Q&A with Cassandra Clare discussion
Q&A: Clockwork Angel/TMI: questions here!
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When you're writing your books do you laugh out loud and cry when you write funny or sad parts?"
Very rarely. I think I got a bit choked up when
SPOILER FOR TMI
Max died.
*************"Spoiler for CITY OF GLASS"***************Who does Magnus talk to at the end of City of Glass, who Clary recognizes?
Hey Cassandra I love the Mortal Instrument series so much !!! Once I pick them up it is hard to put down. My question was what was going threw your mind when making the characters? How did you come up with all of there characteristics and more about them?- Gauri ^_^
Were u at childrens book world?? because I think I remember seeing you there...............
Cassandra wrote: "Curls wrote: "I have tried writing a book many times and I get to about 11,000 thousand words and get stuck. Any advice?"Do you outline?"
I have it's just that I can't make what I write sound good to me so I doubt it will make any sense to anyone else.
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The Shadowhunters are indeed protected from minor health issues like allergies by their angel blood (the same way they're stronger, faster, etc.) Simon, being a standard human being, does have allergies, specifically to ragweed, as mentioned in City of Ashes.
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Have you read all the teasers?
http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/faq...
I was wondering about TMI. When Johnathan( or Sebastian really) said something about clary coming around... did he mean it with the connotation of being incestuous? I mean, i know they kissed but I don't know if he was just staying in character or fulfilling his desires.
Cassandra wrote: "Autumn O'Shea Swan wrote: "I'm 17 and I have lots of medical issues like using a wheelchair. It just occurred to me that all your characters have no problems even as small as hay fever or allergic ..."Could they get something serious? Like cancer or diabetes?
Hi Cassandra!While I think your plots are very complexly and beautifully assembled, one of my favorite things about your books is the dynamic between all of your characters. When you're writing a book or starting a new series, how do you assemble the cast of characters? How do you decide how they play off of each other? For example, is the relationship between Will and Jem just as important as the one between Will and Henry?
Thanks!
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Yes.
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Mundungus????
Hi, Cassandra!When you start a book, do you plan, outline, etc.? Or do you just write it out?
-Karen
Do you ever do sketches of some of the important gear/outfits, or is it all written?
In the preview you gave us of COFA it stated something about Clarys mom not liking jace and i was just wondering why?
Cassandra wrote: "Curls wrote: "What effect does Alec and Mundugas's relationship have on how other shadowhunters treat Alec? (Sorry about the spelling!)"Mundungus????"
Is it acctualy Magnus? sorry I've never gotten anything better than a C on a spelling test.
I dunno if you saw my question, or if it's just that it's one of those who cant be answered; but is Nate really evil? I was sitting with a lump in my throat, when he turned against Tessa. I have a brother, and It'd kill me if he did something like that. So is Nate being influenced, or is he really evil?
Curls wrote: "Cassandra wrote: "Curls wrote: "What effect does Alec and Mundugas's relationship have on how other shadowhunters treat Alec? (Sorry about the spelling!)"Mundungus????"
that's what I meant sorry ..."
Do you mean Magnus?
Hi Cassie, I know you love Simon but who is your favorite Female character from ID and TMI? Mines Jessamine and Isabelle are they related? Out of all your books, which scene was the most difficult to write?
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No, you didn't get find out why Will is the way he is, just like you didn't get to find out whether Edward was going to turn Bella into a vampire in book one, or how Harry was going to kill Voldemort in book one. Will pushing everyone away is not just a character quirk, it's part of the plot. If you found it out in the first book it would destroy the structure of the second book.
I sense a lot of worry and concern that readers "are not going to find out why Will is so mean." I don't know if that's because there have been a lot of books where the boy treats the girl badly and she loves him anyway (this series is not one of those; I do not think the Will of Book One would be a good romantic prospect and neither does Tessa) but yes, you will find out what is up with Will in book 2. And I would be very surprised if by the end of book 2, a lot of people who don't like Will find themselves reversing their opinion. (Not everyone, obviously - not everyone likes Jace, either!)
"in those 476 pages we never really got to understand him or learn about him"
You learned that he has parents who are alive but who he mysteriously shuns; you learned he loves to read; you learned he lets no one close to him but Jem; you learned he is capable of great cruelty but seems to be tortured by actually enacting it. You learned he has a secret he has never told anyone but is about to tell Magnus because he needs Magnus' help. You learned what you needed to know.
