Q&A with Cassandra Clare discussion
Q&A: Clockwork Angel/TMI: questions here!
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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.
How did you come up with the name Magnus? (Sorry, not sure if you've answered this somewhere already, feel free to disregard if you have :)
"You've spent 1 book with Will and know almost nothing about him, plus he is a jerk in a way Jace never is." I found it really interesting to read you say this, Cassandra. A lot of people call Jace a 'bad boy' but for me his respect and love for Clary are so clear that I can't think of him as 'bad' in any true sense. Will, however, really is my definition of a bad boy (even though I'm sure we'll grow to understand why he acts as he does in later books) and yet he's still a very strong romantic interest for Tessa. How did you feel about writing a romantic interest with that edge of true darkness? Did you feel a lot of strain walking the line between 'attractive' and 'jerk'? And was the decision to go for such a complex and at times unlikeable main character difficult, or could the story not have unfolded any other way?
Lots of questions - sorry!
Will Alec and Magnus relationship continue to develop off page or will we see some interaction with the two?( I know Clary and Jace and Simon take up a lot of space, but I want to read about Alec and Magnus too!)
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(Please, pardon my bad english. It's not my first language)"
It sure would be weird if it didn't!
Have you ever seen a stranger and thought, "Wow, he's a dead ringer for 'insert ID or MI character here.'"?
First off, Cassandra, kudos to you for writing CLockwork Angel. I think it is your best book so far. But the one thing I HATE about it is the cliffhanger at the end! Ack! Now I have to wait another year or so for your next ID masterpiece! So I guess my first question would be: when is the next ID book coming out?
And then: How did it feel to write ID? I mean, the book takes place in the 18 hundreds, where there were many sexist people, proper young women, and then men like Will who drank and gambled? How hard was it to really put yourself into the minds of 19th century people? Because you did a DANG good job of it!
Happy writing,
Annah
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Holly (Holly Black) claims I did for a while but I didn't notice.
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I don't really have a question...just wanted to say thank you for writing such an awesome book (TMI and The Clockwork Angel was just amazing) even if it kept me from studying ..."
Yes, the second book focuses much more on Jem (which is why Will is on the cover of the 1st and Jem is on the cover of the 2nd.) Jem has his secrets and a dark side, though he truly is an essentially unusually good and patient person.
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Why are Alec and Magnus fans so worried about being abandoned? Yes, you see Alec and Magnus onscreen. The reason it developed offscreen before in Ashes is because they were trying to keep it hidden. Now they are not. They have other problems instead.
In CoFA will someone come back from afterlife?
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In CoG, Simon bit Sebastian. Did Sebastian's blood have any effect on Simon like Jace's, or was it not potent enough?
It's not that it's not potent, it's just that for whatever reason, the demon virus that causes vampirism in the first place isn't changed or altered by demon blood. Remember, Simon bit some full-blood demons during the battle in CoG.
Oh, and has anyone managed to guess what kind of downworlder Tessa is? "
Not really.
Hi Cassandra! I was wondering, where did your idea of TMI start or come from?
Also is there going to be anymore clockwork angel books or is there just 3?
Thanks! :)
Hey, Cassandra! I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for writing these wonderful books! ...And now onward to my question.---A Small Bit of Spoilery for ID that was included in CoG---
Wouldn't it be an unhappy ending for Tessa with either Will or Jem (since we know from CoG she has the immortality of a normal warlock)? With Will and Jem being mortal Shadowhunters, they will both continue to age and die while Tessa stays the same. How would the relationship end nicely (unless you add the vampire element)?
Katy wrote: "Hey, Cassandra! I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for writing these wonderful books! ...And now onward to my question.---A Small Bit of Spoilery for ID that was included in CoG---
Wou..."
I'm curious about that myself.
Katy wrote: "Hey, Cassandra! I just wanted to take a moment and thank you for writing these wonderful books! ...And now onward to my question.---A Small Bit of Spoilery for ID that was included in CoG---
Wou..."
Uh! Nice one!
Hi Cassandra! Which books were your favorites as you were growing up and which are definitely must-reads you recommend?
Hello, Ms Clare. First of all I'd like to tell you how much I love your books - they're pretty much the best YA novels I've ever read, unlike the pile of repetitive books that have been pouring out over the last few years. I won't ask you anything that really interests me, because it's things you wouldn't say, for obvious reasons. Haha.
So, my question is, do you have a favourite foreign book cover? I, personally, really like the Italian(I think) covers, and the Bulgarian(I'm Bulgarian) covers are an interesting interpretation of the originals.
And also, since on the cover of the Polish City of Bones(again, I think) there's a Sim of Alex Pettyfer(how much I've laughed on that), what do you think about him as Jace, since he's the public's favourite for the role in an eventual movie(me being on the same wagon)?
Is Mortmain truly human? He seems to know so much about Shadowhunters and all the other creatures out there.
That was an awesome parasol Jessie had in CA, what would be your weapon of choice if you were a shadowhunter?
