Q&A with Cassandra Clare discussion
Q&A: Clockwork Angel/TMI: questions here!
Also, are Jem's box and the box Amatis gives Jace one in the same?
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orry if you've already answered this question/comment, I didn't take the time to read every post. I was curious as to whether there's any significance between Tessa's last name (Gray) and one of Luke's surnames (Greymark). I know it's a stretch, but it just seemed to strike me as some sort of connection. Anyways, I love all of your books, they're fantastic!!! :) I can't wait for the next ones. Thanks!"
Nope. None.
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Do you do research for your books and what are your methods? I find sometimes that its diffcult to write in detail about places ive never been or places that are totally fictional. Any suggestions"
The library. Really. Libraries; not obsolete. Do not attempt to do all your research on the internet.
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Is Church the cat Magnus talks about in city of bones?
"Is it in honor of anything?"
"My cat's birthday."
"Oh." She glanced around. "Where's your cat?"
He unhitched himself from the pillar, looking solemn. "I don't know. He ran away."
No, that's Chairman Meow, who we meet in a different scene. Church is Church. He's in TMI and ID too. His name doesn't change.
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I just haven't had time to read Clockwork Angel, it's waiting on my bookshelf(:
That's why I was asking, and that's why I'm here reading your answers :D "
Then you would know the races of all the characters I mentioned, except Jem who is half-Chinese and half-white.
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It's not an absurd theory, but since I can't comment on it, I'll just say that Hugin is one half of Hugin and Munin, the ravens who belong to Odin in Norse mythology. They fly away each day and return and night to give him information. Their names mean Thought and Memory.
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And we are now up to this question having been asked 13 times. :) I still can't answer it. I think you meant Jace, not Will, though. And no one has still guessed the villain in CoFA.
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Interesting. I'm not sure I'd entirely agree — Charlotte is saying Henry loves them because Maryse, of course, doesn't need to point out to Alec and Isabelle that she loves them — they're her biological children and they've known she loves them since infancy. Charlotte is still trying to break through to Will by assuring him he's loved (not the right strategy with Will but understandable why she'd take that tack.)
Will and Jem are a separate case. They will quite frankly talk about the love they have for each other because men in the Victorian era — in fact, throughout history up till the twentieth century — were a lot more comfortable expressing closeness and affection to each other than men are now. They would quite freely tell each other they loved each other and show each other public affection, especially if they had been soldiers together, gone to school together, or had to fight together. Here's Sherlock Holmes and Watson in a scene from an Arthur Conan Doyle short story in which Watson is accidentally shot:
"You are not hurt? For God's sake, Watson, tell me you are not hurt?"
It was worth a wound; it was worth many wounds; to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation.
—Watson
Sadly in our current culture of latent homosexual panic I suspect Holmes would have restricted himself to punching Watson in the shoulder and telling him to walk it off.
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No. Jem's box has Quan Yin on it.
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******************SPOILER FOR CLOCKWORK ANGEL********************
However, I've been scouring the book in search of this thought of Will's that is important. The only things that jump out at me are when he replies "More than you can every imagine" to Mrs. Dark's question about being entirely alone and immediately regrets saying it, and then directly after he realizes Tessa is alive. There's a moment where he feels "the terror of someone who, wandering in a mist, pauses only to realize that they have stopped inches from the edge of a gaping abyss."
I know you probably won't (and probably shouldn't) tell me if I'm correct here, but am I at least looking in the right direction? Or is it all just wishful thinking about my own sleuthing skills?
"
Well, neither is the thought I had in mind, but Will's response about "more than you could ever imagine' is certainly not unrelated.
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Another question! When Will finds Thomas dying, Thomas is about something about Sophie. What was he about to say? I know I read earlier here that sometimes you leave sentences hanging, but not know exactly what they were going to say; to leave it our imaginations. But did you know what he was going to say? (I'm sure you do lol) Could we possibly know what it was?
No, but don't think you won't ever find out in the books.
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Thank you!
Nikki"
Yes, they'll keep looking.
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Thank you so much for your time! I really love your books and am dying to get my hands on City of Fallen Angels!
