Interview With Cassandra Clare

This month Stacey Interviews Cassandra Clare. She is a NY Times bestselling author and the writer of the Mortal Instruments Trilogy which began with the acclaimed City of Bones. Her latest book "Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1) " is the first book in her new Infernal devices series. She has some great advice for us and gives us a peek at what's coming next. If you want to learn more about Cassandra be sure to check out her website: CassandraClare.com

 

 

The Interview

  1. What drew you to writing fantasy?

    I grew up reading fantasy. My father was a big fan of fantasy and science fiction, so those were the books we had in our house. Obviously there's a large fantastic component to children's literature anyway, and when I was a kid, my favorite books were those by Edward Eager, Susan Cooper and E. Nesbit. I was also big fan of fairy tales - the original grim ones - and folklore. So when I moved on from children's books, I moved on to Tolkien and Terry pratchett instead of moving on to realistic contemporary fiction. (The one thing I made an exception for was historical fiction.) So when I decided I wanted to write, it was natural to write fantasy. You write what you love to read.

  2. You've written about vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, etc. Do you have a favorite fantasy character that you love to bring to life?

    As in a favorite sort of creature? No, not really, though I find writing faeries difficult. They seem very removed and archaic and their doublespeak - they can't lie, but they love to mislead - is a pain. I always have to run my faerie dialogue by Holly Black before I can send it out.

  3. Who are your favorite young adult fantasy writers? Do you have any books you would recommend to your fans?

    I don't really believe in favorites. When I was a kid I did, and I was always rearranging my booksholf in order of what my favorite was down to my least favorite, until eventually I realized I was being silly because different books were my favorites in different ways, and appealed to me at different times. That said, I would recommend two books that haven't come out yet as books to look for: The Replacement, by Brenna Yovanoff, and Bitterblue, the new Graceling book by Kristin Cashore.

  4. What was the best writing advice anyone ever gave you?

    I was once advised that once you're done with a book, read the whole thing aloud to yourself. It takes a long time but it really lets you hear things like overused words, awkward sentence construction, and the like.

  5. We'd like to hear a little about your new series/trilogy, Clockwork Angel .  What can you tell us?

    I can tell you it's set in 1878, in New York and London. It features a girl named Tessa, who is summoned to London by her brother; once arriving there, she is kidnapped by warlocks calling themselves the Dark Sisters. They train her to use a power she never knew she had before, and when she escapes from them, she discovers that there's a whole supernatural world that was invisible to her before: a world of vampires, werewolves, faeries, and all sorts of beautiful and horrible things. She teams up with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute - she'll let them use her shapeshifting power to help them if they'll help her find her brother - and starts to have feelings for two of them: two best friends, Will and Jem.

  6. In Clockwork Angel , you're taking us out of urban fantasy and into steampunk. What inspired you to take the Shadowhunters in that direction?

    I would actually say I'm just adding steampunk elements into urban fantasy. Pure steampunk is about mechinisms and steam-driven devices - it's mechanical/technological. I'm using magic to animate and power technology that wouldn't have been available to the Victorians in this era.

  7. Why did you choose 1878/Victorian age as the back drop of this new series?

    Because it's after they put in sewers - before that London used to stink like you wouldn't believe - but before electric lightiing, which seemed too modern to me. The perfect era!

  8. Can you give us some background on our new heroine, Tessa?

    Tessa is a proper Victorian girl - she's what would be called "shabby gentility", she came from an upper middle-class background of bankers and doctors but when her parents died, she and her brother were raised in comparative poverty by their aunt in New York. Tessa's a reader; she loses herself in book, and in the fantasy world they provide. But she's also able to be practical and a realist, mostly because of her brother, Nate. Nate's a drunk and compulsive gambler, and taking care of him and covering up his problems has forced her to grow up fast and face some ugly realities. So the Shadowhunter boys don't scare her much!

  9. Can you give us a preview of the relationship between Tessa and Will?

    It's very different from the one she has with Jem. This book focuses more on Tessa and Will; the next on Tessa and Jem, and the third, well, we'll see. Will is a mess of a guy - he will remind readers of Jace in that he uses sarcasm to deflect attention and has a tragedy in his past, but unlike Jace, who saw his father die, Will's tragedy is ongoing. It's happening to him every day, and the worst thing about it is that he can't talk about it with anyone. He wants to let Tessa in but he knows he can't, so he pushes her away. But during the times when he weakens and does let her in, they have an electric connection neither of them can ignore.

  10. Where can our readers find you on the internet? Will you be participating in anymore book tours/conventions this year?

    You can always check my signings page

    http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/appearances


Clockwork AngelClockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, Book 1)

Magic is dangerous--but love is more dangerous still.

When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother, her destination is England, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons, keep order amidst the chaos.

Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she herself is a Downworlder with a rare ability: the power to transform, at will, into another person. What's more, the Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the Club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own.

Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. She soon finds herself fascinated by--and torn between--two best friends: James, whose fragile beauty hides a deadly secret, and blue-eyed Will, whose caustic wit and volatile moods keep everyone in his life at arm's length...everyone, that is, but Tessa. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

The Mortal Instruments Trilogy

City of Bones

City of Bones (Mortal Instruments)

 

 

 

 

City of Ashes (Mortal Instruments)

 

 

 

 

City of Glass

City of Glass (Mortal Instruments)

 

 

 

 

City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments Book 4) by Cassandra Clare

City of Fallen Angels (Mortal Instruments, Book 4)

Who will be tempted by darkness? Who will fall in love, and who will find their relationship torn apart? And who will betray everything they ever believed in?

Love. Blood. Betrayal. Revenge.

In the heart-pounding fourth installment of the Mortal Instruments series, the stakes are higher than ever.

 

 

 

 

 





 



 




 




 





to see where I'll be. I'm touring twice in September, and I'll be at the NCTE conference in November.

CLOCKWORK ANGEL: BOOK ONE OF THE INFERNAL DEVICES. A MORTAL INSTRUMENTS PREQUEL. COMING 8.31.2010