Q&A with Cassandra Clare discussion
Q&A: Clockwork Angel/TMI: questions here!
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People really seem to want this to happen in some odd way. The answer is not really, no. I do think it's important to include LGBT characters in books, and I've gotten a lot of letters over the years from LGBT teens thanking me for writing a gay character who just happens to be gay - he also kills demons and has other issues and his whole life does not revolve around him being gay. Alec and Magnus are going to have relationship problems, yes. However, they are the kind of problems that beset anyone's relationship, straight, gay, whatever. I do not want to spend a lot of the next three books making a big deal out of Alec being gay, because it isn't a big deal.
Besides, his parents have their own stuff going on.
***SPOILER CLOCKWORK ANGEL***I just had to say that in the beginning of the book when Tessa is joining everyone for dinner the first time and Henry comes into the room with his arm on fire I laughed for hours with how oblivious he was to it and not paying attention to what it was exactly that Charlotte and Will were saying to him. Even when I laid down to go to sleep that night I had that replay in my head and I busted out laughing. All I could think was thank God I am the only one awake to know I did that =) I loved the rest of the book too but for some reason that just stuck with me and puts a smile on my face.
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And Jace tells Clary how he loved her from the first time he saw her, etc. I don't know, sometimes I'm a fan of that sort of speechifying and sometimes not. I would point out that Jem, being incredibly gentle and kind, is pretty much the antithesis of the guy who cut Sophie's face — it's hardly weird she'd be attracted to that.
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Someone else.
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I know that you'll neither confirm nor deny, but a hint as to whether or not I'm on the right track would be nice :)
BTW, any chance you'll visit your fans Down Under any time soon? Aussies love you too!!! "
Well, it's a better theory than the one where Will is a robot. :)
I have a tour planned for Australia. Why does no one ever look at my signings page? I work so hard on making it look nice . . . *sniffles*
Cassandra wrote: "Ellaina wrote: "Cassandra!!! Thank you SO much for answering Fan questions. I am a HUGE fan of your books. 1. OMG DO CLARY AND JACE BREAK UP?! :'( i love them together, and the beginning of City o..."Hi Casssandra!
I love your books and you have inspired me to want to be a writer! I have had tonnes of questions for ages but when I was reading the post above it struck something in my head. You probably can't answer this but I need to ask any way.
Does Jem confess his love to Tessa and then die in her arms(or something along those lines) at the end of the ID? And then does Tessa feel guilty for loving Will and being with him when Jem dies because she loved him as well?
Also about the ID series...can you please make Magnus more...glittery please!! I miss his glittery-ness!
Sorry just had to get that off my chest!
Also about the MI series I really hope you bring Sebastian back! I know this is odd but I really liked him even though he tried to kill Jace. I thought he was a great character and that he shouldn't have died. But I don't think he died and I really hope that you bring him back.
Thanks so much for answering these questions. Your fans in Australia really appreciate it!!!
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I heard about the second TMI trilogy, and I'm excited, but having watched the Maximum Ride series go through a period of descend, I'm afraid another three books might ruin the first TMI trilogy because the first TMI books were somewhat centered around Clary & Jace's love life and Valentine's...evilness, and now that both problem's are solved, what will happen to the series? I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I seriously love your books and couldn't bear it if they were to...descend to the level of ordinariness.
Yes, I know. I've seen the Goodreads pages for Lost Souls and Heavenly Fire and seen the people complaining that of course these books won't be as good as the first three (apparently they are clairvoyant) and that I am doing it all for the money (which, if they knew anything even remotely at all about publishing, they would know is borderline hilarious.) Irritating as this stuff is (though I should just know better than to read my Goodreads pages anyhow!), I know it comes mostly out of the normal readerly fear that something you love will decline in quality and "be ruined." I'm not sure what I could say to reassure you. Obviously I think they're going to be up to the standards of the first three books, or I wouldn't be writing them. I might also note that the Maximum Ride books, like a lot of JP's books, are ghostwritten, probably by different authors, so it may just be that you like some of the author's styles better than the other authors' styles where it comes to the books rather than that they are "descending."
