Plus, read an exclusive excerpt from this third entry in his bestselling series.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When I read deftly-rendered stories, I find myself giving the books theme songs.
What would you say the anthem ofA Tale of Sorceryis?
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CHRIS COLFER:Oh my gosh, that’s such a good question.
Maybe “Born This Way.”
That was really fun and very cathartic to write.
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Can you tell us which character?
I think I was able to write a whole coming out story without ever having to use any terms.
So hopefully that’ll get into the hands of the kids around the world who need it the most.
I’d say more than any of my books, theTale of Magicseries is absolutely inspired by current events.
And, inA Tale of Sorcery, I’d say everything is an allegory for an environmental message.
Is that still moving forward?
It’s not moving forward with 20th Century Fox.
In all honesty, we were developing it with them for about two and a half years.
We were under Emma Watts and Kira Goldberg, and it was a wonderful project.
Have you found a new home for it?
No, I haven’t.
I’m not in a rush.
I’ve seen how being in a rush can really mess up a project like this.
Then again, in film I feel like you get to show more.
All the other questions have been so easy!
I knew the first book was going to be about Brystal.
A Tale of Sorceryis your 18th book.
At this point in your career do you consider yourself more of an actor-turned-writer or a writer-turned-actor?
You know, I try not to consider myself, period.
[Laughs] It really just depends on who you ask.
I just consider myself very lucky that I get to do either of it.
Read on for the exclusive excerpt after the cover image below:
CHAPTER TWO
THE COUNTDOWN
Tick .
Brystal always resented the sound of a ticking clock.
But she was dead wrong.
Brystal glanced down at the silver pocket watch attached to her waist.
To someone else, the watch would have shown it was a few minutes before noon.
And to someone else, the watch’s soft ticking would have barely been noticeable.
But to Brystal, the gentle gears were deafening.
Her watch wasn’t counting down the hours of her dayit was counting down the days of her life.
That’s all you have left .
To locate the ancient spell book .
To destroy
the Immortal .
And you still haven’t found either of them yet.
You’re no closer now than you were a year ago .
You have to accept the truth .
You’re out of time .
The curse on Brystal’s mind rarely surfaced these days.
She had become so good at ignoring the disturbing thoughts that she barely noticed them anymore.
Even when they occasionally got her attention, Brystal loved putting them in their place.
You may be right .
.. , she thought.But who isn’t on borrowed time?
Whose days aren’t numbered?
Knowing when my life ends means I can make the most of the time I have left .
And I’m not going to waste a second of it.
Brystal clicked the watch shut and tucked it into the pocket of her pantsuit.
Thankfully, Brystal didn’t bear the burden of finding the ancient spell book and the Immortal alone.
For the first time, instead of sparing her friends from the truth, Brystal had confided in them.
And before Brystal could evenaskfor her friends' help, they went straight to work.
While they worked tirelessly on locating the ancient spell book, the witches worked diligently on identifying the Immortal.
