Colleen Houck Book Club discussion
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Colleen
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Apr 23, 2014 11:43AM
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My name is christine hatfield and I'm 27 years old and I play the piano and I'm making bracelets for the make a wish foundation of New Jersey and I work at the riverside elementary school where I help little kids that are handicapped and I have a medical problem
Oh my gosh, so excited! That's on my birthday! Can't wait :D
i loved how you explored the concept of segregating people by language and i just wanted to say that i would probably have been one of the first executed for violating the whole eye contact rule. my mind tends to wander and i have been known to be impulsive. would totally have been a terrible servant, or just a very dead one.
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i enjoyed the transformation of Brooklynn's character and her role in the revolution. How she was more than she appeared in the beginning. And also how there wasn't the typical, cliche love triangle with the boy best friend.
Colleen wrote: "The girl on the covers fits Charlaina very well.."• I think they fit, too, to some extent from what we read in the books, but what about the glowing skin? I can't tell that her skin is glowing (on second book's cover)....
Speaking of which, what exactly does the glowing skin mean?
For instance, I thought I remember reading that it glowed more, reacted to certain moods, feelings, responses from touch, etc. and yet it seems that - in certain portions of the text - she is glowing - shall we say - "consistently." Why/how do all of these factors affect her....glowing-ness?
Are the languages based off of real ones? (Not that we read/see a visible different language, such as Chinese, French, Spanish, etc.)
For, at least ONE of the language names looks oddly like a language spoken in the "real world." ;)
How is it that the uppity castes seem to know all languages lower than theirs?
Is it just 'natural"? Or, are they forced to learn it?
Are there only just FOUR languages in this queendom (the royal language and the three [most clearly] described?
Are there other languages - multiple languages - in other queendoms?
How much of the other queendoms - if any - will you be incorporating into this storyline?
As you wrote this series, did you always have an image of who you wanted Charlie to become at the end?
Does this reflect in your life?
How do you relate to Charlie?
Who is your favourite character? and why?
Or rather, which character do you find has the most appealing character attributes that you would want to most have yourself? *Does that make sense, with all of those "character" usages...
Hi everyone--I'm Kim! I suppose you know I wrote the book we're discussing (and that a lot of you have already posted questions about--thank you!). I guess I'll just jump in and start answering them, but go ahead and post new ones too!!!
Jodi wrote: "Oh my gosh, so excited! That's on my birthday! Can't wait :D"Hey, Jodi, happy birthday!!! (I had to get that out of the way!)
Kimberly wrote: "Hi everyone--I'm Kim! I suppose you know I wrote the book we're discussing (and that a lot of you have already posted questions about--thank you!). I guess I'll just jump in and start answering the..."Thanks Kim!
Valerie wrote: "i loved how you explored the concept of segregating people by language and i just wanted to say that i would probably have been one of the first executed for violating the whole eye contact rule. m..."Haha! I would be terrible at it, too. I would want to eavesdrop on what everyone else was saying...right up until they were dragging me to the gallows :/
Shara wrote: "Where did you come up with the name for the city Ludania? It seems feminine? Is it, due to the many queens that have ruled?"It's funny that you asked this, because I hadn't really considered it that way before. But I speak some Spanish and most (if not all) subject ends in either a masculine or a feminine, so it makes sense that my female-centric world would have femininely named countries. I actually went back through the books, and I think all of the countries I listed were the same (ending in "a"). Coincidence...or was I really just working that out subconsciously?
Probably a coincidence... ;)
Kimberly wrote: "Shara wrote:..."It's funny that you asked this, because I hadn't really..."
Yeah....I speak Spanish, too, and as I was reading it, as I continue to read through the series, I ALWAYS find myself wanting to actually say that name in Spanish/with Spanish phonetics.
Did you have that in mind? Having the land be more of a Spanish-oriented name?
Shara wrote: "I'm a fan on long names that you can shorten and have options open for your whole life. I also like girls that have boy's names, they seem tough and cool. Is that what you were going for with Cha..."I'm a fan of that too...in fact, I always WANTED a boy's name when I was growing up! So it was partly that (Charlie), but Charlaina actually started out as Charlotte (as in Charlotte/Carlotta and Maximilian of Mexico, which is who I was going to base Charlie and Max on). Ultimately, their story became so different that I changed her name and the spelling of his.
Joanna wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "Shara wrote:..."It's funny that you asked this, because I hadn't really..."
Yeah....I speak Spanish, too, and as I was reading it, as I continue to read through the series, I AL..."
That and several of the names, actually. If you read my answer about Charlie's name, she and Max were originally going to be based on Charlotte and Maximilian of Mexico, but eventually their story became their own and so did their names :)
Shara wrote: "Do the soldiers know various languages so they can police the city better? Or do the soldiers comes from different classes and already know their native language?"I actually had to really did back in my memory to remember how much I'd decided about this one (you had great questions, btw!). The soldiers DO come from different classes (and even from different countries on occasion), but the rule with them would be that citizens (of any class...except Royal, of course) would have to speak in Englaise in their presence. Their class is ranked right up there with the Royals, so even those of the Counsel class would have to follow that rule.
