ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I WROTE THIS BOOK at a time when the entire world was afraid and uncertain. I was so grateful to have something I could work on every day—a way to move forward and make progress. And I was so grateful to spend these months with Simon and Baz, the characters I know best.
I never expected to write a trilogy set in the World of Mages, and the task would have been immensely more difficult without the help of Ashley Christy, my friend and continuity editor. She is incredibly sharp and kind, and I am lucky that she replies to my texts.
Over the last five years, I’ve exhausted all my British friends with my endless usage questions. (They probably wish I would have warned them at the beginning that it was a trilogy.) (I would have, if I’d known.) Thank you, Melissa Cox, Susie Day, and Keris Stainton. I am in your debt and available for questions if you’re ever curious about Nebraska.
Thank you, especially, to Melinda Salisbury, who answered literally thousands of my questions with such grace and humor. (Melinda, what will I do now when I want an excuse to talk to you?)
Thank you to my UK agent, Nicola Barr, my UK editor, Rachel Petty—who you can thank for all those gorgeous special editions—and the entire team at Macmillan Children’s Books, who enthusiastically welcomed the World of Mages.
ON THIS SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC, I’m very lucky to work with Wednesday Books, St. Martin’s Press, and Macmillan Audio. From production to publicity to marketing, the whole team works with so much care and thoughtfulness. Designer Olga Grlic has put her whole heart into these wonderful covers. (With the help of super-illustrator Kevin Wada.) Everyone at Wednesday Books refers to Baz and Simon by their first names.
I GET STUCK and tied in knots when I’m writing. And in those moments, I was so glad that I could ask for help. Thank you to Joy DeLyria, Bethany Gronberg, Flourish Klink, Photine Liakos, Tulika Mehrotra, and Christina Tucker for helping me get untangled. (As I typed each of these names, I felt a specific rush of ardor and gratitude.)
I also sometimes fall flat on my face. Thank you to Leigh Bardugo, Alicia Brooks, Margaret Willison, and Elena Yip for helping me back on my feet.
MY REAL ACTUAL KIDS have grown up while I was writing these books. Thank you, Laddie and Rosey, for being so encouraging and for putting up with all the cardboard Bazzes—and for helping me come up with spells. (“Let it all out” was all Rosey; he saved my shirt!)
And thank you to my husband, Kai, for forever talking me into happy endings.
I CAN STILL HARDLY BELIEVE I wrote a trilogy. I can’t believe I wrote a book about these characters in the first place! It was such a weird idea …
I am beyond lucky—maybe actually blessed—to work with people who love weird ideas. Who encourage me to take risks, and then have my back every step of the way.
I am profoundly grateful for my editor, Sara Goodman, and my agent, Christopher Schelling. They make my books and my life immeasurably better.
ALSO BY
RAINBOW ROWELL
LANDLINE
FANGIRL
ELEANOR & PARK
ATTACHMENTS
PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SIMON SNOW TRILOGY
WAYWARD SON
CARRY ON
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RAINBOW ROWELL lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and two sons. She’s also the author of Carry On, Wayward Son, Landline, Fangirl, Eleanor & Park, and Attachments. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also by Rainbow Rowell
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by Wednesday Books, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS. Copyright © 2021 by Rainbow Rowell. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.wednesdaybooks.com
Interior and endpaper illustrations by Jim Tierney
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Rowell, Rainbow, author.
Title: Any way the wind blows / Rainbow Rowell.
Description: First edition.|New York: Wednesday Books, 2021.|Series: Simon Snow series; 3|Audience: Ages 14–18.|Summary: Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha return to England, back to the Watford School of Magicks, and back to their families for a final adventure.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021002134|ISBN 9781250254337 (hardcover)|ISBN 9781250817617 (international, sold outside the U.S., subject to rights availability)|ISBN 9781250830937 (signed edition)|ISBN 9781250254344 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Magic—Fiction.|Boarding schools—Fiction.|Schools— Fiction.|Gays—Fiction.
Classification: LCC PZ7.R79613 An 2021|DDC [Fic]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021002134
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First Edition: 2021