My first question:When you first conceived Simon's character, did you really plan for him to evolve so fast- from ordinary best friend into a very controversial vampire?
hi cassandra i loved CA!!! i am team will! for now it might change. i believe that charlotte and her aunt are clary's ancestors might i be right in that theory??? also i wanted to know is nate brainwashed?? because when tessa asks him why he keeps calling her tessie he seemed to be confused about what he was saying and doing.
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I found it really interesting you read you say this, Cassandra. A lot of people call Jace a 'bad boy' but for me his respect and love for Clary are so clear that I can't think of him as 'bad' in any true sense. Will, however, really is my definition of a bad boy (even though I'm sure we'll grow to understand why he acts as he does in later books) and yet he's still a very strong romantic interest for Tessa. How did you feel about writing a romantic interest with that edge of true darkness? Did you feel a lot of strain walking the line between 'attractive' and 'jerk'? And was the decision to go for such a complex and at times unlikeable main character difficult, or could the story not have unfolded any other way?"
Will was definitely one of my biggest character challenges to date. I knew it was risky writing a character as unlikeable as he is (and he was even more unlikeable in the first draft but it sent my editor into hysterics so I had to tone him down a bit.) I have a love for the unlikeable/dissipated hero trope (thus all the Sydney Carton references) but, ah, not everyone does. And I often find people saying that so and so character in a book is a bad boy when they are obviously pretty morally sound (Jace, for instance - sarcasm doesn't really make you *bad*.) I wanted to write someone who is sometimes actually actively cruel and awful on an objective level, but who the reader might invest themselves in anyway, and that is a bit of a tightrope act.
Will, obviously can't do anything beyond redemption - he can't go around murdering children - but I do think a lot of readers, especially those who were reading him as "Victorian era Jace" were really shocked and upset by the roof scene in the last chapter. Will's not Jace — Jace does not behave toward his adoptive family or the girl he loves with deliberate cruelty. Does Will have a reason? Sure. But I have to trust my readers will remain invested enough to read Clockwork Prince to find out what it is.
On the other hand, ending City of Bones the way I did was also a risky move and despite the amount of email I have gotten from people who have thrown the book against the wall when they 'found out Jace and Clary were brother and sister' I wouldn't go back and change it. The story wouldn't work another way, and neither would Will.
Hi Cassandra,I've just gotta say that I love your books and I can't wait for the next one to come out! They are amazing and I love them!!
I also have a questions, why did you decide to make prequel to the Mortals Instrument?
Hellooo. Greeting from Romania. I have turned myself in public library so to say. Got all the books and made all my friends read it. Working in a bookshop also gave me time to "harass" other young readers like me and get them to be all "XD We want" SOooo Hopefully TMI will be in Romania soon everyone tamed. (Some lazy bums have hard time reading in English...beh) ^_^So, great books, wrong, amazing. :)) I was so annoyed after I finished Clockwork because I couldn't do what I did with TMI, as in read them all in one week. But hey, I went through a Hunger Games patient wait. I can do it again.
As for questions, now when I can actually ask them I have none. Dang! I don't think I could ask anything from what will it happen. You couldn't answer those questions. Maybe more like:
How did Jace came to life? Was it is? Is he a very strong character that does what he wants even if you are his "mother"? Or the others? Who is the most headstrong of them all to work with?
What was the hardest scene you wrote in TMI. How 'bout Clockwork Angel?
Did you read all the books Tessa has?
Judging from Clockwork and Will being a Herondale we can say Jace has European heritage?
Oh! Duh! Silly. You mention anime/ manga.
Have you watched anime and read manga? Which?
(Yes, big otaku here)
Umm. Nothing else comes to my mind. Soo, fruitful writing. ^_^
Salutations, miss Clare! I really enjoyed reading the first three books in the mortal instruments, and I am reading clockwork angel... And anxiously awaiting the next books! I have an odd question. Please don't take it the wrong way, because I really love jace and clary together, but I was thinking the other night and I figured this out:
If Amatis Herondale is Luke's sister, and Luke will be married to Jocelyn, while Clary is Jocelyn's daughter, Jace is her boyfriend, and Amatis is Jace's stepmom, then wouldn't Jace and Clary still be related... Like, cousins or something?
Just a thought!
Thanks!
Hi Cassie! Thank you so much for doing this.Are we going to learn more about Henry and Charlotte in the next two Infernal Devices books?
Do you have a favorite scene from CA?
OMG!!!! i got Clockwork Angel as soon as it came out in stores and all i want to know a bout all of ur books are how many books will be in the Mortal Instruments series and r there going to be more in the Clockwork Angel series???
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Wouldn't it be an unhappy ending for Tessa with either Will or Jem (since we know from CoG she has the immortality of a normal warlock)? With Will and Jem being mortal Shadowhunters, they will both continue to age and die while Tessa stays the same. How would the relationship end nicely (unless you add the vampire element)?
"
I get asked this a lot, as it also applies to Alec and Magnus. This is the answer I gave the last time I got asked — it has to do with rejiggering one's idea of a "happy ending."