Kimberly wrote: "Shara wrote: "Do the soldiers know various languages so they can police the city better? Or do the soldiers comes from different classes and already know their native language?"I actually had to..."
*dig* I had to *dig* into my memory, lol...
Colleen wrote: "Okay so I am on the last book now and I was going to limit my questions to The Pledge but I find I no longer want to limit myself to that. First, the titles. Are they your original choices or did y..."Man, the titles!!! Both The Pledge AND The Offering were tough to come up with in this series! The Essence was a piece of cake, but my agent, my editor, and I all agonized over The Pledge (with Mother Tongue being one of the suggestions!)....somehow I just couldn't handle the idea of a book with "tongue" in the title, lol, so thankfully, we landed on The Pledge.
With The Offering, it started as The Message, which would have been fine, but kind of felt...lackluster. It was actually my cover designer (who is also a linguist) who came up with The Offering. And it totally fit. I officially owe him some chocolates, fine wine, or my first born (who is a little old now, but whatever!).
Colleen wrote: "The girl on the covers fits Charlaina very well. Can you tell us more about how you found her?"Again, that amazing cover designer of mine...did I mention he rocks? He was scouring Deviant Art one day, and he found this image of an Icelandic model that a photographer had posted, and he tracked them both down, got permission to use the girl's image for the cover, and then made arrangements for the photographer to shoot her again for the next two covers! How cool is that???
Colleen wrote: "The glowing skin thing...is that a part of the essence (trying to keep it vague) or is that a result of Charlaina's sister's power?"The essence never glowed BEFORE Charlie. The glow was a result of Angelina jumping in to save her sister, when she forced Sabara to “share” Charlie’s body. In effect, it was a side effect of the two of them having to coexist.
Colleen wrote: "Do all queens have power?"Haha, I don't want to give too much away, but I will say all females of royal blood are supposed to be born with an ability or power of some sort.
I'm intrigued by the idea that the queen was able to live on through the generations, immortal. But I didn't feel like I was reading a book on immortality at all. Do all of the queens had that same ability?
Colleen wrote: "Why don't the males get powers too?"My world, my rules...and I didn't want them to have any ;)
Honestly, I didn't want the women to be physically more powerful/Amazonian necessarily...although I love a good badass woman. But I wanted the women to have a genetic advantage over the men in this world, something that would more than level the playing field.
Colleen wrote: "So with the language thing, do the upper class citizens understand the lower castes language as well? Meaning the more royal your blood the more languages you speak or do they just ignore those who..."The way I imagined Charlie's world, it wouldn't necessarily be *illegal* for someone of an upper class to understand the language (or some of the words) of those of the lower class. However, I don't think anyone of the upper classes (the Counsel class, namely) would actually care, or bother, to try to learn it. There is a lot of indifference/apathy (and even outright distaste) toward the lower classes.
Heather wrote: "I'm intrigued by the idea that the queen was able to live on through the generations, immortal. But I didn't feel like I was reading a book on immortality at all. Do all of the queens had that same..."You're right, the immortal thing is unique to Sabara (and maybe a few chosen others). Most of the queens live normal lifespans, and whatever ability they have varies from queen to queen (or princess to princess).
Colleen wrote: "And it's not just the language either. When a language you aren't supposed to understand is spoken you look down, right? Can you tell us more about that?"I wanted to show the violent side of the country Sabara has created, and the way she's used language as a weapon against them. I sort of liken it to the Nazi regime, and the way every time they felt threatened, instead of working WITH their people, they tightened the stranglehold on their freedoms. Sabara is like that, always worried that someone (either another queen or her own citizens) will try to overthrow her.
Her reaction is to isolate her people by creating a caste system and then limiting their communication. In her twisted mind, she thinks she can control with an iron fist, but all she's really doing is causing people like Xander (her own grandson) to turn against her.
Why did Charlie's parents stay at their house when the bombing started instead of leaving with Charlie and Angelina to a bomb shelter. By the way, I love all of your book.
Colleen wrote: "Do you know more than one language?"I took two years of high school Spanish, and another two in college. So basically, I speak (terrible) Spanish, but I can get to the bathroom and order a beer in Mexico.
I will say, I've always wanted to be fluent in another language though, and I'm crazy envious of people who are!!!
Colleen wrote: "Now that you've written several different worlds, which one would you want to visit the most?"Since I basically already live in the world of The Body Finder (except for that part about finding dead bodies!), which is practically set in my backyard, I would have to say The Pledge. I know it's scary and dangerous, but I LOVE the idea of a world where women hold all the cards. And as long as Sabara's not queen...it can't be all bad, right???
