Beverly asked Sebastien de Castell:

I know you have plans for another series featuring different characters with maybe some walk on parts for our beloved Falcio, Kest, and Brasti. Being a fan of those characters, that is like offering a child a piece of candy but only allowing one lick and then taking it away. Like Michael J Sullivan has done with his Riyria characters, maybe, you could give us some standalone books featuring our favorite Greatcoats?

Sebastien de Castell Hi Beverly,

It's a great question and one that I wrestle with myself sometimes. The simplest answer is that – for me, at least – Falcio, Kest and Brasti are at their best when their words and deeds say something about the world. I need to know what that is before I can write a novel with them in it.

Each book in the Greatcoats Quartet is about the contrast between idealism and some other motivating aspect of humanity, whether that's corruption, pragmatism, faith, or even duty. Those are the real conflicts that Falcio deals with throughout the series. For me to write another book with the trio requires me to have something new for them to say – something for which Falcio, Kest, and Brasti are the best characters to tell that story. This doesn't mean I won't ever write a standalone novel with them, only that, right now, the stories I'm telling need new voices.

I haven't read Michael's work yet (though I definitely plan to), and I certainly can't speak for him, but given how beloved and admired his books are, I can't help but think he puts that same care into precisely when he uses his Riyrian heroes.

So, for now at least, my job is to do my very best to ensure that the new characters and stories in the Greatcoats books are as worthy of your time and affection as the old ones.

Best,

Sebastien

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