Kidnapped!

Well, I finished reading Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson this weekend.  I had an English teacher who once said if Shakespeare were still alive, she would woo him.  I don't think I'd stand much of a chance against Mrs. White, and anyway, bigamy is illegal in this country, so I profess here and now that, in this theoretical world where dead writers have come back to life, Robert Louis Stevenson is the object of my utmost desire.

Kidnapped takes place in Jacobite Scotland and the narrator is David Balfour, whose jerk of an uncle tries to sell him into slavery in the Carolinas so he can't inherit the Shaws estate.  David ends up on a boat for the Americas, but (luckily?) he and the evil nasty crew who kidnapped him are shipwrecked before they go far, and David and his friend Alan (who is wanted by the law) set off to get the former home and the latter to France.

What I liked best about this book was the ending.  Without giving much away, Alan saves the day by being a shameless lying con man.  It's a very happy ending, but not a very moralistic one, which I adore because nobody sees that coming.  I like it when people's questionable talents come into play with regard to the big picture of the book.  To me that's what takes a character from being someone in the book, to being someone who needs to be in the book.

Obviously Kidnapped is an amazing piece of literature as well as a piece of history, but beyond that RLS's writing is just so no-nonsense.  He says exactly what he wants to say using the words he wants to use in as many words as he needs to say exactly what he wants to say.  (That was an awesome sentence.)  Admire him.  Adore him.  Worship him.  But keep your hands off, because he's the deceased love of MY life and you can't have him.

Check out the book -- I'm now reading Unnatural Causes by P. D. James.  She's her own kind of genius.  And check out my brand new twitter page (link on the right).  As for this post?  Tweet me, sweethearts. ;)

Hearts and loves!

Cayla

Interview Your Favorite 'Legacy' Character

Hey all,

Those blog posts featuring behind-the-scenes looks at Alera: Zeit der Rache (Allegiance, or Alera for those in other countries... book 2!) are coming up soon.  The first installment, called The Ongoing Story, will go up on February 21st, the same day Alera is released in Spain.  Get ready for some spoilers if you haven't read Legacy/Geliebter Feind!  I'm going to talk a lot about what to expect from book 2, how the characters will develop, some of the challenges they'll face, and different theories I've heard from readers.

Sidenote:  I got the French and Greek editions of Legacy in the mail recently, and both are gorgeous!  Big thanks to the publishers. :)

I'm sure some of you have heard this quote by E. L. Doctorow before: "Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia."  When I stumbled upon it, I got this weird but crazy fun idea.  If you check out the current Offkey poll, you'll find the question, "Which of the following Legacy characters would you interview if you had the chance?"  Based on the results of this poll, I'm going to have you submit questions to that character if that sounds like fun to you all!  I'm trying to keep some new, interesting stuff going, so please spread the word to anyone else you think would be interested in participating; write about the "interview" on your own blog; and most of all, have fun coming up with questions!  I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

I'm still working my way through Kidnapped by RLS.  Thoroughly enjoying it -- I did an impromptu poll on the Facebook fan page asking how many books you guys read at once, and got some great answers I'd like to share.

Chloe said:  "I always have problems when I'm reading more than one book at a time, because I always read one book more than the other and then when I finish it, I'm not as interested in reading the other."

Barbie said:  "Oh, I've definitely read more than one book at a time.  Some people can't keep the stories separate but I can so it doesn't bother me that much.  My sister usually reads a fiction and non-fiction book at the same time."

Kathryn said:  "It really depends on if I've read the book before or not.  If I'm re-reading then I prefer to read more than one book at a time.  I find it actually helps me appreciate each book more because of it by providing a contrast of styles."

There are a ton more fantastic answers -- thanks to everybody who threw in their two cents!  There are some prolific readers out there. ;)

Remember to spread the word about the character interview.  Thanks so much for reading!

Cayla

Being Discussed Now!

Hey guys, just thought I'd let you know what's up on the Facebook fan page.  I'm having a great time on the discussion boards, answering all kinds of questions, talking about my writing process (such as it is!) and the happenings in the Legacy Series.  Here's one response to give you an idea (I think I'm going to start posting some of these over here...):

Hi Ana,

I'm happy to be able to answer your questions! :)

The part I had the most fun writing in Legacy was probably the chapter at Semari's birthday party, where Alera and Steldor are dancing while they argue. It was such a fun dynamic, to have them be absolutely furious with each other while trying to appear happy for the onlookers. I also really enjoyed some of the reveal chapters about Narian, like when I finally got to write about his past at the tournament, or when he showed off his secret arsenal of weapons. I loved the mystery of his character so exploring it was amazing.

The part I found most boring to write was actually the picnic, where Alera and Miranna go out with Steldor and Temerson and Tadark. At the time I wrote it, all I wanted to write about was Narian, and the picnic is about 20 pages worth of Steldor. Now the picnic is my favorite part of Legacy. It was just a pain to write at the time because I wasn't in the correct mindset!

For me, writing is a real give-and-take process. Whenever I start a new project, I'm determined to write all the way through without fumbling. But I have to cut myself slack at a certain point and remember that a rough draft is supposed to be rough. I try to skip as little as possible, but there are times when filling in between the big plot points is really tedious, and I need to hurry along to a more motivating point or I'm going to lose it altogether. A rough draft means you can always go back and fix it!

I'm so honored to have inspired you to keep writing -- you inspire me!

Thanks so much,

Cayla

Pop over to ask your own questions!  Legacy will be coming out in paperback (all crisp and clean and newly edited) very very soon, and I'm beyond excited to share it with you. :)

Best!

Cayla

BACKSTAGE

Antique Emporium

If some of you follow my Facebook fan page, I've been updating a bit more regularly there than I have been here -- for those of you who don't follow there, I've been super busy lately! I'm writing a new book, I'm looking forward to the HQTeen paperback release of Legacy coming up the beginning of next year (I'll let you know when I have a definitive date), and as usual life has been throwing a few curveballs. I've been on a bit of a personal roller coaster ride (and not the fun kind... the kind where you can't wait til its over but you don't know if there will be a happy ending or if by the time the coaster stops you will have puked on the crowd gathered below).

I would really encourage you guys to skip on over to the FB fan page (you don't even need to be a Facebook member to access the content there), and check out the videos and pictures I've posted recently. I've been showing off the foreign editions of Legacy, and I've done some goofy faux interviews with my friends. There are also new press pics up and I'm planning more pictures to come!

Since I can't talk a whole lot about what I'm currently working on, I decided I'd start showcasing my hometown a little bit on this blog. I went downtown to this amazing antique shop we have, called the Antique Emporium, and took a bunch of photos. I've posted a few of them here, followed by the link to the album on Facebook (again, no need to have an account!).

To see the rest of the album, visit the FB fan page HERE.

Thanks so much, and I'll be back as soon as I can!

Hugs,

Cayla