NimonaCreator Announces New BookScarlet Morning— See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

N.D. Stevenson, ‘Scarlet Morning’.Photo:Derrick Boutté; Quill Tree Books

Derrick Boutté; Quill Tree Books

N.D. Stevenson’s forthcoming book has been his “constant companion” throughout his life — and now he’s ready to share it with the world.

TheNimonaandShe-Ra and the Princesses of Powercreator will be releasing his newest project,Scarlet Morning, in September, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal.

And it only makes sense that Stevenson — who has continued to thrill fans with his own fictional worlds — began working on the concept as a teenager, before picking it back up again in 2020 for some finishing touches.

Quill Tree Books

“Scarlet Morningrepresents the enduring power of childhood wonderment and my lifelong passion for storytelling,” he says in a statement shared with PEOPLE. “Born from the whimsical beginnings of a 12-year-old kid’s imaginative play – what we called ‘The Pirate Game’ – to a 600-page draft at 15, this story has been my constant companion.”

“In 2020, I revisited this world, weaving a tale that bridges past and present, grief and hope,” Stevenson adds. “Scarlet Morningrepresents over 15 years of growth in my life, both personally and as a storyteller. I hope it feels as real to you as it does to me.”

The release marks not only the first book in a duology but also the author’s first in prose.

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Illustration from N.D. Stevenson’s ‘Scarlet Morning’.Quill Tree Books

Thinking about picking up a copy come September? Read an exclusive excerpt below.

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The little boat cut swiftly through the bitter water with Clem’s strong arms rowing, bumping through the maze of salt. The children looked eagerly for the ship, but could see nothing in the dark.

Then, suddenly, they could.

They weren’t exactly sure what had happened. But with a sudden rush, the black haze lifted, and there werelights. Warm yellow lights speckling the deck of a ship that they could only assume was the Calamary Rose, shimmering pinpricks of silver light far above that were stars, and chilly blue light from the huge, round white thing that hung low overhead, glowing on the surface of the pack with a ghostly sheen.

Viola and Wilmur gasped at the same time, making Chase jump.

“The moon,” whispered Viola. They knew what the moon was, ofcoursethey did, for they had read about it, but if Viola was being honest, she had always assumed that it was more of, well, ametaphor. It was almost too unbelievable to be real — but there it was, every dimple and shadow on it so clear that it seemed that they could reach up and pluck it from the sky.

“Andthat, Wilmur,” said Chase proudly, “is my ship.”

TheCalamary Rosedidn’t look like the illustrations of grand warships in their books. She had a swollen, tub-shaped silhouette, her planks grayish and shaggy, her bowsprit drooping beneath the weight of salt that dribbled from it in fat clumps. She was an ugly ship, but she was a ship. Wilmur gazed at her in pure adoration.

Viola breathed deeply. The wet-blanket smell she’d lived her whole life in had lifted, and now the air was so crisp and sharp in her lungs that it made her dizzy. Wilmur seemed to be having the same experience, for he let out a loud gasp and then broke down into lightheaded giggles. “Look, Viola, do you see it?” he said, bouncing up and down in excitement and jiggling the board they were sitting on. “That’s it, that’s theCalamary Rose.”

Instead, Viola turned around and looked back, but there was nothing to see. Caveat was gone, swallowed up in a wall of darkness as dark as a blob of ink.

Ropes were fixed and the jolly-boat was hauled up to the main deck, where a scattering of sailors waited, gawking curiously. They were a funny-looking bunch, their skin scrawled with tattoos and pocked with sunspots, some with fewer limbs than might be expected and a few with too many; there was also a large white bear sitting passively among them like just another crew member. The bear was wearing an ascot.

Scarlet Morningwill hit shelves on Sept. 23 and is available now for preorder, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com