Claudia Gray stopped in at Fangtastic Fiction as the final stop on her New Zealand blog tour, and Kaila jumped at the chance to ask her a few questions…

Hi Claudia,

Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me. I’m still in school, but I would like to become an author, an actor or an animal trainer, or maybe even all three. I have only recently read my first ever Evernight book, and I really enjoyed it, as well Fateful, so thank you for giving me the chance to ask you a few questions, and I hope you have a wonderful time in New Zealand.

Apart from writing novels, what would be your dream job?

Really, being an author is so truly my dream job that it’s hard for me to think of anything else. I suppose I’d have to say that I was always very curious about joining the U.S. Foreign Service, in which you live all around the world to work with diplomats, travelers, students, etc. I haven’t done it (and at this point in my life, it seems unlikely that I ever will), but that world seems fascinating to me. 

I really enjoy reading paranormal romance, animal stories, and stories based on a real event. What type of books did you like to read when you were a teenager?

When I was a teenager, I read virtually anything I could get my hands on. We didn’t have specific YA markets for books the way we do now; there was kiddie stuff, and then there were adult books, without much in between besides the spectacular Judy Blume. But I read a lot of big, sweeping, historical books, and I liked it when romance was part of the picture; I remember being particularly taken with GONE WITH THE WIND, SHOGUN and THE WINDS OF WAR. 

My favourite characters are Bianca, from Evernight, and from, off Fateful. Are the characters Bianca and Tess based on real people?

I’m so glad you like Bianca and Tess! They’re not based on real people, though. I mean, I was shy and bookish in high school, like Bianca — but she’s much more focused than I was, ultimately much braver, and her personality and hobbies are definitely all her own. Tess is nothing like me, but I adore her; she’s so practical and no-nonsense even in the most melodramatic circumstances. I have friends with that much common sense, but they aren’t really models for her in any sense. 

You have written about vampires and werewolves a lot, which horror character would you like to write about next?

The next horror character I’m writing about is a witch — specifically, Nadia Caldani, the heroine of my next book, SPELLCASTER, which should be coming to you in March 2013. 

What made you interested in horror characters?

I love horror and the paranormal for the same reason I love disaster movies, or big sweeping historical epics: I love heightened reality. I love the dramatic, the thrilling, the larger-than-life. Writing about the supernatural is only one way to get there (though it happens to be my favorite way.) 

The hardest part, for me, about writing a story is how to start the story. What’s the hardest part about writing a novel for you, and how do you find much of a difference between writing short stories and novels?

For me, the hardest part about writing a novel is the middle. I think almost any author will tell you the same. Beginnings will often announce themselves, big finales are fun and tempting, but the middle — that’s where you have to work the hardest to maintain interest, to build suspense, and to not let the momentum lag. As for starting a novel: My advice to you would be to try what Margaret Mitchell did when she wrote GONE WITH THE WIND. She tried to think of the single greatest ending for a novel she could imagine … and then she figured out what happened backwards from there.  

How many drafts do you have to write before you are happy with the novel?

The number of drafts — it depends. STARGAZER probably had seven or eight versions before it was done. SPELLCASTER is only going to have four. I could imagine books coming out with either more or fewer drafts than either of those. Honestly, it all comes down to whether you’ve nailed your core characters and your plot from the start, or whether it takes them more time to evolve. Taking more time to evolve is NOT a bad thing — it can be for the best — but it always means more drafts. 

As you have a huge Young Adult series, I’m sure you get a lot of questions from teens wanting help, what’s the best thing you think a young writer could learn?

The best thing a young writer can learn is to read with abandon. Reading teaches you so much more about writing than you can consciously realize; only through reading books will you learn what kinds of stories grab you, what relationships and issues demand your attention, etc. I don’t mean that you have to read and take notes (though you may choose to do this eventually); I mean that you will learn just from reading how interesting characters are created, or how plot twists are executed. These things become a part of you in a way. So many people want to write books but then spend all their time watching movies — and don’t get me wrong, I love movies. (As I write this, I am literally counting down the days until “The Hunger Games” hits the big screen.) You can learn lessons about storytelling from cinema. But the tricks and artistry of WRITING really only come to you through reading. 

Wow, it’s been wonderful talking with you, thank you so much for joining us.

Claudia Gray is going to be doing a book signing 2pm next Saturday (31 March) at Next Page Please Bookstore in Takapuna (Call them on 09 486 2453 for details).

But to celebrate the release of Balthazar we’ve got TWO signed copies to give away to two lucky readers.Give us your thoughts, and TWO lucky people will each get a signed copy of Claudia Grays latest book, Balthasar, or just give us your thoughts…

So, dear reader, do you read YA? Do you think having a separate young adult genre is a good thing?