Blog Tour: Interview with Claudia Gray

I am pleased to announce that as part of the Hourglass Blog Tour, Claudia Gray has stopped by to answer a few questions! Claudia Gray is the author of the Evernight Series. Hourglass, book 3, comes out March 9th.


What made you decide to make Bianca such a reluctant vampire?

I like reluctant vampires. I think they’re easier to relate to in the long run – because I think most of us, if asked whether we’d like to be vampires, would at least hesitate to think it over. And in Bianca’s case, becoming a full vampire has extra layers of meaning; in effect, doing that means she will stay exactly on the path her parents have planned out for her. Bianca has become determined to ask questions and blaze her own way, for better or for worse.



What part of the series did you find the hardest to write so far?

I would say the middle sections of both the first and fourth books of the series were really tough. With EVERNIGHT, I was still grappling with how to pace the story and how much information to give; in AFTERLIFE, coming next year, I had to wrap up a lot of plot threads and character arcs, and it took some work to find the best and most engaging way to do that. On an emotional level, I found the final third of HOURGLASS pretty wrenching.

If you were a paranormal creature, which one do you think you would be?

Hmmm, interesting question. I’d make a rotten vampire, I’m sure, and lycanthropy sounds like a losing proposition. Like, do you need to wear a flea collar? Could you own a pet dog or would you end up eating it? These are tough issues to deal with. Maybe a ghost would work. I wouldn’t be a very scary ghost, more like a poltergeist – I’d toss stuff around the room and hide your car keys, then laugh like crazy while you looked for them. Then, when you finally left the house, I would read all your books and watch TV. I guess I’m looking at a haunting as being a lot like a “staycation.”

Do you have a playlist you listened to while writing Hourglass?

I did, yes. I always put together playlists for my projects while I work on them; I find having one consistent soundtrack helps me get and stay in the mood of the project, and a lot of times, if I am having trouble putting together a soundtrack, it’s actually a sign that I need to clarify my own thinking about the book. Some of the main songs I listened to while writing HOURGLASS include: “Keep the Car Running" by Arcade Fire; 
"Steal my Kisses" by Ben Harper; 
"Conquest" by the White Stripes; 
"Heaven" by Lamb; 
"You Got Yr Cherry Bomb" by Spoon; 
"Razor" by the Foo Fighters; 
"Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol; 
"Breathe Into Me" by Red; 
"Through Glass" by Stone Sour; 
"Rolling" by Seal; and 
"I Just Wanna Live" by Good Charlotte.

Do you have any writing rituals you have to follow?

No die-hard writing rituals, and thank goodness – sometimes you have to write whenever you have the opportunity. But I would say that, if I can swing it, I like to have a comfortable chair, my soundtrack playing and otherwise, peace and quiet. And for some weird reason, I often write best after dark; this means I get a lot more done in winter, when the sun sets so much earlier!

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Thanks so much for stopping by today Claudia!

You can browse inside Hourglass here!

Here's the book trailer for Hourglass!



For more fun follow the rest of the stops on the Hourglass Book Tour:

March 1 - http://tainted-poet.blogspot.com/
March 2 - http://www.melissas-bookshelf.com/
March 3 - http://themindfulmusingsbookblog.blogspot.com/
March 4 - http://www.theneverendingshelf.com/
March 5 - http://www.thestorysiren.com/
March 6 - http://thebookcellarx.blogspot.com/
March 7 - http://confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/
March 8 - http://aparkavenueprincess.blogspot.com/