Saturday, April 04, 2009

Questions answered group #2


(Cool HoN doodle by Jazmin Haque!)

We're back from NYC and I'm hard at work on TEMPTED. So, as I said in an earlier post, I'm going to back off answer personal email until the book's done and turned in. What I will do is post groups of questions with my answers. Here's another gaggle o' questions I get:

1. QUESTION: I have to write a paper/do a report and I need you to answer some questions for me about yourself and your writing and your books and your daughter and...

P.C.'S ANSWER: If I answered your homework questions, which basically amount to interview questions, I wouldn't get my own work done. So, no, I can't send personal answers to you OR, and yes, I've actually been asked this, do your homework for you - not even if your mom asks me to. Here's the deal - Kristin and I have given a lot of interviews that are easily found on-line with a little work and perseverance. And we don't answer personal questions, i.e., exact birth dates, places, addresses, etc., for obvious reasons.

2. QUESTION: Who is Zoey going to end up with? And when the heck is she going to settle down with one guy and be good?

P.C.'S ANSWER: Kristin and I don't know who Zoey is going to end up with because she doesn't know yet BECAUSE SHE'S NOT EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO VOTE, LET ALONE CHOOSE A PARTNER FOR LIFE! Jeesh. And give the girl a break. She can be interested in more than one guy. Girls are all the time - too many girls think they have to vow eternal love to some kid before they're of legal age. That's ridiculous. Dating is an interview process. Lots of guys need to be fired! And, yes, it goes the other way for guys, too. Zoey happens to be honest enough, with herself and her friends, to admit to liking more than one guy at a time. Besides that, you need to remember she's living in a matriarchal society where women are highly respected and valued, which means she shouldn't be judged as harshly for her boy issues as many of you are judging her because a lot of what she's doing is cultural for a High Priestess in the House of Night world.

Here's the bottom line about Zoey and guys - she has to be a mature, independent woman who knows herself and is okay with being alone BEFORE she chooses a life partner. That's impossible right now because she's only seventeen. That is, by-the-by, good advice for any young woman (or young man!).

I find it interesting and disturbing that Zoey gets called all sorts of names because of her boy issues. I think it's indicative of our society and the issues of inequality with which we still struggle, and it saddens me when young girls are so eager to take nasty swipes at Zoey, but think it's okay that Erik acts like a possessive jerk. Wow. Not cool at all.

3. QUESTION: How come you have gay guys as main characters but no lesbians?

P.C.'S ANSWER: Well, I don't know many "out" teenage lesbians, and in order for me to create a credible character, especially in a YA novel set in a modern world, I prefer to work from a framework of observation. Plus, my novels aren't social platforms. I'm telling a story, and it just so happened that Damien became part of that story. If a lesbian character shows up as part of the story - I'll write her. But I'm not going to fill some kind of character quota and stuff a gay girl in to weirdly "balance" things. Doesn't make any sense to me...

4. QUESTION: Where did the idea of the fledgling/vampyre Mark come from?

P.C.'S ANSWER: Ancient goddess lore. During my research I came across references of ancient peoples, from the Celts to the Egyptians, Eastern Indians to Native Americans, who physically marked people who where considered priestesses, or wise women, holy people or shamans. Many of those marks were tattooed into the skin. In Marion Zimmer Bradley's fabulous book, MISTS OF AVALON, she had her priestesses tattoo a a crescent with the two ends pointing up in the middle of their foreheads when they were accepted into the service of their Goddess. I just took it a step farther, and added my own spin to it.

5. QUESTION: Where can I get the shirts and/or jewelry you guys wore on tour?

P.C.'S ANSWER: You can get both in the campus store link on the house of night site. You can also scroll through my blog archives for jewelry info, or go directly to the lovely Fire Goddess's site, www.firegoddess.com. She is our exclusive jeweler and she creates all her wonderful HoN pieces with my input and by staying true to the HoN world. (They're not ridiculously expensive, either, but she will do custom work if you ask.)

Okay, back to writing TEMPTED! More later...

XXXOOO
PC

33 comments:

JennyMac said...

No wonder the Marks were so familiar! I read the Mists of Avalon and it was so amazing! I love that you got the idea from it. Props to you.

