80% of them.
about a map of the fiefs, oceans, west march,old ruins and so, it will be very nice of you because it is many time difficult to understand or to locate the states.
thanks for your stories and this world, i Like to spleep after to have read or re- read or re-re-read your books.
Sep 20, 2011 @ 21:40:50
I literally went bookstore by bookstore in houston looking for cast in ruin today, it was completely sold out at every bookstore I could find contact information for in the greater houston area. Finally ordered it off of amazon with next day shipping, but this is the first book I’ve not been able to find in a bookstore on release since The Great Hunt. Congratulations.
I love the way your characters live outside the written word. It’s a true gift of characterization that really makes the moments that happen off the page almost as interesting as the ones that happen on it. Whether we find out about them through inference, a brief memory, or even later still in their own scene, the cast of characters in both the elantra and essalieyen stories have a wonderful sense of movement.
In a somewhat amused question, what draws you to worlds named with E?
Sep 20, 2011 @ 22:41:10
@Alan: If the book is unavailable pretty much on the day it’s released, it makes me nervous because I am an author and we are notoriously nervous creatures . I’m sorry that you spent so much time only to have to overnight it from Amazon =/.
I confess I have no idea why I’m drawn to worlds with an E as their leading character. Until you asked, I hadn’t noticed, and of course, I am now thinking about this. No, wait, I’m writing. I’m writing Right Now.
Sep 20, 2011 @ 22:58:04
No reason to apologize to me! The various houston bookstores sold out before I got to them. Luckily I’m not afraid of amazon. I was just trying to support the local store on principle; though I love ebooks for many things, reading in the pool, as one does on a hot day in houston, does not a happy kindle/ipad/nook make.
In any event, tomorrow will be a lovely day, with the happy sound of the wife’s finished painting and more Elantra. I, too, should be writing, but the internet’s call is strong. Once more, congratulations on being the second book I’ve seen sold out city wide.
Sep 21, 2011 @ 13:17:12
I am sure this has beena sked before but as I finish the 3 House books (e-book for a number of reasons) I was wondering the the Sun Sword will be out in e-book. I have reread all 6 3 times and would like to again. I also have al the Cast books but will admit that I have not read the Hunt books. I am not sure why.
Oct 11, 2011 @ 23:55:23
I just finished reading Cast in Ruin, and loved it. I can’t wait for Peril, and I’m going to go nuts waiting till next August! Oh well, I guess I can always re-read the entire series. Again. :)
Oct 15, 2011 @ 23:27:46
What drey said.
I keep wanting to say, “write FASTER, damnit!”, although I know that’s unfair. I just want to read the next story, and the one after that, and the one after THAT.
I suppose I’ll have to content myself with rereading all the previous books. It’s interesting watching Kaylin grow over the course of the series, and I am very, very curious how her etiquette lessons will progress, especially since she now has a fellow student. And the egg! I have some ideas about that egg, I do. Will it hatch in the next book?
[Said in an Arte Johnson voice] Should be very, very interesting.
Oct 19, 2011 @ 17:58:39
I am in love with the Cast series. But I absolutely loatthee waiting a whole year for the next book. I got my hands on Cast in Ruin the day it reached the shelves of my local book store, and I read it in two days. I can’t get enough!! I will try to make myself feel better by reading the previous books over and over again.
It seems as though Kaylin is always gifting the other characters with things. Finding the problems and tying up all the loose ends. Is it too much of a stretch to think that at the end of all her adventures, Kaylin will end up gifting the emporer with something as well?
I am actually more excited to see how you navigate the waters between Severn’s love and Nightshade’s ..future plans?, (I’m not sure if an affectionate word is appropriate) with Kaylin. Whatever may come, I’m totally excited and ready to read it all!
Nov 12, 2011 @ 23:45:33
The egg, the egg…. is it a … dragon in that egg? Even tho it was birthed by a human, it was during the time of magical chaos..who’s to say that its not another *female* dragon in that egg? And that Kaylin gets stuck raising it?? That’s what I think :) Love the series – sad there is no discussion forum for the books – but love the books, and glad to know there are more on the way! I will get to find out about the egg (hum, it didn’t like Teela?? A Barrani??) if it hatches, and I’ll find out what Nightshade wants Kaylin to go to the West Marches for… and more about the dragons (who were the matriarchs?? Why were they lost? How DID the Outcaste get started??
Nov 13, 2011 @ 10:33:12
That was what I was thinking, regarding the egg, but I didn’t want to SAY it. Partially because it’s embarrassing to be wrong, but mostly because if that IS Michelle’s intent, having someone talk about it on her web site may prevent her from using the idea. There have been lawsuits about “stolen ideas”; most authors I’ve read prefer not to be told someone else’s ideas for that reason.
On the other hand, it’s a fairly logical extrapolation from what she’s written before, so maybe it wouldn’t be an issue. I am not a lawyer of any type, after all.
And can you just IMAGINE Diarmat,’s face if that’s what it is?
Feb 05, 2012 @ 19:05:05
I love the Chronicles of Elantra series! I just finished reading Cast in Ruin, and am already anxious to get Cast in Peril. It’s one of those series that I really wish I could have discovered it after it was completely finished, to get rid of the waiting between books, but then I’d be sad because it’d be over. I noticed several people said how they discovered this series by thinking the cover of Cast in Silence looked interesting…I actually discovered it because it was the only book in a bag of books I recieved from a past boss that wasn’t a western romance novel(I am not a fan of those), so I read it and I haven’t been able to tear myself away from the series since.:) So although the rest of the books I recieved were not what I was looking for, I’m very grateful that I got that bag of books.
Feb 05, 2012 @ 19:06:46
I meant Cast in Shadow, not Cast in Silence, that I found in the bag of books.
Feb 06, 2012 @ 10:45:09
Pleaaseee post a chapter of Caste in Peril :D? There’s competition between my mom and I about who’s gonna read it first. Reaally can’t wait.
May 27, 2012 @ 02:53:51
michelle. you have just become THE best author i have EVER had the privilege to read. i have read hundreds and hundreds of any kind of books, and i HAVE to say that none of them, NONE spoke to me or moved me as the chronicles of Elantra does. were i a dragon, i guess you could call books my hoard. i have so many that often i have to create new space to fit them :P but i have NEVER ever read an author who could speak to me, or make what i read come to life so profoundly that i almost feel like i am part of that story. and all this just to say thank you for what you bring to life, and that you will have in me and undying follower. the Elantra series is the only one i have finished to date, and i will immediately start on the other series as soon as i get some sleep :P i admit, i started and finished this series in three days, with very little sleep, as i could not force myself to put the books down. luckily i am on vacation, so i can happily spend the rest of it lost in every one of your worlds.
May 27, 2012 @ 19:11:59
Cindy,
The other series might take a bit more than 3 days! :) Good Luck and enjoy…
Apr 08, 2016 @ 11:36:50
Please, Michelle, I need a MAP! We visual readers need to know in which direction we’re walking with Kaylin AT ALL TIMES so that we can get home! HELP! (Sorry for shouting.)