"the first TMI books were somewhat centered around Clary & Jace's love life and Valentine's...evilness"
The books continue to center around Clary and Jace's love life. They just have a different issue than they had before. And I like the villain this time around better than Valentine, actually. Your mileage may vary, of course. You can always skip reading the books, or wait till they are all out and get someone to tell you if they "stayed good." It's hardly as if a six book series that maintains its quality is unheard of.
One thing I will say that I believe strongly: even if the second trilogy sucked, that doesn't "ruin" the first three books, any more than if they made a movie and it sucked, the books would be ruined. I think that's a bad way to think about books. The only thing that matters about a book is the words between the covers, not other books, not other interpretations of that book, not movies, not anything. Books are not that fragile.
Do you have any books that no matter how many times you read it, you love it? I've met tons of people who read a book once, and then are done forever, but I like reading them over and over. How about you? Any ULTIMATE favorites?
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*********SPOILERS FOR THE CLOCKWORK ANGEL*************
"Sometime during the book, wasn't Jem's cane broken in the first automaton attack on the Institute? In the later chapters it appeared whole again, so that got me a bit confused."
Yes. On p. 336, when Tessa comes into Jem's room after the attack: "Leaning against the side of the bed was his jade-headed cane. Somehow it had been repaired and was whole again, gleaming as if new."
I don't know what else to tell you. It's a magical weapon; it repairs itself.
"Also, Will's character is so distant!"
Indeed.
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I have a couple of questions.
One: I have heard people say that Clary and Jace may not be siblings. Is this true?
Two: Are Alec and Magnus Bane going to be a couple?"
I think you are so far behind most of the other people taking part in this conversation that you should probably honestly stay out of it — I'm worried everything will be spoiled for you.
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also will the Penhallows still be in contact with the Lightwoods or did Max's death leave them off in a bad note?kk uno mas did the real Sebastin really die?"
Um, Aline, like she told Clary in City of Glass, is a lesbian. She could care less if Clary and Jace date. She does show up later in TMI ... with her girlfriend.
The Penhallows are still in contact with the Lightwoods, though Max's death does hang between them.
"uno mas did the real Sebastin really die"
Someone should teach me how to say "nice try" in Spanish. :D
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Just wondering if Will has the white star shaped scar in CA (the one that Jace and all the Herondales have)???
Well, either he doesn't have it or it's somewhere on him we haven't seen yet. :D
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1) In an interview, you said that when Tessa saw Jace at the end of City of Glass it was a bit like seeing a ghost. Since you've also confirmed that Jace and Will are related (though possibly not directly), does it follow that Jace looks like Will? Or could there be someone else whom Jace resembles that would be so striking to Tessa?
He could look like quite a few different people — Jem, if he lived and got married, could have had a descendent who married a Herondale; it could be a character we haven't met yet, or it could be Will, since we know they're related.
2) Can you provide any details about Jem's feelings for Sophie?
He has no romantic feelings for her at all.
3) Is the box that Jace receives from Amatis the same box from Will's memories? I noticed it had birds (herons?) on it. Would the design on the box be similar to the design on Will's ring?
No, it's not the same box. The bird design in the same bird design as on Will's ring because it is the symbol of the Herondale family. Every Shadowhunter family has a ring and a symbol.
I'm curious about Magnus's reasons for wanting the White Book...
As are many!
I was wondering where you come up with your names and character personalities? Are they based on people you know?Also, I know this might be unfair to ask of you and you probably won't be able to answer, but do you like Will or Jem more? Not in regards as to who's better for Tessa, or who's more of the main male protagonist. But personality and character-wise, who do you like better?
Hi Cassandra,I fell in love with MI the moment I got past the first chapter and I'm already in love with ID and I'm only half way through the book! My question is how do you come up with all the twist and turns of your plots? Do you write it all out and then ask your friends if they sound probable? Does the plot start out different from when you start the book to when you finish?
Thank you and keep writing those wonderful books!
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etc. So in better terms do you already know how the series will end and what will happen?"
