Some characters arrive quietly.

Bertie—Lady Beetle Extraordinaire—was never going to be one of them.

With her quick wit, wonderfully dry humor, hot-pink spectacles, jingling bracelets, and unmistakable sense of style, Bertie quickly became one of the most-loved characters in the Faery Academy of QuillSnap.

And today, naturally, she has arrived dressed for fall.

Her fashionable autumn ensemble is perfectly Bertie, and she’s enjoying a Midnight Moondrop Espresso Latte with Maple Moonfoam while she prepares for an even bigger occasion later this month. For the QuillSnap book launch party, Bertie will trade her fall finery for her dressy shell—because Lady Beetle Extraordinaire would never attend a celebration improperly dressed.

And I think I know why readers love her.

Bertie says what everyone else is thinking.

She has a quick wit, wonderfully dry humor, and a way of appearing at exactly the right moment with exactly the right comment. Sometimes she offers a little wisdom. Sometimes she keeps everyone organized. And sometimes she simply stands back, peers over those pink spectacles, and lets the chaos speak for itself.

Readers noticed her.

After Night of the Purple Moon, I began hearing something I hadn’t expected:

We want more Bertie.

People asked if she could have a bigger role in the next book.

So, of course, Bertie did what Bertie does.

She made herself at home.

In The Ravenite Ring, Bertie steps farther into the story. Readers get more of her quick wit, dry observations, and those perfectly timed remarks that make Bertie—well, Bertie.

And for the first time, she gives us a little glimpse into her own past with a story that begins:

“When I was a young beetle…”

There may be only one young-beetle story in The Ravenite Ring, but something tells me Bertie has been saving up quite a few more.

After all, Lady Beetle Extraordinaire has been around long enough to have plenty of stories to tell.

But beneath all that humor is something I love about her.

Bertie watches.

She notices when someone is struggling. She recognizes courage even when the person showing it doesn’t recognize it in herself. And although she may deliver her wisdom with a perfectly timed remark, there is genuine affection behind it.

Especially when it comes to Tansy.

Perhaps that’s part of Bertie’s charm. She can make you laugh in one moment and surprise you with something unexpectedly wise in the next.

She wasn’t originally meant to become such a large part of QuillSnap. The readers helped change that. Their affection for this tiny beetle with the enormous personality gave her more room to grow.

And she isn’t finished yet.

There are still stories Bertie hasn’t told.

Secrets she’s noticed.

Adventures she remembers.

And, judging by her wardrobe, quite a few outfits we haven’t seen yet.

So this fall, Bertie is officially stepping into the spotlight.

Or, as she would probably prefer to say—

“Darlings, I was already in the spotlight. You simply finally noticed.”

✨ Sparkle Every Day! ✨