Cassandra’s Comments (group member since Aug 19, 2010)

Cassandra’s comments from the Q&A with Cassandra Clare group.

Emma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "Does the Kain mark on Simon's forhead have an impact on his life?

(Please, pardon my bad english. It's not my first language)"

It sure would be weird if it didn't!

Amanda is sad and in love wrote: "Hey Cassandra I was so happywith the Mortal Instruments series, so My question is What did you first think about Jace when you created him and what was the expirence like beacause I'm writing a few..."

Jace took a while to get right. In the first draft he was all over the place - sometimes rude, sometimes super nice, sometimes angry for no reason - you have to get to know your characters, and it took a while to get to know him. But I had a pretty clear vision in my head of what he was like by the time I re-drafted and now I feel like I know him like a friend.

Emma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "Taking the knowledge I have from the MI books, I'd say that Tessa ends up with Will. That would also explain why Tessa seems familiar to Clary. But I might be wrong. Anyway, I wanted to ask you, is..."

Did you mean to post that twice? Or is Goodreads acting up?

Barbara ,wise crouton chopper wrote: "which book will we find out who simon chooses between Isabelle and Maia?and will there be a fight between the two over Simon?"

I like to think that the girls are not waiting around for Simon to choose one of them. As he is dating them both at the beginning of CoFA, when they find that out, the question is more about which one of them is willing to forgive him for being a dillweed.

But yes, Simon's love life is determined by the end of the series.

Lisarenee wrote: "*******Spoiler for Clockwork Angel*****************

Cassandra, Magnus feels Tessa is a Warlock. Usually when people talk of Warlocks they are referring to male witches. What is your definition for..."

Anyone with a human parent and a demon parent is a warlock, regardless of gender. Witches are humans who have taught themselves to do some magic. It is a rewrite of the definition, but not a totally out-there one.

Emma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "Is it someone we knew was bad, or will we be suprised? "

*shakes head* I can't tell you. There are some things I just can't answer - like much about the villain, or whether Clary and Jace's relationship survives the series.

Marlaina wrote: "Are any of the characters in CA, main or otherwise, largely based off of someone you know?"

Simon is sort of a mash up of my fiance and my best friend.

Noelia wrote: "Hey Cassandra, you once told that Cassandra Clare is your pen name, and I was wondering why you chose not to use your real name, and why you've chosen that one specifically.

I'd also like to th..."

My real name is hard to spell and pronounce. Cassandra is after Jane Austen's sister. Clare is the county in Ireland my grandmother is from.

Barbara ,wise crouton chopper wrote: "i had a feeling that perhaps the seelie queen had something up her sleeve when she asked Clary to convince Luke to choose Meliorn to represent them,will there be more explanation to that in COFA?"

Not really. But there are two more books after that.

So... if you ever thought about it, could you tell me the exact heights of some of your characters? We already know Clary's or Valentine's, for instance. What about Jace's? Simon's? Alec's? And, as for your latest characters, Will's and Jem's?

You have caught me out! All the characters are tiny. They act out their adventures in a scale model of New York that is only half size. :D

No, the truth is, I give very little thought to character height beyond "tall" or "not tall." Alec is taller than Jace who is taller than Simon. Will and Jem are probably about the same height. Shadowhunters tend to be tall; it's genetic. Clary I do know is tiny, about 5'2, while Tessa's about 5'9.

Emma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "You said there will be a new villian in CoFA. Is it someone we've already met in the MI or CA books?"

Yes.

Nephilimforce wrote: "Hi Cassandra!!! We're The Nephilim Force! How is the situation with the italian publisher? We know that maybe CWA will translate in italian soon"

Then you know more than I do! I know they want to publish TMI cycle 2, but last I heard they were still insisting that Italian readers would not read historical novels.

Valerie wrote: "I was wondering about Will's reaction to Tessa when she says he is an orphan. It is so extreme. I get the feeling that Will is actually protecting his parents by not being with them. Am I asking ..."

You are asking the right questions in the sense that for a twelve year old boy to run away from his living family and refuse to see them again, one might well assume that either they did something awful, or he did.