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It's City of Heavenly Fire, not Desire. :)
I guess I would say broadly the themes of the books center around forgiveness and balance. Forgiveness in that most of the characters we know and love do some pretty bad things for pretty good reasons. And balance in the sense that "nothing is free" - the epigraph I quoted from Ted Hughes earlier.
"Nothing is free. Everything has to be paid for. For every profit in one thing, payment in some other thing. For every life, a death. Even your music, of which we have heard so much, that had to be paid for. Your wife was the payment for your music. Hell is now satisfied."
The last chapter of CoFA is called "Hell is Satisfied."
Secondly what was the hardest part in writing the Victorian Era?
Very small details, like figuring out what kind of lamp oil they'd use, or what ships sailed from New York to Southampton (instead of Liverpool) and how long it took approximately, etc.
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Probably not. As I said earlier, the whole structure of the series rests on not knowing what's going on with Will in Book One. His behavior is contradictory. Why?
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(This is mostly just the info from my website, but here it is:)
1) Idea: The idea for the Mortal Instruments came to me one afternoon in the East Village. I was with a good friend of mine, who was taking me to see the tattoo shop where she used to work. She wanted to show me that her footprints were on the ceiling in black paint — in fact the footprints of everyone who’d worked there were on the ceiling, crisscrossing each other and making patterns. To me it looked like some fabulous supernatural battle had been fought there by beings who’d left their footprints behind. I started thinking about a magical battle in a New York tattoo shop and the idea of a secret society of demon-hunters whose magic was based on an elaborate system of tattooed runes just sprang into my mind. When I sat down to sketch out the book, I wanted to write something that would combine elements of traditional high fantasy — an epic battle between good and evil, terrible monsters, brave heroes, enchanted swords — and recast it through a modern, urban lens. So you have the Shadowhunters, who are these very classic warriors following their millennia-old traditions, but in these urban, modern spaces: skyscrapers, warehouses, abandoned hotels, rock concerts. In fairy tales, it was the dark and mysterious forest outside the town that held the magic and danger. I wanted to create a world where the city has become the forest — where these urban spaces hold their own enchantments, danger, mysteries and strange beauty. It’s just that only the Shadowhunters can see them as they really are.
2) "Did the entire story come to you all at once?"
God, no. It took a year of prep and outlining and research before I even wrote anything. And that story was unrecognizable from what it is now.
3) " Did you base some of your characters on actual people?"
Sometimes minor characters are based on people I know — Simon’s friends Eric, Kirk and Matt are all friends of mine. But I’m not writing a thinly veiled version of my own life. These characters are created to fit the needs of the story and to be very much themselves. Sometimes they incorporate aspects of people I know, or have met, like Simon’s sense of humor or Clary’s artistry. Jace, alas, is definitely not based on anyone real.
I do not have a favorite author. I do love Jane Austen, but then I also love Raymond Chandler and Susan Cooper.
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For six months I read only books written during, or set in, the Victorian period in England, London specifically. I hired a research assistant to help me find first-hand sources: journals kept at the time period, the travel accounts of tourists visiting England from America (since Tessa is American, in London for the first time, I wanted to have a sense of what her impressions would have been) and newspapers of the period. I traveled a lot, too, to London several times a year for the past two years, to map out routes and select locations. And then I also had to do research into the history of automatons - robots, really - and how long people have been struggling to make them (hundreds of years.) A great book called Edison's Eve was very helpful with that.
- There is a steampunk feeling in CA, are you into steampunk fiction? If so, what are your favorite steampunk books? "
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, the Iron Dragon's Daughter by Michael Swanwick, and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.
I was going to ask about Black people in the Victorian Era but then i found this nice bit of info. I feel informed lol I had no idea. http://www.victoriaspast.com/BlackLin...
quick question cassnadra..i know there has been a lot of talk of making a movie of the TMS series. i would like to know is their actually officially gonna be one??
have you found a cast or started filming ect. ?
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1) will the "you will fall in love with the wrong person" prophecy come into play or will we at least find out about it in the next books? if so, which book?
Check out message 770. (This has been asked and answered a lot already.)
As for the "your mother may be keeping secrets" we have no evidence at all that this is even true.
