About Hourglass by Claudia Gray-
Hourglass (March 2009) After escaping from Evernight Academy, the vampire boarding school where they met, Bianca and Lucas seek refuge with Black Cross, an elite group of vampire hunters. Bianca must hide her supernatural heritage or risk certain death at their hands. But when Black Cross captures her friend--the vampire Balthazar--all her secrets threaten to come out.
Soon, Bianca and Lucas have orchestrated Balthazar's escape and are on the run, pursued not only by Black Cross, but by the powerful leaders of Evernight. Yet no matter how far they run, Bianca can't escape her destiny.
Bianca has always believed their love could survive anything--but can it survive what's to come?
Look Inside!
I recently had the chance to ask Claudia some questions and I thought I'd share them here on Park-Avenue Princess with you! At the end of the Interview, ONE very lucky reader will WIN their very own copy of HOURGLASS!
Princess: Where did you get the idea for the Evernight Series?
Claudia: I’ve always been interested in vampires, ghosts and anything supernatural, so it was probably inevitable that I’d wind up writing paranormals someday. But when I began trying to write professionally, I thought I’d never write for young adults, because I had a fairly atypical high school experience. But then I asked myself, well, what if I didn’t try to write the “typical” situation? What if, instead, I tried to come up with the most bizarre situation possible? A boarding school for vampires seemed like a good way to do that, and my agent (Diana Fox) was savvy enough to realize that the current YA paranormal boom was coming. So she told me to drop everything else and work on that, and the rest is in bookstores.
Princess: When you wrote the first book did you already map out what was going to happen or did it just develop as your wrote?
Claudia: I outlined EVERNIGHT in advance, just as I outline everything I work on. There’s no right or wrong way to write – some people get a lot out of outlining, and others find it paralyzes them – but for me, planning ahead is the only way to go. In fact, the more books I write, the longer and more detailed my outlines are becoming. There are still surprises in the writing process, things the characters will say or feel that come across differently than I originally imagined them, etc. But I like knowing where I’m going and figuring out the best possible way to get there.
Princess: Do you have a favorite character to write? Why?
Claudia: On any given day, my favorite character is the one who’s giving me the best reactions/dialogue to work with, and that changes all the time! But I can say that three of the characters who do this for me a lot are Balthazar, Ranulf and Mrs. Bethany. And I honestly love pretty much all of my characters, even the nasty ones, because I have so much fun writing and they’re each a part of that.
Princess: What's your advice for aspiring writers?
Claudia: The main advice I always give is (A) read everything you can get your paws on, because avid readers are always the best writers; (B) write as regularly as you have to in order to make it a habit and to make meaningful progress on the project you’re working on; and (C) educate yourself about the business while you’re still teaching yourself how to write, so that by the time you have a manuscript you’re actually proud of, you’ll know where to turn and what to do. There are a ton of great resources online for learning more about the industry, such as Backspace, Preditors & Editors, and Absolute Write.
Princess: What was the last book you read that you loved?
Claudia: Oh, I wish you’d caught me right after I finished an awesome YA. But having phrased the question in this way, you get me to admit that the last book I read was LITTLE DORRIT by Charles Dickens. I’ve been on something of a Dickens kick the last couple of years.
Princess: Any juicy hints about the next book in the series?
Claudia: Juicy hints for HOURGLASS? Let’s see – Bianca and Lucas are in real trouble when the story begins, but Balthazar gets into bigger trouble pretty fast. Even though Bianca and Lucas are far away from Evernight Academy during most of the story, a lot of old friends find their way into the drama, including Vic, Ranulf, Charity, and even Mrs. Bethany. And if you thought getting away from haunted Evernight would mean getting away from the wraiths – well, so did Bianca. And she was so, so wrong.
To Visit Claudia's Web Site - Click HERE!
Prologue & First Chapter - Click HERE!
Claudia is on Tour - She may be near you! Stop by and say Hello!
Tuesday, March 9
Anderson's Bookshop
7:00 PM
123 West Jefferson
Naperville, IL 60540
Wednesday, March 10
Barnes & Noble
7:00 PM
1201 Lake Woodlands Dr. #3008
The Woodlands, TX 77381
Thursday, March 11
BookPeople
7:00 PM
603 N. Lamar
Austin, TX 78703
Saturday, March 13
Barnes & Noble
2:00 PM
7660 North Point Parkway
Alpharetta, GA 30022
Thursday, April 1
Borders
7:00 PM
1 N. La Grange Road
La Grange, IL 60525
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*This Contest ends 4/01/10*
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