The inspiration for this book originally came from a short story I wrote years ago called Lili and Jan. It followed a girl named Lili who ended up in an enemy kingdom and worked as a servant, where she became close friends with the princess, Jan. Jan’s brother, Brian, fell in love with Lili as the girls grew closer.
Everything changed when Lili’s father led an attack on the palace, believing his daughter had been kidnapped. During the chaos, Lili’s true identity was revealed to Brian and Jan. She returned home, and her parents secretly hid the letters Brian sent her. Lili believed he’d forgotten about her — until she heard he was getting engaged at a royal ball and decided to attend.

That’s when she learned the truth: her parents had kept them apart, and Jan and Brian’s aunt had actually tried to kill Lili when she was a child. In the end, Lili’s father realized Brian and Jan weren’t responsible for their aunt’s actions and finally stopped standing in the way of their love.

I loved the core idea of the story and knew I wanted to weave it into Shadow Series — though none of the original names survived the transition.

Kali became the heart of this version of the story. She was already one of the Shadows and had always been Gianna’s rival. I knew she would be my pirate character, and I wanted her hard exterior to slowly soften once she met Narin.

I also created a sister for Kali — Shayla — who quickly became one of the most important characters in the series (and will continue to be important in Tales of Solapin). I knew Kali needed to go through something truly horrific to break her down and force real growth, which is why I wrote the mutiny where the crew turns on Kali and her mother — and Shayla is taken captive by the mutiny’s leader.

When Kali and Narin finally meet again, there’s a fun Easter egg too: Narin briefly appears way back in Child of Justice as a young boy (and I don’t think he’s even named there).

I loved weaving Gianna’s mission together with Shayla’s visions of the future and having them travel to Fedji to protect the people there.

The original characters shifted into new forms — Jan became Jade, Brian became Narin, and Lili became Kali. While the aunt no longer tries to kill Kali as a child, she’s still a major villain in the story. I made her obsessed with the family after having an affair with Kali’s father, which gave her a twisted reason to fixate on Kali’s future. Writing a slightly unhinged antagonist was honestly a lot of fun.

Vernon and Zoya’s romance mixed with their villainy fit perfectly into the story as well.

Shayla’s recovery after her imprisonment was something I wanted to handle with care — strong, emotional, and ultimately hopeful. I loved having Gianna and Carina, who both carry trauma of their own, befriend her. And since Gianna and Kali hated each other their entire lives, it was especially meaningful to have Gianna and Shayla connect almost instantly.

I also enjoyed expanding Shadow World by adding more Shadows and introducing a new villain, Dee — who is brutal, heartless, and (confession) one of my favorite characters in the series. When I first wrote book one, I hadn’t planned on adding more Shadows, but while outlining book three, I realized Shadow Lord would always want seven loyal to him.

Kali’s journey from a defiant would-be leader to a spy was one of my favorite arcs to write. Watching her realize that her worth isn’t tied to power, cruelty, or leadership was incredibly meaningful. She’d always believed her value came from her magic and status as a Shadow — but through Narin and Jade, she learns that she’s worthy simply because she is.
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And when Kali finally comes face-to-face with Gianna in the real world, everything clicks into place. Their first real conversation — their first moment of friendship and true alliance — was such an emotional and beautiful scene to write. I loved the idea of Kali secretly working as a spy in Shadow World while standing beside Gianna as an ally in the real one.