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When you ask questions like this do you think you're going to get an answer or do you just figure what the hell, nothing ventured nothing gained? :D Look, I love Simon too. I understand worrying over his fate. I never care if people tell me they hate Jace but if they tell me they hate Simon I get murderous. But I still can't spoil the rest of the series for you and everyone else.
also, he drinks animal blood, but he buys it right? he doesn't hunt animals, RIGHT?!? *shivers* he can't hunt, he has a cat!
He buys it.
also, is Simon's band having an apperance in the upcoming books? I miss those guys! ):
Oh, do they. Yes, we even go to a gig of theirs.
also, are they ever going to have a real name? are they gonna make it big? maybe have a reality show and everything?
They really suck. I mean, they do.
now with this month's teaser... is simon's mom gonna find the truth? like how he was changed and why? and if so is she gonna hate clary?
That's why they call them teasers . . .
Cassandra wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Is the necklace we see Jem wear the same that Isabelle wears in TMI? Does Isabelle inherit her whip usage from Charlotte? No, since Isabelle's necklace is a big ruby and Jem's is a..."
So, assuming that Isabelle's necklace was Camille's necklace, when Camille had it did it also work as a..."demon signal" since it has been known to pulse/flash in range of demons.
I am currently reading Clockwork Angel and of course I love it so far! You are a fantastic writer and thank you for sharing your stories. My questions has more to do with preferance but I was wondering, as a writer do you find that it is easier to work alone on a project or to collaborate with other authors such as co-authoring?
Also, where do you start when it comes to researching your books?
Thanks,
Christina
I think my question was skipped. Lol. I'll post it again anyway. If you've already answered it sorry!Hey Cassandra
First off: Thank you for answering these questions from everybody and congratultaions on the HUGE success of your novels.
I've seen your publication schedule and it is crazy! I want to know how you keep up with it all when it comes to writing? How do you plot? If you plot, do you plot loosely or tightly so the book doesn't sidetrack? How do you manage to stay on top of your work load?
Also, what was your journey to publication like and writing in general?
Thank you soooo much xD
Ellen ♥ wrote: "I think my question was skipped. Lol. I'll post it again anyway. If you've already answered it sorry!Hey Cassandra
First off: Thank you for answering these questions from everybody and co..."
Not trying to steal the thunder from Cassandra but perhaps these links to her FAQ will help you:
http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/faq...
http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/faq...
Hi Cassandra! This has been bugging me for a while. Are the TMI religous books? Like Chritain (sorry that I spelt it wrong)? Because Jace mentions God and Lucifer and everything. I'm not religous at all, but its really been nagging at me. And how many books are going to be in the Fallen Angels? I know that you have two up all ready, but do you plan on three? I'm really glad that you decided to write about him.
Also, is Simon EVER going to tell his friends/parents that he is a vampire? And will his band finally decide on a name? And will his friend stop doing random poetry? Are the Fallen Angels books going to take place during the school year? What grade would he in? Clary will be going to the Institue (sorry if I spelt it wrong) for school, right? So how is he going to feel going to school by himself? Or will he be home schooled or something?
In the Fallen Angels books, will we see Luke and Jaclyn as well? Do they plan on getting married? Could they have kids? Or did Clary and her mom move to the Insistue?
All right, I'll leave you alone. I know that you can't answer all of my questions, but I hope that you will answer a few.
Thank you for letting me ask questions--its amazing. :D
*****SPOILER FOR CLOCKWORK ANGELWhy is Will afraid to think of a world where Jem would not be dying? In page 272 he thinks, "But then there were other times, like this, when he looked at Jem and saw no mark of illness on him, and wondered what it would be like in a world where Jem was not dying. And that did not bear thinking about either. It was a terrible black place in himself that the fear came from..." I may be reading too much into that, it may or may not have something to do with Will's secret, but I was just curious. And another question, where does CP start? Does it pick up right after the end of CA or have a few days/weeks passed since then?
