Author Guest Spot- Q&A with Claudia Gray
Hi Everyone, Im so excited to have author Claudia Gray on the blog today. Claudia is the author of the fantastic Evernight Series and to celebrate the final installment, Afterlife, Claudia is stopping by blogs, bookstores, you name it.
Welcome to the site Claudia!
1. With Afterlife done, how do you feel about the Evernight series as a whole?
It's a really mixed set of emotions, to tell you the truth. On the one hand, these were my first four books ever, and I'm still so honored and thrilled that they found an audience. On the other, there's a real sense of sadness that I won't get to play with most of these characters again for a long time, if ever.
2. Will there be more books or spin offs from this group of characters?
Well, coming in March 2012, you can read BALTHAZAR, which is about ... I'm sure you know who it's about. Although a couple other EVERNIGHT characters have roles to play, for the most part it's a whole new set of people, a whole new setting, and a focus much more firmly on Balthazar More, his past, his struggles and a long-overdue change in his love life. That's all I have planned in that universe for now, though I would love to think of more stories for the crew.
3. Why YA?
I would love to have an intellectual, well-reasoned answer for this, but the truth is probably that, at heart, I am still 16 ... at least a little bit.
4. Does Afterlife have a playlist?
It does! (Obviously I need to get this stuff up on the website pronto.) There's a lot of film score music on it, as there is with all my playlists; the main score I used for the whole EVERNIGHT series was that for "Interview With The Vampire," and the one special to AFTERLIFE was from "Pan's Labyrinth." Then of course I mixed in pop music, including "Half A Week Before The Winter," Vanessa Carlton; "What About Everything," Carbon Leaf; "Nature of the Experiment," Tokyo Police Club; "For Reasons Unknown," The Killers; "The Songs That We Sing," Charlotte Gainsbourg; and "Weapon of Choice" by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.
5. If you could date Balthazar or Lucas.....who would it be?
Mostly I wish I could have this choice, just once. Seriously, there is no bad there. Most of my life, I would have chosen Balthazar. Then, the past few years, I think I needed more of a Lucas in my life. Might be entering another Balthazar phase. Do you think they'd share? Dates on alternate evenings? Must find out.
6. Coke or Pepsi?
I don't drink much soda any longer -- I prefer hot tea. But if Coke or Pepsi are my only choices, I'm going with Coke.
7. Last great movie you watched?
"Vertigo," the Alfred Hitchcock classic with Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak. I rewatched it on DVD about a week ago. (If you're talking about a film in the theater, the last really good one I saw was "The King's Speech.")
8. Whats playing on your ipod right now?
Songs I've been listening to a lot recently include "White Knuckles" by OK Go; "The Chaconne" by Dessa; "Rolling In The Deep" by Adele; "Tonight The Streets Are Ours" by Richard Hawley; and "Strange Times" by The Black Keys.
9. Any future work you can share with us?
I'm about to start work on the SPELLCASTER trilogy (debuting early 2013, from HarperTeen). It's the story of Lia, a young witch who -- like all witches in this universe -- has been trained in secret by her mother. But about a year ago, her mother suddenly left her dad and the whole family, abandoning them all. Lia's heartbroken, not only by her mom's absence (which is bad enough), but also but the fact that she's been left without a guide at the most important part of her training. Her devastated father takes her and her brother to the coastal town of Fortune's Sound to begin a new life -- but Lia immediately realizes that this town is in the grip of a powerful dark magic. Perhaps most threatened is Mateo -- a guy whose good looks and popularity mask a terrible curse. Mateo can see visions of a terrifying future ... including an image of Lia lying dead at his feet. To save Mateo -- and perhaps everyone else she loves -- Lia, without any guidance, will have to take on black magic stronger than any she's ever encountered before. I'm SO excited to be writing this and hope you'll all enjoy it!
Find out more about Claudia, her books, book tours and author bio at her website.
Thanks Claudia for chatting with me and best of luck with Afterlife, I seriously loved this series and cant wait for the book all about Balthazar!!! Dont forget Afterlife go's on sale tomorrow at your local bookstore!!
This is such a fun interview! I love that she didn't have a fully worked out, intellectual answer for why she writes YA, it's kind of nice to know she writes it because she still feels that age a little bit. I know I feel that way sometimes:) Must say I would like to know as to whether or not Balthazar and Lucas might be up for sharing or going on dates alternate evenings, can we have a follow up answer to that question? This was a pleasure to read, thanks Tina and Claudia!
ReplyDeleteI'm a preteen at heart myself :) Great post!
ReplyDeleteI really can't believe I have yet to read this series. I'm always and forever behind. I need to meet this Balthazar, and I think dates on alternating evenings sounds more than fair. Sharing is caring. :D
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview. The new series sounds charming. ;)
Awesome interview! I definitely need to check out this series! :D
ReplyDeleteWonderful interview. I love the sound of Spellcaster trilogy. And I don't think I could choose between Balthazar and Lucas....
ReplyDeleteThat an interesting interview!
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