Yes. I already know everything that will happen. I know who dies. I know who lives. I know who gets together. I know who goes evil. I know who is redeemed. I know all the details, because I outline very carefully.
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I was wondering how you came up with such a unquie idea for the MI books. Like were you in a store and was like that could be a good idea to write a book, or did you just start writ..."
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Hi Cassandra, You have said previously that readers will find out what is "wrong" with Will in Clockwork Prince, but does Tessa find out as well or is that in book 3? Cant wait to see whats going on with that boy!
Cassandra wrote: "Yes. On p. 336, when Tessa comes into Jem's room after the attack: "Leaning against the side of the bed was his jade-headed cane. Somehow it had been repaired and was whole again, gleaming as if new." ... I don't know what else to tell you. It's a magical weapon; it repairs itself. Hehe. Before your clarification I had assumed that Jem had an entire closet full of jade-headed canes he could replace a broken one with. I guess a magical weapon is far more handy. But it still cracks me up to picture a closet neatly lined with canes...
Hi! This really isn't book related and I'm sorry but it's just something I really want to know about! Mostly because I love your books and I'm the kind of person who likes to have artifacts of the books she adores. Anyway, I was at your book signing for Clockwork Angel in St. Louis, Missouri! I know you mentioned that your friend had only made I think 10 Clockwork Angels and I was just wondering if you had all ten to give away at a signing or if she had a store she was selling some at.
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Does Jem confess his love to Tessa and then die in her arms(or something along those lines) at the end of the ID? And then does Tessa feel guilty for loving Will and being with him when Jem dies because she loved him as well?"
I think you wrote yourself some fanfiction there. Well, that certainly would be a bittersweet ending, if a tad melodramatic. I will say that by the end of CPrince, Tessa knows how both boys feel about her.
"Also about the ID series...can you please make Magnus more...glittery please!! I miss his glittery-ness!
Sorry just had to get that off my chest!"
Glitter wasn't invented until 1906. I looked it up. I can't be anachronistic. :D Also, Magnus is (slightly) different in ID because he is 150 years younger and not exactly the same person he is in MI. You're watching his evolution as a character. He could just be glittery all the time, yes, but then he'd never be anything more than a punchline, not a real person.
"Also about the MI series I really hope you bring Sebastian back! I know this is odd but I really liked him even though he tried to kill Jace. I thought he was a great character and that he shouldn't have died. But I don't think he died and I really hope that you bring him back."
You know, there's "bad boys" and then there's "guys who whack nine year olds with hammers." I guess you can never be too evil to have fans...
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Oddly, this is starting to remind me of the movie Highlander, where he's immortal and the woman he loves isn't, and he stays with her while she grows old and gray and then buries her sadly when she dies. And it *is* sad. I'm not saying it isn't. Death and mortality and aging are sad facts of life. But the way you are phrasing it makes it sound like if Tessa and, say, Jem were to grow old at the same rate, they would not be bothered by the other person's aging because if you yourself cosmetically age, some switch in your brain flips and you are now able to be attracted to people who look old because . . . you look old. That's not actually the way it works. If it was, 80 year old millionaires would not marry the likes of Anna Nicole Smith. You love someone when they're old and gray because you love them, not because you're old and gray too. And perhaps the idea of Tessa looking young and being with an old man strikes you as ick, but I am not sure why Tessa should care. :)
Hey CassandraAfter reading MI I fell in love with Jace. After reading CA I fell in love with Will :) Their characters are very similar and I have spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting the two. I want to know the major differences you had in mind between Jace and Will's characters/personalities when writing TMI and ID.
Thanks!
Hey Cassandra, (I just joined this group, so I hope I get this right) I absolutely am obsessed with your books. They are spectacular, and once I pick one up, I cannot put it down.
Though, sadly, I have not had the chance to start reading the Infernal Devices series yet, but I want to so badly!!
Anyways...
I was just immensely curious on how you came up with your inspiration for the Mortal Instruments series, and how you came up with the characters in those books. Also, do the characters in the books relate to people you know in real life?
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Here's my question:
Who is your favorite couple to write about?"
