We chat with author Pascale Lacelle about Stranger Skies, which Is the riveting sequel to the New York Times bestselling dark academia fantasy Curious Tides, following Emory, Baz, Romie, and Kai on their desperate quests through space and time!
Hi, Pascale! Welcome back! How has the past year been since we last spoke?
Thanks for having me back! It’s been a very challenging yet fulfilling year working on Stranger Skies. I can’t believe it’s almost time for it to hit the shelves!
Stranger Skies is the sequel to Curious Tides and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Expansive, twisty, dark, adventurous, and mysterious.
What can readers expect?
While Curious Tides was contained within the limits of Aldryn College, this sequel goes beyond those limits in more ways than one. We’re traveling through worlds previously believed to be fictional. We’re going back two hundred years in the past. The lore is expanded on. Different forms of magic are introduced. There’s a lot happening, a lot of new places and characters to discover, but there’s also a sense of familiarity maintained throughout. The lunar magic and dark academia vibes that readers loved in the first book are still very much present, and our characters are going through a whole lot of growth on their respective journeys.
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
I was really excited about getting to know Cornus Clover! In Curious Tides, he’s this almost mythical figure, an author who died under mysterious circumstances before the book he eventually became famous for was ever published. With Baz and Kai going back in time in Stranger Skies, we finally get to discover the man behind the myth. Clover was one of my favorite characters to write and I hope readers will love all the twisty paths he leads us down.
What were some of the challenges you faced with writing Stranger Skies?
I think many authors find it challenging to write their sophomore book, for a number of reasons. Tighter deadlines, burnout—these were things I struggled with for sure, but the biggest challenge I faced with Stranger Skies was realizing this book wasn’t the series finale it was meant to be. It took me a while to understand why I was having such a hard time writing the first few drafts of Stranger Skies. There was too much story left to tell. I’m lucky I got to change this series from a duology to a trilogy. Reworking Stranger Skies to be the middle book instead of the final book was hard work, but it was a fun challenge.
What stage was Stranger Skies at when Curious Tides published? Did you feel any pressure from reader reviews and feedback?
I was slowly working on the second draft of Stranger Skies when Curious Tides published. I generally stay away from reviews, but one thing I did note and wanted to work on in this sequel was to have shorter chapters. I think it works well with the multiple points of view we have in Stranger Skies.
Do you have a playlist or a few songs that would tie in well with Stranger Skies?
Yes! I have a public Stranger Skies playlist on Spotify. It features a few songs I listened to on repeat while working on this book, either because the lyrics or the vibes or both lent themselves well to the story.
Were there any key lessons learned between working on the two when it came to writing and the publishing process?
What I learned is that, at least for me, every book will have its own process, and that’s okay. I wrote Curious Tides before being agented or having a publishing contract, which means I worked on it for a year at my own pace, without pressure or expectations. Writing it was effortless and all-consuming. But with Stranger Skies, I found it hard to focus and put words on the page. I had to trick myself into working on it by doing writing sprints with friends and using productivity apps like Forest. At first I found it frustrating—why couldn’t I write this one as fast or as effortlessly as I did Curious Tides? But that’s just not what this sequel needed. In the end, I think it turned out great. So I’m learning to trust the process, whatever that might look like.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on book 3! I’m still in the early stages of drafting, but it’s so exciting to be writing the final book in this trilogy. I’ve known how I want it to end for a while now, and I hope it’ll be a satisfying conclusion.
Lastly, what books have you enjoyed this year and are there any that you can’t wait to get your hands on in 2025?
I just recently finished reading The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas, which was a gorgeous gothic read. Another favorite this year was Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma, an irresistible vampire dark academia. A few 2025 books by debut authors on my radar are This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth, Immortal Consequences by I.V. Marie, When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur, and The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez.
