Taylor Guzman is Fresh Fictionโs newest YA columnist and reviewer. She is a
precocious 9-year old and avid reader! She sat down with best-selling YA author
duo P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast during a
spring 2009 book tour stop in Dallas,
TX.
Taylor Guzman (TG): When did you decide to write a book together?
P.C. Cast (PCC): Usually after youโve published for a while you don't
have to write a whole book to sell it to an editor, but I'd never written young
adult before so my agent [had me write] a proposal and three chapters. I was
in the very beginning of writing chapter 1, before Kristin had gone to live at
college for her first semester, and I kept calling down the hall to ask her for
word choices. After about three or four times I just thought this would be so
much easier if I could just write it and have Kristin go back through it.
[Eventually] I thought why don't we just write them together?
(TG): How do you work through the process of writing the books?
(PCC): We talk about it and I write the whole first draft and leave
questions for her in the text. After that I send it to her and she answers the
questions and goes back and fixes things and she sends it back to me and I
re-read it.
(TG): What's your favorite book from the House Of Night series?
(PCC): Hunted.
Kristin Cast (KC): Chosen.
(TG): Why do you like those books?
(KC): I like
Chosen because I like what
Zoey goes through and she
develops through the character and it's just my favorite because of that.
(PCC): Well...I scared myself writing it because if something is really
in it it's usually something that frightens me and I enjoyed that. I really
enjoyed bringing them (people who read the House Of Night Series) myths of the
raven mockers.
(TG): Do you think the House Of Night series will become a TV show?
(PCC): Well, it has been optioned by Empire Studios and Michael Birenbaum
(
John
Tucker Must Die
) is the producer. He came to us three years ago when
Marked was first out.
We first saw it as a TV series but now he's also
considering feature films so we don't know. He's got it out there, we really
don't have anything else to do with it.
(KC): I think it would be cooler as a movie.
(TG): If it does become a movie do you have any actors or actresses in mind
to play the different characters?
(PCC): Itโs hard for me [to cast the characters] because Kristin to me is
Zoey. I based Zoey on Kristin when she was 16 and she's 22 now so she's
entirely too old to play Zoey (laughs).
(KC): I think that Vanessa Hudgens would make a good Zoey.
(TG): What inspired you to write this series?
(PCC): Our agent! Several years ago, out of Romance Writers of America
National convention, she came to me and said that she had an idea for a series
she wanted me to write. And then she said three words that would change both of
our lives forever โ Vampire Finishing School. I immediately thought Young
Adult, but our agent was like โno!โ She had never represented any YA authors,
[but I insisted]: โNo, I want to take it to the Young Adult direction.โ And
that's how the whole thing was born!
(TG): Do you use your OWN experiences [when writing your stories]?
(PCC): Iโve used things I've seen happen to my students.
(KC): No.
(TGG): Do you see yourself in any of the characters?
(PCC): Yes! I always identify with Aphrodite very closely. (laughs)
(PCC): Zoey was based on her [Kristin]
(KC): I was forced into that position.
(TG): Who's your favorite character?
(PCC): Well, I love Zoey, of course, but the most fun character[s] to
write [are] Aphrodite and Kalona.
(KC): I don't have a favorite character wellโฆ
(PCC): Well, you like Heath a lot.
(KCC): Yeah, but not enough to be my favorite.
(PCC): Well that's trueโฆ
(TG): What were some difficulties you ran into while writing these books?
(PCC): Well, I had never written any young adult before, even though I've
written about 20 adult novels .
(KC): She tends to be really wordy.
(PCC): I like to build worlds and I like to give lots of description when
I build worlds , and that works really well in fantasy. My fantasy novels are
about twice as big as the House Of Night novels but teenagers don't [always]
like [longer novels], so I had to learn to be shorter with my words.
(TG): Are you satisfied with how this series turned out?
(PCC): Absolutely.
(KC): Yes!!!!
(TG): Who is your favorite author?
(PCC): I couldn't possibly choose one author.
(KC): I have two,
Richard Preston and
Tom Pickerland, since she won't
answer the question!
(PCC): Well she can! (laughs) I read everything.
(TG): Who or what inspired you [to become a writer]?
(PCC): I don't ever remember not writing. I wrote my first book in 1st
grade Blubby the Blue Whale. It hasnโt been published--yet!
(KC): I just did it to be famous in the beginning. I mean that has
changed now, but I still started off just to be famous!
(TG): What helps you relax?
(PCC): A massage! I get one once a week, and really good red wine.
(KC): Netflix!!!!!!!!!
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