‘Quicksilver’ and ‘Brimstone’ ‘Lived Inside of Me for So Long’: Callie Hart Reveals Latest on the Series’ Netflix Adaptation (Exclusive)
Inside the romantasy author's BookTok takeover and the adaptation fans can’t wait for
Some stories come alive long before they’re written down. Just ask author Callie Hart. Her hit romantasy novel Quicksilver became a New York Times bestseller and a bona fide BookTok smash hit after its release last year—and now there’s a seven-figure Netflix adaptation on the way. But the idea behind the tale has been living in Hart’s mind for almost a decade. “I had the story of Quicksilver playing out in my mind for so many years,” Hart tells Woman’s World*. “Since maybe early 2017, I’ve been planning this whole series out in my head. It was always the book I would write—it was my passion project, my reward for getting other books written.”
Hart just released Quicksilver’s highly anticipated sequel, Brimstone—and it’s already gone viral on Instagram and TikTok with more than 200K views and posts. Fans can’t get enough of the book’s main character, Saeris, and her brooding “shadow daddy” mate, Kingfisher. Here, we break down everything to know about Brimstone and the upcoming Quicksilver Netflix adaptation. Plus, Hart opens up about writing, the adaptation, fancasting Saeris and Kingfisher and more!
What is ‘Brimstone’ by Callie Hart about?
Fans of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Thorns and Roses are in for a swoon-worthy treat! Brimstone is the second installment in Hart’s beloved Fae & Alchemy series. In this story, readers are reunited with 24-year-old Saeris Fane—a thief with hidden alchemical abilities. Saeris doesn’t want power when she’s crowned queen of the Blood Court. But her brother—and her homeland—still need her. Meanwhile, her mate, Kingfisher, is embarking on a dangerous trek back to the Silver City. A steamy, spellbinding saga!
Inside the world of ‘Quicksilver’ and ‘Brimstone’
The Quicksilver and Brimstone universe wasn’t something Hart really had to brainstorm—the setting had been brewing in her mind for years. “It’s more like the whole story arc was playing out in my head for a very long time. There are these scenes I got to write in Quicksilver that have truly lived inside of me for so long,” she says. “I write chronologically, so I was vibrating with excitement when I could finally see these moments coming on the horizon. It was such a fist-pump moment for me. I’m very visual in my mind when I write, so I would envisage how these scenes would play out—from the looks on the characters’ faces to the emotion and building tension. It was just like magic to be able to write these moments between the characters.”
Hart shares her own thoughts about ‘Brimstone’
Fans have shared thousands of posts about Brimstone on social media since the book’s release. But what does the author have to say about the buzzy sequel? When we sat down with Hart a few months ago ahead of the book’s release, she said, “Brimstone is a bit of a breakneck book. There’s a lot going on here—a lot of moving parts. There are new challenges the whole cast has to face in various ways. Each of them has their own challenges. Saeris—without any spoilers—is dealing with a very new situation where she’s figuring out a lot of things and learning about herself and where she fits into this strange world she’s just discovered. She’s also fallen in love with this really unlikely, grumpy Lord. So it’s still very much a story about found family.”
Above all else, she believes the second installment enhances the relationships of all the characters. “The story is also strengthening bonds between so many different characters, plus some really fun connections. We have some new characters on the scene—some of them good, some of them bad—and new conflicts. It’s a bit of a roller coaster from start to finish.”
Recipe for success? A top-tier book boyfriend and BookTok raves
In recent years, the online book world—specifically within the romance genre—has fallen head over heels for book boyfriends. Typically, it’s the fictional MMC (male main character) from a story who readers, well, develop a crush on. In Quicksilver, readers met Kingfisher, a handsome fae warrior, and in Brimstone, he’s more intense than ever.
But the viral craze for Hart’s books didn’t happen overnight. Hart says Quicksilver’s success was much more of a slow-burn situation. “At first, Quicksilver did not do well at all. Historically, when that hasn’t happened for me, the book loses steam and momentum, and that’s it,” she admits.
“So I was in this limbo where I was like, Okay, I have the book and I’m proud of it and it was worth it but I genuinely don’t know if I’ll be able to keep writing. So I decided to give it one more college try on the social media front. I did some research on TikTok and searched for romantic readers who were talking about books they enjoyed and who genuinely seemed to love the genre. I picked about 30 women off of TikTok and reached out to them to see if they would like to receive a special edition of the book. About half of those people wrote back and said Please send it over! So about 15 women immediately started posting about it, which was incredible, and in a matter of two weeks, Quicksilver sort of went crazy. I was waking up every day and going, Oh my God, what’s happening? Oh, my God, this is amazing. It was just absolutely phenomenal and humbling and amazing.”
Now, online fans are feral for Brimstone. One recent reader gushed: “THIS IS WHAT I WANT FROM ROMANTASY!!!! Listen I loved Quicksilver but somehow this was even better?!!!! The characters, the plot, the world, the romance EVERYTHING JUST LEVELED UP!!!! I’m reeling. I tried to savor this but simply couldn’t. I INHALED THIS!” Another reader echoed similar sentiments. “Omg this was so much better than Quicksilver for me. My expectations were high given the potential this series carries and it was delivered.”
Everything we know about the ‘Quicksilver’ Netflix adaptation: ‘We have a script and it’s a good one’
After a fierce 7-figure bidding war, Netflix has officially secured the adaptation rights to Quicksilver. “This has been so very exciting to me because, like I said, I’m a very visual person when I write and I always imagine these things playing out on the screen. When my agent came to me and said, Hey, Netflix is knocking at the door right now, it was incredible. It’s such an honor,” Hart says.
The Cantillon Company is set to produce the adaptation with Elizabeth Cantillon at the helm. “Now they’ve attached an amazing producer, Elizabeth Cantillon, who just got done working on Alien: Romulus, which is fabulous. We are in the early stages, working through everything to make this thing shine. They’re also very collaborative and inclusive—I actually have a very considerable voice in everything as executive producer, which is also amazing. I’m enjoying the experience immensely.”
Recently, Hart stopped in Melbourne, Australia, to promote Brimstone on her book tour—and fans in attendance received an exciting update about the series. “We have a script and it’s a good one,” Hart said. “And we’re about to start thinking about who will be the director, which is a really fun stage to be at.” There is no confirmed release date yet because filming hasn’t begun, but sources estimate we could potentially see the adaptation on our screens in early 2027.
Who will play Kingfisher? Fan theories and rumors
“I can’t talk about any names that are actually being passed around. I mean, lots of people are postulating and thinking about who would make a good Kingfisher and who would make a good Carrion and such,” Hart says. “They’ve ranged from unknown actors to up-and-coming actors to very big names. So it’s very exciting. Like, you know, everyone wants Henry Cavill for everything and, of course, you can picture him in anything too, so it works. But I think a very talented up-and-coming person is also equally as exciting. So I can’t wait.”
Order your copy of Brimstone now and keep up with Callie Hart on Instagram here.
*Part of this interview originally ran in Woman’s World’s sister publication, First for Women
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