Hi, Cat. It’s been a while since
we last spoke on the blog (way back in 2010 to be exact – right around the
release of your debut novel Entangled).
Since then, you’ve written more great books! What’s been your best author or
fan experience to date and how has your writing life changed since those early
days?
What a great question! I think my
best author experience was at the Salon du Livre de Jeunesse in Paris late last year.
It’s this huge children’s book fair, filled with people who are crazy about
books. I got to meet so many lovely fans and bloggers – it was kind of
overwhelming. I was signing books for so long I got cramp in my wrist – that’s
NEVER happened before! I think for the first time in my career I almost felt like a real author. (ALMOST!)
As for my writing life, well it hasn’t
changed all that much. I’m faster at writing now, which is just as well,
because deadlines are a big feature in my life! Oh, and I now have two dogs to
distract me from my work. Weirdly, I’ve managed to be more productive since
getting the dogs. All that walking in the park has turned out to be very
valuable thinking time!
I recently read A Kiss in the Dark and my jaw literally
dropped within chapters. You know how to surprise your readers, huh! And you
know how to write a great plot twist. Undone
totally made me cry, by the way. Now I want to know what books have shocked you
and made you cry (or maybe both!)
Thank you so much. I do like to
try to surprise readers whenever I can! It’s quite rare for books to shock me, but
one that did recently was The Fault in Our Stars. I can’t say why, but it also
made me cry. A lot. That’s probably the most I’ve cried when reading a book.
Another recent read that made me cry (and laugh out loud) was A Boy Called Hope
by Lara Williamson. I seem to be reading a lot of tear-jerking books recently!
 |
| Cat Clarke writes great books! |
Of all the characters you’ve
written, do you have a particular favourite? Who can you imagine yourself
hanging out with in real life? Are there any characters you would like to
revisit in the future?
I have a bit of soft spot for
Jack from Torn and Kai from Undone. I think they would both be fun to hang out
with. They’d probably get on really well, actually! I quite like Alex from A
Kiss in the Dark too. If I was looking for a drinking buddy, I’d probably give
Grace from Entangled a call… which I might end up regretting.
As for revisiting a character, I
get asked a lot about Sasha from Undone. A lot of people seem really keen to
know how things turn out for her. I don’t think I’ll ever write her story
though… but never say never!
Since we last talked UKYA has
really grown in popularity. What are some of your favourite UKYA books? Also, if
you’ve read any upcoming UKYA releases you think everyone needs to read, please
share.
My absolute favourite UKYA novel
has to be Looking for JJ, by Anne Cassidy. I loved it so much I’m almost too
scared to read the sequel, Finding Jennifer Jones, which has just been
released.
The UKYA book I’m most looking
forward to this year is Say Her Name by James Dawson. I haven’t had a chance to
read it yet, but it will be top of my TBR pile as soon as I can get my grubby
little hands on a copy.
Finally, I hear your next book is
a psychological thriller called Safe and
Sound. It’s no secret that I love a good psychological thriller (and I bet
this one will be all kinds of twisty!) Tell me more!
I’m finishing the first draft as we speak! I’m really excited about this book. I’ve been able to explore some things that really fascinate me, so I’ve really enjoyed writing it. Weirdly enough the writing of this book has been a lot less angsty than usual, even though there’s a fair bit of angst in the story!
Thank you so much for having me
on your blog!
*********
Thanks for the great catch up, Cat! I can't wait to read Safe and Sound!
Tweet why you want a signed competition copy of Cat Clarke’s A Kiss in the Dark between the 31st March and 4pm on 4th April. Make sure you @Cat_Clarke & include the #AKITD to be in with a chance of winning. The winner will be announced on Friday 4th at 4:30pm. Good luck.
Oh this is a great post, I've yet to read a book by Clarke, but your enthusiasm for her books definitely makes me want to give her books a go soon! Also I'm always on the lookout for UKYA and books which make you cry, so thanks for the recommendations! :)
ReplyDeleteOhhh, what a great post! I thoroughly enjoyed Entangled when I read it, but have yet to read anything else written by Cat, but I look forward to doing so in the future. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat interview! I love how you catch up with authors…great idea! I know how much you enjoy Cat Clarke's books and I, sadly, haven't read any yet. Hopefully I can try to check out one of her books this year. Safe and Sound sounds pretty good…I'll have to add it to my TBR list.
ReplyDeleteYou need to read some Cat Clarke, Jasprit! Her books are so good. I've only read Undone and A Kiss in the Dark so far, but I plan on reading Torn next.
ReplyDeleteYou need to read Undone, Ebony - that book is one of my faves! :)
ReplyDeleteI think Undone is releasing in the US soon. You should definitely check that one out!
ReplyDeleteCat Clarke is my fave YA author, which is saying something because I've been reading YA for like years, and a book every week practically. She's such a good writer she has me fingerling, and if I ever meet her I'll squeal the country down and embarrass myself! So yeah. Definitely, you have to read her.
ReplyDelete