Jilly Coppercorn of Newford is back. With the help of a mentor and an anonymous benefactor, the talented young artist has overcome her troubled past and is enrolled in art school. The future is full of bright promise.

Although she still struggles, Jilly feels safe and loved by her newly formed family, including her loyal best friend Geordie, lovely fellow-classmate Sophie Etoile, and her staunch ally, the Angel of Grasso Street. Then, a tempting opportunity rides into town on an oversized motorcycle....

This original novel both celebrates and journeys beyond Newford, Charles de Lint’s popular mythical city of magic and mayhem.

span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">CHARLES de LINT is the author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children’s books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, White Pine, Crawford, and Aurora awards. The first book of the Wildlings trilogy, Under My Skin, won the 2013 Aurora Award for Young Adult Fiction. De Lint is a poet, songwriter, performer, and folklorist, and he writes a monthly book-review column for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

De Lint and his wife, MaryAnn Harris, a fellow artist and musician, recently released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lint’s website. They live in Ottawa, and their respective websites are www.charlesdelint.com and www.relectica.com. 

Charles de Lint's profile page

"Equal parts fantasy and gritty realism, Promises to Keep is, above all, an artfully imagined clarion call to embrace the challenges of daily life."
—New York Journal of Books

“De Lint returns to Newford and Jilly Coppercorn’s youth.... [D]e Lint presents Jilly’s choices, the memories impelling them, and the solution to the riddle of Donna in his characteristic powerful yet intimate style. Jilly’s reader friends, including those first meeting her, will be more than delighted.”
?Booklist

?Lucid writing and well-realized characters.”
?Publishers Weekly

?If you are already familiar with Newford’s residents, Promises to Keep provides a lovely glimpse into their past, and how they came to know one another. Readers new to de Lint’s work will find this book an easy introduction to the magical world of Newford. The beautiful cover art was done by Mike Dringenberg, well-known for his work on Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.”
?Journal of Mythic Arts

?In his novella Promises to Keep Charles de Lint returns to the early days of one of his most beloved Newford characters, Jilly Coppercorn. For fans this will be a delight well worth seeking out, but teen readers who have a chance to read it should not pass it up...a classic peek into the wonder that is Newford.”
?Bookslut

?It’s poignant, it’s moving, it makes you want to be a better person, and all in all, it’s pure de Lint.”
?SF Site

?It is perfect for those looking for lots of realism in their fantasy, but with a more than a touch of the magical.”
?Layers of Thought

?Beautifully written.”
?Quill and Ink

?A clear and stunning view revealing the secrets of Newford.”
?Fresh Fiction