Jessica Day George’s enchanted castle is back in ‘Wednesdays in the Tower’

A year ago, Jessica Day George introduced readers to Celie and the Castle Glower, a castle with a mind of its own in “Tuesdays at the Castle.”

Now, she’s bringing us back her magical world with “Wednesdays in the Tower.” In this follow up, Celie discovers a room that is only visible to her. Not only is it a secret room, but it also contains a giant egg. And it’s clear the castle wants her to not only care for the egg, but also whatever comes out of it. And when an egg is that big, the animal that comes out of it is sure to grow a lot bigger. It looks like Celie will once again find herself in the midst of a adventure.

“Wednesdays in the Tower” is the second book in Jessica’s Castle Glower series, although there was also a short novella released at Christmas.

Jessica’s not sure how many total books will be in the series, but says she’ll only write a book if she has a good idea for it. “As soon as I started ‘Tuesdays,’ I thought, There are more adventures to be had in Castle Glower, but I don’t know how many!”

Unlike “Tuesdays in the Castle,” “Wednesdays in the Tower” has a definite cliffhanger. It’s an important distinction Jessica told Cracking the Cover. “The story in ‘Tuesdays’ needed to resolve in that one book,” she explained. “I felt like Celie, and readers, had been through a lot and needed that feeling of security. But I thought it would be fun, at the end of ‘Wednesdays,’ to present a new problem right away, and lead into the next book.”

And what of the magical animal contained in that hidden egg? Since it’s pictured on the cover, it’s not really giving anything away when I tell you that Celie’s new pet is a griffin, which also so happens to be the symbol of the Castle. Jessica picked a griffin as the symbol for “Tuesdays” because, well, she thought it would be cool. “I decided that if the Castle was going to entrust Celie with a special animal, it would definitely be the Castle’s symbol,” she said.

As you might have already gathered, Celie isn’t your everyday, ordinary princess. She definitely has a mind of her own, and Jessica says she’s not too different than herself as a child. “I hope that I was as brave!” she said “I like to think she’s got a nice mix of being a good person, smart, and brave, but also just a titch spoiled, because she is a princess, and the youngest.”

If you’re a fan of Jessica’s then you probably know some of her other work — the Dragon Slippers trilogy, the Princesses of Westfalin trilogy and “Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow.” And after learning Jessica thinks of Celie as having come from her own life, you’d think that Celie is the character Jessica most wants to be. You’d be wrong. “I am sooooo Poppy from the Princesses of Westfalin series,” she says. “The sarcasm. The knitting.”

*Jessica Day George will be signing her new book, “Wednesdays in the Tower,” on Thursday, May 9, at 7 p.m. at the Salt Lake City Library, 4th Floor, 210 East 400 South. The King’s English Bookshop is hosting the launch party, complete with an author reading and, of course, a book-signing. You can pre-order a signed copy via the King’s English by either calling the store at (801) 484-9100 or online. (Be sure to specify if you want your book personalized.)

*Read the complete transcript of Jessica Day George’s interview with Cracking the Cover.