Nimona Creator ND Stevenson Rebuilt His 600‑Page Teen Pirate Tale Into Scarlet Morning — A Collaboration With His Younger Self

ND Stevenson, creator of Nimona and showrunner of She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, turned a 600-page teenage manuscript into a new novel called Scarlet Morning. The book follows orphans Viola and Wilmur after the pirate Scarlet Morning kills Queen Hail Meridian and a strange storm turns the ocean to salt, warping the world. Stevenson has said much of the prose and world-building is new, and he plans a second book titled Evening Gray.

1. How Scarlet Morning evolved from a childhood project
2. Next steps for the series — a sequel and a TV show?
3. An excerpt from Scarlet Morning

How Scarlet Morning evolved from a childhood project

Stevenson rediscovered a digital copy of his teenage draft about five years ago and returned to the setting. He said, “When it comes to the prose and much of the world-building, it’s almost totally new.” However, the opening line remained the same. Thus, Stevenson treated the rewrite as both an adaptation and a chance to expand the parts that interested him most.

For example, he significantly developed the idea of the ocean being turned to salt and how Dickerson’s Sea is being erased. Also, key relationships were sharpened: the dynamic between Viola and the pirate captain Cadence Chase became more emotionally layered. As Stevenson put it, “it does feel somewhere between an adaptation and a collaboration with my teenage self.”

Next steps for the series — a sequel and a TV show?

The current plan is for a two-book arc that will cover the original teenage draft. Stevenson said, “The plan at the moment is for two books,” with the second novel titled Evening Gray. He described the two books as a duology: the second will answer questions set up in the first.

Regarding screen adaptation, Stevenson confirmed there have been talks, but stressed caution. He said, “If it is going to be adapted, that will be someone else’s vision.” Stevenson added that he prefers to finish the books first and that he does not want to write with adaptation in mind. That said, he also called adaptation “an amazing, beautiful thing” that can produce interesting work.

How the book grew out of collaborative play

Stevenson traced the story’s origin to childhood games. He ran the plot with friends, assigned characters, and sent early chapters to people who lived far away. The serialized, collaborative nature of that early storytelling helped shape the world he later polished for publication.

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An excerpt from Scarlet Morning

Polygon published an excerpt that includes a scene in the Bleachfields where fog and saltbergs disorient the crew and a character named Young Teazer disappears overboard. The passage shows the book’s mix of dark atmosphere and close character detail, and it illustrates the novel’s tone and world-building approach.

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