Clary and Jace
Magnus and Alec
Will and Tessa
Jem and Tessa
*shrugs* I'm not good with picking favorites!
Hey Cassandra,No questions. Thank you for writing a brilliant series that I am heavily attached to. It's the first series I've been heavily comparably obsessed with as I was with Harry Potter when I was younger. I love it. Thank you Thank You Thank you for being a greatly engaging writer. You, Scott Westerfeld & Holly Black are pwning people in the YA genre everyday. kudos. :]
Hi Cassandra, I was wondering how you write? Do you have a favourite place? Do you listen to music? Do you write every day?
As an aspiring writer, I am curious about the process of writing. Especially for authors whose work I admire- like yours!
Ta,
Jess xx
Thanks so much for answering our questions today! Hope you come somewhere near me when you come to Australia!!!!Just wondering what the highlight of all the books you've written would be? Was there a scene for you that really stood out or that you really enjoyed writing? Sorry if this has been asked feel free to ignore me if it has :) .
Carmel - they have put some very cool snippets of COFA up on the Mundie Mums fansite (but I warn you they will only leave you wanting more!!).
Sorry, I meant, if the magister was interested in the automations and machines why didn't someone like valentine use them in tmi? They seemed useful to the villan in CA.BTW my middle name is valentine! It's cool seeing some one with that name in the book!
Hey Cassandra! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer all of our questions. TMI is my FAVORITE series of all time, and I'm seriously falling in love with CWA (:This is more of a general question, but: do you know at which point immortal people stop physically growing? Like... in TMI, Magnus is described as a man, while Tessa is a still a girl.
Thaanks (:
Hello Casssandra. I'm a big fan of Steampunk and The Victorian Era so Clockwork Angel is an inspiration to my writing.My question is: How the idea of Clockwork Angel came to your mind?
By the end of the Infernal Devices trilogy (like say Clockwork Princess), will we know if Jem and/or Will survive to the time of the Mortal Instruments series? I'd just like to know if there will be closure as to their fates :)
Cassandra wrote: "Lesley wrote: "Spoiler for mortal instrumentshello cassandra: I was just wondering if jace and clary's relationship last through the future books?"
*grins* Nice try... They're dating at the beg..."
Oh, now... That's not fair. Now you are going to send all your fans (or at least the ones that have read this) into a tizzy. ;)
hello cassandra i love clockwork angel and i wanted to know if there be more fighting scenes in the other two books if so i can't wait!
Heya(:,I just heard somewhere that you have started a guide for the MI series? I was wondering if it would be published at all, spoilers, what's in it, etc?
I completely love your books, btw. <3 I felt like crying after I read Clockwork Angel, because I have to wait for April next year for the next book. Can't wait!
Will we see more of Jace playing the piano? I love the image of him at a piano filling the room with beautiful music.
What character in either or both The Mortal Instrument Series and The Infernal Devices is most like yourself?
Cassandra, I love the TMI series ! Who don't like ? Hehe :)I want to know, please, what is the anniversary date of Jace. The bath mass was so sweet !
Sorry my bad english :s
Congrats for your sucess e best wishes :)
Do you have a special song that always reminds you of one of your characters? :)
Hey CassandraFirst 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
Hi Cassandra, what inspired you to write Clockwork Angel?
Hi Cassandra,I am a HUGE fan, my friend and I really love your work. It feels so real; and i love jace - by far! I always knew that they weren't realy brother and sister, i knew it :P
Anway, I have a couple of questions for you and by the way I think it's reakky nice ofyou to be doing this.
1. Omigosh, can't believe you killed of Sebastion. Like Omighosh, I was not expecting that; neither where any of your readers... i think :P. I thought you may have developed his character a tad more into the other books. Why didn't you? Will he come back?
2. I love to read - you should see my bookshelves - I have a ton of books; all of yours!!! Now. I also love to write when i dont have the money to buy books. So, I want to do that like professionaly - if that makes sense. In other words I want them to be published. Can you help me by giving me advice on publishing: some of the steps you have to do and what needs to be done...
3. What program do you use to type your books? Like a draft...
4. How do you develop some of your characters into the lovable people that they are... I feel as if i know each and everyone of them as if they were my best friends...