Kimberly wrote: "Colleen wrote..."I took two years of high school Spanish, and another two in college..."
Would you rather be able to *speak* more than one language? Or, would you rather be like Charlie and *understand* every language?
Simran wrote: "Why did Charlie's parents stay at their house when the bombing started instead of leaving with Charlie and Angelina to a bomb shelter. By the way, I love all of your book."They were thinking that if the army or guards discovered them there, then they would think there wasn't anyone else to go looking for...that they wouldn't need to go looking for the girls. Basically, they left themselves there as a sort of sacrifice, hoping to spare their daughters). But didn't you just want to shake them for not leaving??? I know I wanted to, and I was the one writing it!!
And thank you, it means a lot that you've enjoyed them!!
Colleen wrote: "What can you tell us about The Taking?"The Taking is set back in our contemporary world (unlike The Pledge), and is about a sixteen-year-old girl who seems to have it all: a family who adores her, a promising softball scholarship on the horizon, and a boyfriend she's had since middle school. But on the way home from her championship game, she jumps out of her car during an argument with her dad and there's a flash of white light and then...nothing.
When she wakes up she thinks it's the next morning, but five years have passed, and she goes home to discover that her parents have divorced, her mom has remarried and she has a new baby brother, and her boyfriend has gone off to college with her best friend. Not only that, she discovers she hasn't aged a day.
That's when she has to find out where she's been and what happened to her.
Like all of my books, it's a little dark...and there's a little kissing ;)
Valerie wrote: "i enjoyed the transformation of Brooklynn's character and her role in the revolution. How she was more than she appeared in the beginning. And also how there wasn't the typical, cliche love triangl..."Thank you! I really enjoy writing strong girl friendships, and even though she and Charlie have some hiccups along the way, I think they're history, and the way they know each other so well, is what makes them such a good match together. Plus, I loved flipping her character upside-down!
Joanna wrote: "Colleen wrote: "The girl on the covers fits Charlaina very well.."• I think they fit, too, to some extent from what we read in the books, but what about the glowing skin? I can't tell that her ski..."
Okay, I'm gonna do my best with your questions, which are incredibly well thought out!
The glowing fades a bit over time, but mostly in response to Charlie learning to contain/control it. Usually, when it flares up, it's because that control has slipped (she's nervous, excited...Max is kissing her, lol). Or sometimes it's because Sabara has gained the upper hand (I don't want to give too much away since we're supposed to be talking about The Pledge, but you probably know what I mean if I say: Niko).
The languages aren't necessarily based off real languages, but they were definitely inspired by them in the sense that when I imagine the Counsel class speaking in Termani, I imagine it sounding "French-like." The same goes with Parshon having a deep, guttural tone that I associate with Russian or German. And yes, Englaise sounds suspiciously like English, doesn't it? It wasn't an accident ;)
Most upper classes don't bother learning (or even listening to) the languages of the lower classes. That's why they use Englaise to force everyone to communicate in the same tongue.
Yes, just the four in Ludania, but definitely multiple languages in other countries (just like there are in other countries in our world), although likely not to isolate the citizens the way Sabara had done.
In The Essence I explore a lot more of the world, sending Charlie out to a summit where she meets several of the other queens. I wanted the chance to expand outside the palace--and even the city's--walls.
Joanna wrote: "Colleen wrote: "The girl on the covers fits Charlaina very well.."• I think they fit, too, to some extent from what we read in the books, but what about the glowing skin? I can't tell that her ski..."
Oops, I hit post too soon!
Joanna wrote: "Colleen wrote: "The girl on the covers fits Charlaina very well.."• I think they fit, too, to some extent from what we read in the books, but what about the glowing skin? I can't tell that her ski..."
I always knew I wanted Charlie to grow into her role as the queen, even though I wasn't sure exactly how that would look by the end of the series. I loved writing her as a character because I felt like she surprised me along the way, especially in the third book (and if you haven't read it, I don't want to say too much, but she's much tougher than I expected her to be, but she also has a lot of heart and cares deeply for her country).
So my favorite character question was tough because I have a strong favorite in this series, even though we didn't see a TON of her as the series progressed. Angelina stole my heart from the very first time I met her! I have daughters who are 14 years apart, and when I wrote the scene where Charlie was carrying Angelina through the streets, I pictured my oldest carrying my youngest. There's just something very sweet about their sisterly bond, even when it was tested.
But if there was a character I wanted to be like, it might be Brooklynn. She's sort of kickass. She knows what she wants and she goes for it--I like that about her!
Kimberly wrote...."No worries!
And sorry about the essence question. I just remember at the end [of "The Pledge,"] that when Max touched her, there were "sparks" (or something,) or when she was shocked, or when she feels, basically, something happens to her amount of glowing....that I was curious about. :)
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