Emma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "Curls wrote: "Cassandra wrote: "Curls wrote: "What effect does Alec and Mundugas's relationship have on how other shadowhunters treat Alec? (Sorry about the spelling!)"Mundungus????"
that's what ..."yes I'm such an ideat!
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Emma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "I dunno if you saw my question, or if it's just that it's one of those who cant be answered; but is Nate really evil? I was sitting with a lump in my throat, when he turned against Tessa. I have a ..."
I did see it but you need to put SPOILER above these kinds of questions! Nate is not brainwashed or enchanted. He is acting of his own free will. This is not to say he can't ever be redeemed, but he's responsible for his own actions.
-----------spoiler alert---------hello cassandra
in CA nate tells tessa that mortmain promised him that he could live forever, therefore him becoming immortal. my question is: will we find out if and how mortmain plans to do this in the future books??
also i would like to ask: I don't understand the part in where tessa tells will to say something after he thought she was dead why does will think he has lost everything? because i believe he loves tessa and tessa is alive and looking at him to say something.
ello cassandra :3 simple question, who's your favorite question in TMI??
Cassandra wrote: "SPOILEREmma (Pulvis et umbra sumus) wrote: "I dunno if you saw my question, or if it's just that it's one of those who cant be answered; but is Nate really evil? I was sitting with a lump in my t..."
Oh right! Sorry! Will do from now on! - And that's really sad. I feel so bad for Tessa!
****spoiler alert****is charlotte's aunt clary's ancestor? because when they are spying on the enclave meeting one of the boys says that she's bossy but does what she wants. the part of her doing what she wants is a whole lot like clary. just wondering.
****spoiler alert****is charlotte's aunt clary's ancestor? because when they are spying on the enclave meeting one of the boys says that she's bossy but does what she wants. the part of her doing what she wants is a whole lot like clary. just wondering.
Cassandra~I just want to say that I love your writing style. I have read the Mortal Instrument Series and I even let my 11 year old daughter read it. We love your books, I am going to have to check my local library for your newest one. Keep up the good work, and I look forward to what you have coming out in the future.
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BIC. HOK.
That stands for "butt in chair, hands on keyboard."
Inspiration is nice, but when writing is your job, you can't rely on it. You have to sit down and write. Even if you don't want to, even if nothing is in your head, even if the thought makes you sick. Sit. Write.
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Simon isn't my favorite — I don't have favorites. He is the one I relate to most. Tessa is the one I relate to most in ID because of her passion for reading. Jessamine's fun to write and Isabelle is a blast, I love them both, but they are very very different.
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When you start a book, do you plan, outline, etc.? Or do you just write it out?
-Karen"
I outline every series, then every book, then every chapter in every book.
Hey Cassandra! I was just looking at the chapter titles on the Mortal Instruments website you put up and I saw that in one of them Clary tries on a bridesmaid's dress. Does that mean Luke and Jocelyn are getting married?
Hi Cassandra, I'm right in the middle of Clockwork Angel and am almost getting nostalgic thinking back to City of Bones (which I only read a year ago, by the way.) But my question is for the future of The Mortal Instruments. A couple of months ago it was understood that the fourth book would be mainly focused on Simon, but then we found out that a fifth and sixth book are coming out. So is this entire new, trilogy I'll say, all focused on Simon? I know Clary and other main characters will make appearances, but would you call them just that, "appearances", not full on roles?
Hey! :D I just love your books as does 5 zillon other people do :) But i just found that there was something different with you books. Instead of all these vampire books. Your book had a mixture of everything and that why it only took me four days to read them because they were fanatasic and actully they made me make new friends too and we always discuss them. So now its question time. YAY! :)
-I was just wondering were did all your ideas come from(inspriation)?
- What made you pick to write a story about these chacthers ?
- And will write any other books after the the mortal instruments and the infernal devices are done?
-And whos your Faveourite Author?
-Will you be coming to Ireland at all?
I would so love it if you could answer my questions :)
Love Katie
x
At first, I thought that Tessa's eyes looked familiar to Clary because they reminded her of Jace due to the Herondale ancestry but maybe they remind her of Alec due to the Lightwood ancestry. Am I way off base?
Hey Cassandra. I wanted to ask something about Clary, something that's not mentioned in TMI. Has she ever had any romantic feelings towards a boy besides Jace and Simon?
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*scratches head* Well, these are YA books. They are not known for explicit sex scenes. But by the time TMI cycle 2 rolls around Clary and Jace have been dating for quite a while — it would be weird if they didn't do *anything*. I guess I would have to ask what your definition of steamy is, and if it only bothers you if it's unexpected (like in the middle of a dinner scene, two characters who've barely spoken fall to the ground and start ripping each other's clothes off?)
