Oh wow... Here we are at the end. This is kind of sad. But only kind of, because the next book will be out soon! And what is the name of this third book?

Drumroll, please!

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Light and Dark.

Publication Date: January 5th, 2016!

I'm sorry that's not for a week! I finished writing this book in November, and hoped a month would be enough to plan out this next book. However, it's been tougher than anticipated (mainly because I'm really excited about the fourth book – which is fine as long as I don't focus on it and neglect the third one) and I'd like to be a little more prepared going into this book than I was in the last two. You know, have more clues, make it more interesting, have everything make a little more sense and flow better.

Just a note, until the Sorting in the last book, I will accept character submissions. However, as the books go on, the submissions will appear less and less. Think about it - how many first years were mentioned in The Halfblood Prince? Not many, if any at all. So, as time goes on, the character submissions will have less prominent roles. I think the next book will be the last one to have big roles for some of them (key word: some), or perhaps the fourth book, but that's a stretch. And I got about twenty character submissions! I'm afraid the book would be incredibly confusing if each submission was given a big part to play. I will always mention your submission, and make them do something, or at least try to, but I can't always make every character a main character! I'm sorry.

Keep this book in your libraries for a few more days, and I'll publish an update to let you know when Light and Dark is out!

Questions:

Is Adalyn based on anyone you know in real life?
Well... Not exactly. Some of the characters definitely are (Luke is like my brother, for one), but I don't know that Adalyn is. Of course, I don't have the same opinion of her that Astra had throughout the book. I saw her more as a sweet girl in awe of an older student. So, I guess there are some people I know that like. In my youth group, a lot of the sixth grade girls are a little like that, because I'm basically the only high schooler who deigns to talk to them, and I'm a sophomore to boot! But I don't think they're annoying. In fact, I tend to think they're simply really sweet, even if they're sometimes a little childish (gosh, to think I'm only about four years older than them...).

Why aren't Neville's children named Frank and Alice?
Good question. I just felt like Neville wouldn't want to do that to his kids. He wouldn't want them to feel like they had to live up to their grandparents example - being strong and loyal enough to be tortured to madness before giving in. He wouldn't want to put that kind of pressure on his kids. He also wouldn't want his kids to feel like they were just replacements. So, sure, Alyssa's name is kind of like Alice, but it isn't Alice, and that's the big thing. He wanted his kids to be whoever they wanted, not fit into some mold already set for them. (Which could get me going on James Potter, and how he might have been a completely different person if Harry had simply name him "Robert" or something, because he wouldn't have had to live up to the image of Prongs!)

What inspired you to start writing?
Well, that's kind of a two-part question. What inspired me to start writing in general was this story that I'd been developing in my head for years. Ever since I was five or six, I told myself stories to help me fall asleep. When I was little, they were pretty dumb and silly, but when I was about eleven, I started coming up with a story that sounded semi-decent. So I started thinking about it some more, and started developing plot and characters, and it grew from there. It's been not quite four years, and I probably won't be done with it for a while! I probably never would have done that at all if my mom wasn't an (aspiring) author, really. She writes children's books (though she hasn't had time to recently), if she could ever get one published. But that's what started me. That story, I still haven't gotten it down just yet. I got sidetracked with fanfiction. And that leads me to the second part of this answer. What inspired me to start writing fanfiction? Well... I read the Hunger Games, and I got obsessed with the District 2 girl tribute, Clove. And so I wrote the most cringe-worthy love story between Clove and Peeta... Less than a year ago, actually! But that launched me into Wattpad, really. And here I am. Still working on that original novel 😉 but it's coming! (No, it's not One Instant)

Why did Colette transfer to Hogwarts? Was it her choice?
It was most definitely not her choice. If she could have had her way, she would have stayed at Beauxbatons until she was 17. She transferred because her dad lives in England, and didn't want her going to school in Europe if she was going to be living with him now (I'll go into that more in the next question). After all, Hogwarts is free for all British students. Beauxbatons? No. She was the one who initially wanted to move in with her father, but that was under the assumption that she could stay at her old school and that he would move back to France. Once she found out she'd have to switch schools and move, it was too late. Not that her mom would have taken her back, or that she would have wanted to go back to her mom, anyway. So, no, it wasn't exactly her choice, but she set everything into motion to make it happen, even if she never expected that.

Who are Colette's parents?
This might end up being more of a story than a straightforward answer, but hey, it'll be interesting, and I doubt you'll ever hear it all from Colette herself. Anyway, as you now know, Colette's parents are separated after some circumstances Colette hasn't really explained, but that were apparently really hard  for the (at the time) seven-year-old to deal with. Their names are Jacqueline Isabel Belrose, a muggle, and Martin Jean St Pierre, a muggleborn wizard. Her parents met in Paris, fell in love, and eloped all in one weekend, and things like that rarely work out, obviously, especially when the man forgets to mention the important fact that he is a wizard. They were going to break off everything after about two months, but they discovered that Jacqueline was pregnant. For the sake of their then-unborn child, they grudgingly stuck together. However, Jacqueline always made sure little Colette knew it was her fault that her mother was stuck with such a "ghastly" man, which isn't exactly a supportive way to raise a kid. The eight years they spent together would be described by both of them as their "personal circle of Hell."

When the couple finally split up (after a huge fight involving Jacqueline throwing a dictionary at Martin's head), Martin moved to England and got a mundane job at the Ministry of Magic. The only piece of advice from her husband Jacqueline ever followed (even if she did it much too early) was shipping Colette off to Beauxbatons (which has a small, optional primary school portion – that I just made up –unlike Hogwarts), and she spent the next four years hopping from one boyfriend to the next. Every holiday, Colette would come home to a new man in the house and a mother who really didn't want her there. Jacqueline said many times (in front of her daughter) that Colette was only there to remind her how terrible her mistakes could be.

Finally, Colette found her dad's address and sent him an owl, asking him to please move back to France and let her live with him. He couldn't do that, what with his job and all, but sent an owl to Jacqueline, asking if Colette could possibly move to England. The mom happily sent a very indignant Colette (she didn't want to switch schools) to England, never to see her again. If you want a picture of the woman, think Ms. Hannigan from that old Annie movie. Anyway, that would be Colette's parents, Martin and Jacqueline St. Pierre.

Do you ship Jastra or Astralbus?
I'm afraid that's classified. I can't choose favorites, at least, not publicly! I like both ships. I can't decide yet. But maybe it will be neither, depending on how the story goes. We'll see!

What's Astra's favorite restaurant?
Well, she hasn't been to many, living with the Lewises. She wants to know if the Leaky Cauldron counts?

Do you like One Direction?
Not really, though I have to admit I don't listen to much pop music. Same for Astra, though you didn't ask about her. Actually, she doesn't listen to much of any music... But Mara was so obsessed with One Direction back in the day that Astra decided it must be some horrible thing and hated the group vehemently.