5. Sorry for all the questions but this is my last one... for now :P
Any tips on publishing or writing a story - please dont hold back!
Thanks SO mmuch... wow i feel like so special because you are giving me the time of day... little old me :P
xoxo
Taylor (barbestbcb)
Cassandra wrote: "Karen wrote: "Here's my question:
Who is your favorite couple to write about?"
Clary and Jace
Magnus and Alec
Will and Tessa
Jem and Tessa
*shrugs* I'm not good with picking favorites!"
ha ha ha :P me neither
Hey Cassandra!You are amazing for answering fan questions! I have so many questions, but I'll just as one for now! lol.
I was reading through the answers you'd given to previous questions and you replied to a question asked with this:
Cassandra wrote: "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."
I was wondering: Is this completely squashing the relationship? Or just for now. I had the feeling at the end of the Clockwork Angel that Tessa might have known that Will was just trying to push her away. So is this the end for Will and Tessa or is there at least still some hope?
Obviously, I'm a Will/Tessa lover. lol. But I love Jem too, so I wouldn't be completely heartbroken if she ended up with him instead! lol. :-)
Hey Cassandra! I was just wondering where you got the inspiration for the Mortal Instruments series.
*******Spoiler for Clockwork Angel*****************When Tessa meets Gabriel you wrote that he reminded her of someone in that moment, though she could not have said who.... May we know who he reminded her of??
I'm just dying to know what Will meant when he saw Tessa lying there in a pool of blood in the Sanctuary.He thought: "I've lost everything. Everything."
Then when Tessa was in his arms, he was happy and then-"I've lost everything. Everything."
What does it mean?????????
And what exactly is his dark secrets?
Right.
Oh-right. I'm suppose to ask questions about the first three books of The Mortal Instrument.
How did you picture Jace when you created his character? How did you came across his name? Did you plan to make him rude and arrogant? No complaints there of course, because I absolutely love Jace more than Edward Cullen. Jace is just so different from other heroes in books.
Well, so there you have it.
A gazzillion thanks for writing The Mortal Instruments series and I can't' wait to hear from you.
P.S.: I can't wait to read City of Fallen Angels. I read the excerpt and...
Argh!!! I want more!
Welllll, I can't wait to hear from you, bye.
Sofia, your #1 fan.
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"
Well, keep this in mind: "Everyone is the hero of their own story." No one regards themselves as evil, or doing evil for the sake of evil. Villains have motivations, just like your heroes and heroines do. They regard themselves, generally, as good people. Valentine genuinely thinks he's doing the right thing, cleansing the Clave, bringing Shadowhunters back to their glory days. [He's also not so absolutely wrong - the Clave IS corrupt - that he seems like a lunatic.] Even Satan in Paradise Lost has motives and feelings and a view of himself as not a bad guy — and he's Satan.
Give your villain a believable motivation and think about how s/he views themselves as the hero of the story and your heroes as the evildoers. Try to look at the story from that perspective. Suggested reading: Interview with a Vampire/The Vampire Lestat, in which the villain of one book is the hero of the next.
Emily wrote: "Cassandra wrote: "...Um, Aline, like she told Clary in City of Glass, is a lesbian. She could care less if Clary and Jace date. She does show up later in TMI ... with her girlfriend."
Umm, when th..."
Not to jump ahead of anyone here, but when Aline is talking to Clary about what happened between her and Jace, she said (and I'm paraphrasing here) she wanted to see if any guy would be her type, since Clary said Jace was every girl's type. It wasn't a straight out, "I'm a lesbian", but it was heavily implied.
Umm, when th..."
Not to jump ahead of anyone here, but when Aline is talking to Clary about what happened between her and Jace, she said (and I'm paraphrasing here) she wanted to see if any guy would be her type, since Clary said Jace was every girl's type. It wasn't a straight out, "I'm a lesbian", but it was heavily implied.
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 just wanted to let you know that City of Bones is the book that got me hooked on reading, so TMI has a very special place in my heart and I will always remember your writing.
Thankyou :)