I suppose I could say that ID is going to be lighter on the making out scenes because of the time period, but that'd be a lie. There are a few pretty passionate scenes in book 2, though again, explicit stuff is not normal for YA.
Also, Will acts like a real jerk during CA (I wouldnt have have objected if Tessa slapped him and walked away, I'm just saying), is he going to get any kinder or am I just going to have to throw hope for him overboard and jump in the Jem boat?
I'm going to repeat what I said above:
I sense a lot of worry and concern that readers "are not going to find out why Will is so mean." I don't know if that's because there have been a lot of books where the boy treats the girl badly and she loves him anyway (this series is not one of those; I do not think the Will of Book One would be a good romantic prospect and neither does Tessa) but yes, you will find out what is up with Will in book 2. And I would be very surprised if by the end of book 2, a lot of people who don't like Will find themselves reversing their opinion. (Not everyone, obviously - not everyone likes Jace, either!) But yes. You are going to have to trust me as the author on this one. It's not like I don't know he's a jerk or think his behavior is acceptable or romantic.
cassandra i dont know if you just didnt see me message but i was wondering in the preview of City of Fallen angels it seemed as if clary's didnt like jace i was wondering why?
--- SPOILER ---Also, will shadowhunters soften towards downworlders, now that they have the New Accords all sorted?
*****Spoiler***** (in essence)Is Jem just an animal lover, or was there something deeper to it when he rescued Church? Like, did he see something special in Church, or something? Why is the cat immortal? Kind of makes me think of Salem in Sabrina the Teenaged Witch. Maybe what I should be asking is if Church is important at all?
So, I was sitting with my family, telling them how you could use a eye liner pencil, or something of the like, and a stick to make what could pass for a stele when my sister asked me if I was pronouncing it right, and I realized that I had no ieda. So, how do you proounce the word 'stele'.
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SPOILER
The necromantic rituals the Dark Sister used him to perform in CA rendered him immortal.
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I plan everything out in extreme detail. Other people can just wing it, but I am not one of them.
Hi Cassandra!sorry if somebody already asked this, but will there be another TMI book after City of fallen angels?
Does the title city of lost souls have to do with jace because the mark of death is on him? and why does it seem like jocelyn does not like Jace in the mortal instrument series?
nicki wrote: "Hi Cassandra!
sorry if somebody already asked this, but will there be another TMI book after City of fallen angels?"
There will be two more books after City of Fallen Angels: City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire.
I took the liberty of answering your question since I thought Cassandra Clare's going to put the link to her FAQs anyway.
sorry if somebody already asked this, but will there be another TMI book after City of fallen angels?"
There will be two more books after City of Fallen Angels: City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire.
I took the liberty of answering your question since I thought Cassandra Clare's going to put the link to her FAQs anyway.
Hello Mrs. Clare iam a huge fan of the Mortal Insterment i'm also a huge fan of the Twilight books( not the movies) but I perfer the Mortal Insturments series because Simon does not glitter like a Woodland Pixe. My favorite char. is Jace.
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*sigh* I wish I could quash this rumor somehow but I guess I'll just have to wait till COFA comes out and people finally realize it isn't about Simon. Yes, once upon a time there was going to be a spinoff book about Simon. Neither City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, or City of Heavenly Fire is that book. As it says on my blog here:
http://cassandraclare.livejournal.com...
1) "Since City of Fallen Angels was supposed to be mostly about Simon, are these latter two books also mostly about Simon?"
No, and honestly it never occurred to me anyone would think that or I would have made a special point of mentioning it in the chat! Yes, when I first proposed City of Fallen Angels to my publisher, it was going to center more around Simon. That was the plan. What I think I didn't get across during the chat is that as I sat down to write CoFA, and realized it was a much bigger story than I had thought, the focus shifted off Simon and more onto the rest of the characters. Magnus and Alec, who orginally were not going to be in the book at all, now have a major role to play. Clary and Jace have a central role to play. That stuff about Simon leaving town? Not happening; the major action takes place in NYC. While I did try to preserve a strong plotline for Simon, in which he is more than an adjunct to the larger drama surrounding Jace and Clary, it would now be very misleading to refer to it as "Simon's book" or indicate that it is mainly about him. It is not. It is as much about Jace and Clary as City of Glass was. If you even notice Simon has a slightly larger part I'd be stunned.
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They're hoping to.
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)
Do you outline?