Blessed Be

~Jenny

Unknown said...

I agree with your answer to the way people make mean remarks about Zoey, but non or very little about Erik. I've read Mists of Avalon also and it was a great book. I live in Ne. and with it snowing today is a great day to curl up and read. Hope you're all safe and not getting to much snow!

Chantel

Unknown said...

Hey PC! Just wanted to let you know that there is a little award circulating among bloggers. My girlfriend sent it to me and I sent it along to you!! :) To see the award and the props I give to your blog, you can check it out here: www.lara-lalaland.blogspot.com Thanks!! Love your books AND your blog!!

Guiomar said...

Hello! It’s very cool with you to answer all of your fans questions ^^. It’s always interesting to read them. And, well, I would like to tell you something about the Zoey-and-her-guys-issue questions:

Do you mean it’s ok being with a bunch of guys? Maybe I misunderstood but I think Zoey has to choose. Think about the guys. Poor guys! She’s playing with all of them. And I don’t think Erik is possessive, he’s only a guy. I don’t know, think about it on the contrary. Would Zoey be whatever if she found Erik with Aprhodite as Erik found her with Loren? I don’t think so. She would become very mad. And very sad.
And you also talk about inequality, but you created a matriarchal society which means inequality…

I’m very sorry if I bothered you with my comment, but I think so. I’m just telling you my opinion.

PC Cast said...

Airis - no, I didn't say Zoey was never going to choose one guy. I said she wasn't going to make a life-defining commitment while she's still a kid. That's one part of my fiction that I'm not willing to romanticize.

Zoey isn't "with" a bunch of guys. She has complex issues that deal with guys, and at the same time she's attracted to them. Imagine that. A teenager being attracted to more than one person. She has an Imprint with a human - a shaky boyfriend relationship with Erik - and a Warrior bond with Stark. In her culture priestesses often have a relationship with a human they've Imprinted with, as well as a vampyre mate. That only makes sense because humans die much sooner than vamps. It's causing Zoey problems because it's supposed to happen to adult High Priestesses and not teenage fledglings, so she's not always great at handling the situation, and the guys involved are also teenagers, so they, too, react in a more volatile and less mature way than adults would. The bond with Stark hasn't been defined yet, as Zoey's not even sure of the definitions of it herself. He's not her boyfriend. He's her Warrior, comparable to the romanticized idea of a knight pledging himself into a Lady's service during the 1300 - 1400s.

And you can not compare what happened with Loren to Erik being with anyone his age. ZOEY DIDN'T CHEAT ON ERIK WITH LOREN. Zoey was manipulated by an adult predator. She was young and inexperienced sexually and she was taken in by his lies, as many, many young girls do when adult men target them. I'll never understand judging her for that, but saying it's cool that Erik is possessive and unforgiving.

Saying a matriarchal society is automatically unequal is an incorrect assumption, just as saying every patriarchal society is unequal. It doesn't have to be imbalanced, though, sadly it often is.

But the bottom line is Zoey isn't going to make a life commitment to one guy before she has experienced enough life to be an adult.

Anonymous said...

Hey, you don't have to answer this if it makes you uncomfortable, but do you believe in Nyx, P.C.?

It's pretty funny in Chosen where Loren says "There's one thing you should know about me. I don't lie." Ya that's a bunch of crap.

PC Cast said...

LL - hi there! I don't mind you guys asking about my personal beliefs; it doesn't offend me at all. But Kristin and I prefer not to talk publicly about what we believe. We see it as too private. Also, the spirituality in the books isn't menat to be a religious platform - it's used as a plot device to create conflict and to highlight issues surrounding diversity and tolerance.

Anonymous said...

Well I appreciate Zoey's realistic view point! But i must say I love the dynamic between Aphrodite and Darius! Keep up the good work P.C.!

PC Cast said...

Hi Tiffany - I love the Darius/Aphrodite story! You'll be happy to hear that you're going to get much more of them in TEMPTED. Some of the scenes are actually from Aphrodite's point of view. You also get Stevie Rae's pov in this book, as well as another character's pov who I can't tell you about yet... And, of course, much of it is still from Zoey's first person pov.