Now. Let us consider normal human relationships. Consider two people madly in love, they get married, stay happily married for fifty years, etc. Unless they both die in the same fiery airship explosion or expire by random chance at the same time in the nursing home, ONE OF THEM IS GOING TO DIE BEFORE THE OTHER ONE. Does that negate the entire half-century relationship they had? Does it make it not worth ever having entered into?
Now, when it comes to books, "ending up together" means ending up together at the end of the book/series. We don't know what happens to characters after that. It is unlikely that Elizabeth and Darcy died at the exact same time. However, it doesn't matter because they're together at the end of the book with their life as a pair ahead of them.
Also, "If Tessa's immortal and Jem and Will aren't" — you are making a lot of assumptions about everyone's mortality or lack therof. There are two more books to go and much more to happen.
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He's human.
First off I'd like to say I love the Mortal Instrument's series and you did a fantastic job. I can't wait to read the 4th and so on. I have two questions if that's allright.
1) What made you decide to continue the Mortal Instruments trilogy?
2) I love to write for fun and I'd like to know something about character personality. When you create a character for a book, how do you decide upon the decisions that they make and the actions they take based on their personality. In other words, how do you make a character realistic and true to who they are?
Thank you
Hey Cassandra, I loved ur first 3 books in the mortal instruments and i especially liked clockwork angels!!!!!I can't wait for city of fallen angels and clockwork prince...
hm, could u tell me if clary and jace will be together in city of fallen angels?
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Nope.
Cassandra wrote, "Will was definitely one of my biggest character challenges to date. I knew it was risky writing a character as unlikeable as he is (and he was even more unlikeable in the first draft but it sent my editor into hysterics so I had to tone him down a bit.) I have a love for the unlikeable/dissipated hero trope (thus all the Sydney Carton references) but, ah, not everyone does".****************Spoiler for Clockwork Angel*********
I found him extremely interesting. I want to know the ultimate reason why he's pushing everyone away. I think the only reason he's friends with JEM is because, at this point, Jem has a death sentence hanging over his head. I would like to see him get well and see if he appeals to more people. Alas, I know - no spoilers to any of the sequels will be leaked out by you. I hope Tessa is the key to Jem's recovery.
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Favorite foreign book covers:
German: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63...
Italian:
http://cassandraclare.livejournal.com...
Hi Cassandra! (By the way, love the name, it's mine too!) I have a question about City of Fallen Angels.SPOILER FOR MORTAL INSTRUMENTS
In City of Glass, we found out that Clary and Jace could be together. But the Faerie Queen said that Clary would fall in love twice and get it wrong the first time. My problem is that she has only ever been in love with Jace. Will there be someone else in the next book?
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Are we going to learn more about Henry and Charlotte in the next two Infernal Devices books?"
Yes. Thus all the little dropped hints about their relationship.
Ms. Clare-Are you going to be writing books unrelated to the City of Bones? Also, why did you write a prequel instead of a sequel? How long to you spend writing per day? Just wondering.
- :)
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Um...I actually don't recall the Faerie Queen ever saying that. I also just searched my documents for the phrase and didn't find it. Can you identify the scene or page?
Cassandra, I just finished CA. Loved it. You're ability to keep tension and intrigue on every page is incredible. Well done. My question is about CA (SPOILER): Am I getting close if I believe Tessa is part angel?
...And, will any of your MC's ever pick the gentleman over the bad boy? Not that I don't like bad boys but I'm a sucker for the sweet underdog.
Hi, Ms. Clare -I just wanted to show you our City of Glass cover (It's Bulgarian version) - http://i54.tinypic.com/sgs7t2.jpg
What do you think? Do you like it?
10x
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http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/faq...
Hi Cassandra - I'm an "old" person (48) who just loves your books. How did you ever come up with the idea of "kids" hunting demons and the like? Clockwork Angel just arrived - should get to start it next week. Very happy to hear that MI will continue for a bit longer :).
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If you want them to be related because that's what you're into, sure. But no, that doesn't make them cousins. Amatis is not Jace's stepmom. If Luke and Jocelyn marry, she will be CLARY'S step-aunt. She is nothing to Jace but his dead father's first wife. I would also note that as there aren't that many Shadowhunters it's not like this sort of thing doesn't happen a lot.
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I can't wait for city of fallen angels and clockwork prince...
hm, could u tell me if clary and jace will be together in city of fallen angels? "
They start out together, having been dating for 2 months.
Hey guys! You might want to read all of the previous questions and check out her site before you start throwing questions out there. Some of you are asking the same questions that someone else is. I don't actually have a question at the moment, but I'd like to say thank you for writing something that gets kids to read. I have a lot of students that bring your books into class and they get very excited over the series. It's nice to see them read at all, but for them to pick up something that's longer than 200 pages is even better. Good luck with your future writing endevors.
Do the shadowhunters accept Alec being gay? Or is that gonna be a problem for him?
thank you so much I'm going to put them all on my calender. And out of all of the books which is your favorite and who is your favorite character?
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)
I posted it twice? Darn it!