Mage Girl began as a collaboration between Catherine (illustrations) and myself (text) for a contest. The number of words and pictures we could submit was restricted, but that did not stop me from writing on past the first chapter.
Three and a half years after I began the writing in May 2004, the final chapter was finished and the story had a subtitle – Dragonflame.
I finished the first draft of the sequel, Girl Mages, in about half a year, but I promise it is no less exciting than Dragonflame. A number of familiar characters from Dragonflame are featured besides Naya, but also many new ones. The premise is Ytobiq, the land of Naya’s birth, where Magic is still a privilege of the men, and girls born with Magic skills are imprisoned.
It is not necessary to have read Dragonflame in order to enjoy Girl Mages, as I wrote both stories to stand on their own. Yet if you know Naya and Evulon, you will understand that they cannot accept the situation in Ytobiq and choose to ignore the danger venturing into the capital of Takond represents for a still not fully-trained girl Mage.
When I approached the final confrontation of this story, I suddenly and unexpectedly knew how it was going to end. Much more disconcertingly, I also knew there would be a third, and final, part to what thus became The Mage Girl universe.
If you are a writer, you might have experienced yourself your characters taking on a life of their own. Here it was very clear that Naya and Evulon told me they wanted to continue their adventures in a third story.
As I venture into the realms of Dark Magic, I know this will not be the whirlwind of the months of Girl Mages, but a long and hazardous quest into territories beyond any map Naya has ever seen before…