Emma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "Taking the knowledge I have from the MI books, I'd say that Tessa ends up with Will. That would also explain why Tessa seems familiar to Clary. But I might be wrong. Anyway, I wanted to ask you, is there gonna be a serious love triangle between Tessa, Jem and Will?"

I would not say basing what you think is going to happen in ID on what happens in MI is a good idea. Will is somewhat like Jace, due to their being blood related, but Jem is nothing like Simon and Tessa is nothing like Clary. While this first book was meant to look as if it was leading to a Tessa/Will relationship, Will pretty much burns that to the ground in the last chapter, and Jem is obviously interested in Tessa. In addition, the second book focuses more on Tessa's relationship with Jem (who she already thinks is beautiful and who gives her electric shocks when he kisses her hand — neither of which, alas for Simon, are feelings Clary ever had for him.) TMI wasn't really a love triangle. ID is.

Carina wrote: "Hello, Cassandra. I just wanted to ask if you have thought about killing off any of your characters either in the Mortal Instruments Series or the Infernal Devices Series. If so, will they be main ..."

At least one main character from each series will die before the series end.

Jorden wrote: "You said that CoFA will be mostly based on Simon (on your website). Will Jace and Clary's relationship still be a major part? and even though Simon and Clary broke up, does Simon still love her?"

No, actually, I've said over and over and over on my site that CoFA is NOT based mostly on Simon. I was going to write a fourth book spinoff about Simon, but decided instead to write the Mortal Instruments Second Cycle (that's what we're calling the last 3 books at the moment) which is not a spinoff about Simon, but a completely different project about all the characters. Here is what it says on my website:

4a) Whose point of view is City of Fallen Angels told from? What about City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire?

City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire are all told from mixed third-person viewpoints. That means some scenes are told from Simon’s point of view, some from Clary’s, some from Jace’s, etc. Much like City of Glass.

and:

f) Will Jace and Clary be in City of Fallen Angels? What about City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire?
When I originally announced that I would be writing City of Fallen Angels, I said that it would “focus more on Simon and how he adjusts to life as a vampire.” This set off a flood of rumors that Clary and Jace were not in the fourth book at all, or were only in it peripherally. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Just like the previous books, CoFA shifts through multiple character points of view, including Simon’s, Clary’s, Jace’s, Isabelle’s, and even Magnus’. Clary and Jace’s relationship, and the challenges they face, are a major plotline in the last three TMI books. There is also a strong plotline for Simon in the later books of the series, in which he is more than an adjunct to the larger drama around Clary and Jace, but this does not detract from attention paid to the other characters.

Fear not. Jace and Clary's relationship is featured very. very. heavily.

2) "Even though Simon and Clary broke up, does Simon still love her?"

He still loves her, he'll always love her, but in a different way now than he used to.

Barbara ,wise crouton chopper wrote: "Howdy Cassandra,:D

Will there be a possibilty of hearing about Sebastin once more in City of Fallen Angels?
if so will he be a minor character or major character like Valentine?"

Well, you'll certainly hear about him because the other characters discuss him. Sebastian is too big a personality to ever be a minor character. :D I will say there is a completely new villain in CoFA, someone no one has guessed so far.

Jenna wrote: "*************"Spoiler for CITY OF GLASS"***************
How do Alec and Mangus end up? I think they are by far the cutest couple and you are awesome for writing it.

I am currently rereading your ..."

Magnus, not Mangus. :) I am glad you find them cute. Their relationship in CoFA gets some stress put on it when one of Magnus' old flames from the past returns . . .

♪Yue~Epically Random Weirdo~ wrote: "Do you have a favorite character of your stories? If so, which ones?"

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

♪Yue~Epically Random Weirdo~ wrote: "Do you listen to any songs when you write?"

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

Candace wrote: "Hi Cassandra,
Clockwork Angel and the upcoming City of Fallen Angels have produced countless hours of discussion in my book club. As the days pass, our theories of what might happen in future boo..."

My current favorite is that Will is a robot.