Carry On (Simon Snow, #1)

by Rainbow Rowell

Let the Mage and the Pitches and the Humdrum and everyone else fight the wars they seem to have their hearts set on. Simon and I could get a flat in Anchorage. Or Casablanca. Or Prague. I’d read and write. He’d sleep and eat. And we’d both live to see the far end of 19. Maybe even 20. I’d do it. I’d take him away—if I didn’t believe he was the only one who could make a difference here. If I stole Simon and kept him safe … I’m not sure there’d be a World of Mages to come back to.

Penelope was so valuable to me as I was writing Carry On because she acts like a reality check. A less passioned observer. Simon and Baz are in the story up to their eyes. Whenever I wanted to be able to see the forest and the trees, I’d switch to Penny’s POV. She also lets us see the Simon/Baz dynamic from the outside, which I always like in a romantic story. In this section, I wanted to show how grave Simon’s situation really is. Simon might not question his role, but Penny loves him, and she’s worried. She wants to save him from saving the day.