How is it you go about writing a book? Where'd you get your creative ideas!? :) and thanx for touching base with your fans!! Thats so ahhhhhh-maaay-zing! lol :)
When will Clockwork Angel be available in Europe? More spesifically Norway?(or the UK, so I can order it from www.play.com)
Hi Cassandra first of I want to say that I absolutely love all your books, the characters, the plot and the romance are all really brilliant and engaging. You make me really root for them with laugh out loud moments and sniffling while pretending im not. The weird thing is I like the bad guys just as much as the good ones. I'm really looking forward for the next books coming out and already cant wait. As for theories (I feel bad for saying this) but whatever happens I hope the characters go through hell before the hopefully good ending. Its just that I like them that much more suffering (sick right?). Anyways the question i wanted to ask is about the ID. Im just not clear on one thing (maybe read it again?) ***********************SPOILER************************When the Clockwork get entrance inside the institute and they use Jem's blood to get in...I though that only those who intend no harm to the institute may enter as mentioned by Jace in Ashes in think. Is it because they are mechanical that they could get in like that? even though they still intended harm.Maybe they change this by the time MI comes around due to similar incidents like this I mean shadowhunters must lose blood when fighting (sometimes right) if somebody was keen to get it they should be able to.And lastly loved CA and ALL its characters though im i wont be able to decide between Will and Jem right until the end.
Cassandra wrote: "Hi guys! Here is where to post your Q and A questions. The discussion is meant to be about Clockwork Angel, but you can ask questions about TMI and the upcoming City of Fallen Angels as well. (*Ple..."I have loved reading your books so much. I can't wait to digg my claws into it. What is going to happen to Jace and Isabbele? Whats going to happen to Simon?
Hi Cassandra I am SUCH a huge fan of your books! I don't think I've ever read a book series which has kept me captivated consistently the whole way through! I just wanted to know what inspires you to come up with your storylines? Is it myths and tales you hear or just something that comes into your head, because the world you have created in your books is one of my favourite places to escape to! Thanks for bringing this amazing story into my life!!!
Who will Clary choose in the future? I mean its weird to be in love with your brother. Where is Clary's father and will her mother live?
Tatiana wrote: "Who will Clary choose in the future? I mean its weird to be in love with your brother. Where is Clary's father and will her mother live?"Look, if you want to know the answers to these questions you really ought to read the books! If anyone answers you it'll just spoil it!
So,about the new villain in TMI.i know you can't tell who it is but can you tell if it is a character we thought was good,or knew was bad?thanks
Clockwork Angel SpoilersI love your books. I normally find that I guess the twists and ending to almost all books/movies, and I was happily surprised to find that I couldn't guess what was going to happen in your books. I came close but then you always flip something around on us.
How do you come up with such surprising twists and endings?
Have you ever written something and then purposely changed it because you thought it would be predictable?
Will we see Tessa shift into any of the dead characters that have been mentioned in the books, like, Thomas, Jem's Mother, Jem's Father, Tessa's Aunt or Mother & Father?
I dont see why she hasn't used the clockwork angel to change into her mother to find out the secrets of how she came to be.
Can you give us any hints when we'll learn what other talents or powers Tessa has? Clockwork Prince? Clockwork Princess?
Wait a minute in MI series Luke had like been mad at Jocelyn and said that he didn't care if she were alive or not and that was because she didn't feel the same way about him. It's like with Clary and Simon!!! So is Simon the bad guy? Or maybe Raphael because he was jealous of Simon or mad at him for being able to walk in sunlight??? And I think I have an idea for why Simon can walk in sunlight. Is it because he drank Jace's blood? Because Jace has angel blood in him too not just Clary and since Simon drank angel blood did that give him the ability to walk in sunlight????
Abby wrote: "Wait a minute in MI series Luke had like been mad at Jocelyn and said that he didn't care if she were alive or not and that was because she didn't feel the same way about him. It's like with Clary ..."I agree with you 100%. I have a feeling that the blood made Simon different from others.
I just realized something about the relationship between Alec and Magnus: seeing how Magnus is immortal, what happens to Alec? Does Alec grow old without Magnus? Or does Alec somehow also turn immortal? It would be just terrible if Alec dies without Magnus...
are you sarcastic, or do you get your character's sarcasm from somone else? ;). and where do you get your idea of the Marks from?
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*puzzled* Er...never finished the TMI series, huh?
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because she didn't feel the same way about him.
Luke never says that.
It's like with Clary and Simon!!!
Simon never says that either.
And I think I have an idea for why Simon can walk in sunlight. Is it because he drank Jace's blood? Because Jace has angel blood in him too not just Clary and since Simon drank angel blood did that give him the ability to walk in sunlight????"
City of Glass:
Simon: "I’ve already drunk Jace’s blood— I’ve had enough of feeding off my friends.”
Clary thought of the silver scar on the side of Jace’s throat. Slowly, her mind still full of the image of Jace, she said, “Do you think that’s why . . . ?”
“Why what?”
“Why sunlight doesn’t hurt you. I mean, it did hurt you before that, didn’t it? Before that night on the boat?”
He nodded.
They then go on to discuss how it's because Jace is special, not like other Nephilim, etc. Since we already know he has angel blood the inference is pretty clear. Simon drank his blood, therefore he can walk in daylight. It's not supposed to be mysterious — it's supposed to be really really clear.
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It would be better if Magnus died too?
1.Where/how do warlocks learn to use their powers? Do they have another warlock train them or does it come naturally to them?2. Where did Magnus learn how to use his powers? Who trained him?
3. How is Magnus biracial if one of his parents was a demon?
4. What kind of powers do warlocks have? Can they do anything as long as it doesn't drain them?
5. Did Alec seeing Magnus through Clary's love rune have an impact on him, or did he already know the extent of his love for Magnus? And vice versa.
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I am currently reading Clockwork Angel and of course I love it so far! You are a fantastic writer and thank you for sharing your stories.
My questions has more to do with preferance but I was wondering, as a writer do you find that it is easier to work alone on a project or to collaborate with other authors such as co-authoring?
I have never co-authored anything but a short story so I wouldn't know what the process of co-authoring a novel might be like.
Also, where do you start when it comes to researching your books?
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The library.
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Very careful scheduling. First: yes, I plot tightly, because the more carefully outlined the book is, the faster the writing process. I'm never wondering what happens next because I already know. Second, my publisher is very invested in these books coming out regularly, so I'm on a special schedule of fast turnarounds on their side — all the production is speeded up. And third, I used to have downtime — I would send my book to my editor and then wait to get it back from her. Now I have no downtime. I send an MI book to my editor and work on an ID book until she sends the MI book back, and then I send her the ID book.
Also, what was your journey to publication like and writing in general?
http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/faq...
1) Are the Lightwoods the Perminate Heads of the NewYork Insitutue ? I would look it up myself, accpet my friend has City of Bones,Ashes,Glass. Or are they just temperary? 2) I'm planning to Attend your Toronto book signing on November 5th. Am I aloud to bring my copys of City of Bones, Ashes, Glass to get signed ? or is that to much
Hi Cassandra. I love your books. I know you said you won't tell people who the new villain is, but I was wondering if it was any of these people.-the Seelie Queen
-Isabelle
-Raphael
-Camille
Thanks.
Hi Cassandra, Thank you so much for this opportunity :) Question:
Why would Clary find Tessa familiar?
Will and Jace are related correct? Is it possible for Tessa to be also, I realize that she is some-kind of warlock?
When is the next book coming out ? and will there be the same characters ?
Q&A with Cassandra Clare
Books mentioned in this topic
Clockwork Angel (other topics)City of Heavenly Fire (other topics)
City of Lost Souls (other topics)
******************SPOILER FOR CLOCKWORK ANGEL********************
Also, I'm just curious... this is probably a really lame question and considering no one else has ask..."
Hello! It's amazing that you're doing this.
However, I've been scouring the book in search of this thought of Will's that is important. The only things that jump out at me are when he replies "More than you can every imagine" to Mrs. Dark's question about being entirely alone and immediately regrets saying it, and then directly after he realizes Tessa is alive. There's a moment where he feels "the terror of someone who, wandering in a mist, pauses only to realize that they have stopped inches from the edge of a gaping abyss."
I know you probably won't (and probably shouldn't) tell me if I'm correct here, but am I at least looking in the right direction? Or is it all just wishful thinking about my own sleuthing skills?