DarkLadyVampireMistress said...

Dear PC,

I think that Zoey is definately dealing with boy issues. My friend have boy issues too, but they somehow manage. They don't know how but they just do. I really like that Zoey is always honest and I think that many girls are gonna respect her for that, like I do. Also I hope to see the Tempted book cover. I know it's going to be amazing, and I do hope that Zoey goes through this and survives of the dangers that she is about to face.

XOXO
ANDREA LIRA-MARTINEZ

P.S. Cannot wait for TEMPTED on Samhain!
:)

YouMe said...

Dear PC,
Hi, my name's Yumi, and I live in Mexico, but read your book (betrayed) for the first time here (and in Englsh too). I loved it, and also Chosen and Untamed, and just read Hunted has come out. I'm a language (kinda like linguistics) student and would like to know if you are ever planning to come here (to Puebla, in Mexico) for a tour or book-signing. If you are, please stop by my university, (UDLAP). Your first book, Marked, is on our bookstore, in Spanish!
I look forward to reading more books written by you!!

AlexB5 said...

Hey PC! So I want to start off by telling you that your and your daughters books are amazing, as I'm sure that you have heard many times. I have so many weird connections with your books. My mother,my two cousins and myself have had the pleasure of reading your books. I always tell my family that I am meant to be Stevie Rae and that you wrote it without even knowing me but everything Stevie Rae is, is me. (well all except for the whole vampyre thing). It's so bad that I have even started to say, Oh my gosh I had another Stevie Rae moment. There is so much about your book that is so familiar. My mom has family in the town where the book takes place and while reading the book she kept thinking that there was a taco place where she would always go to while she was on vacation down there and then low and behold you actually named that place in the forth book and I just kept saying, "It's just because I'm Stevie Rae." So then I heard that there was a movie coming out, and I went ballistic! It has always been my dream to be in a movie and I just feel it deep down that I have to be in it. I've been doing so much research trying to figure out where casting is and everything but nothing is turning up yet. I'm not sure if that project is far enough along or not. But I was wondering, if you knew any information or if you could point me in the right direction? It would be such a blessing. I know that I have to find a way to be in the movie. I have even had dreams about it. Not to mention I look and act exactly like the way that you describe Stevie Rae. If there is any way that you could help I would be eternally grateful!

Anonymous said...

ah, crap. Damn, I am SO not happy about the Darius/Aphrodite thing :(

Haha, oh well.

Unknown said...

I love the HON books! I went out looking for something to fill the void the "Twilight" series left. I found something just as good if not better in the HON series! I am hooked! However I am upset because I just finished "Hunted" and the new one "Tempted" is not finished yet! I need more...LOL!! So any idea when "Tempted" will be out??

PC Cast said...

YouMe - We'd love to tour Mexico! Sadly, we don't have control over where we go. Our lovely publisher decides that. So we shall see...

AlexB - if you want to be successful in any field you have to learn to do your research. I've talked in depth about the movie/casting questions in this blog archives. Do your research and check it out.

LL - hees. I'm sure Aphrodite secretly loves you best.

ibaker - I answered the TEMPTED release question all over. Read, child!

Anonymous said...

HAHA thanks P.C!

Guiomar said...

Ok, P.C. I understood ^^
Thanks for asking ^^

Unknown said...

I am 35 years old, married, etc. I purchased "Marked" on March 28th and finished reading "Hunted" on April 6th. I have loved this story and can't wait for the next book. I actually love that Zoey is exploring her boyfriend options. It never crossed my mind that she was being "hoish". Congrats on all of the success!
*J.A. Magee

YouMe said...

Oh ok then, I hope your publisher sends you here someday, hehehe. Thanks!

Sirry said...

Hi! I went to the Hunted book signing in Norman and I can't even begin to explain how exciting that was! Anywho...I remember you saying something about the first four books coming out in hardback, do you know approximately when they will be released? Also, on the inside covers, are the pictures just going to be of Zoey or will there be some of the other nerd herd members? 8-)

Jess F. said...

That's so great about the Darius/Aphrodite romance!! They are cute together! And you made me excited when you said there will be other povs in TEMPTED! I cannot wait!! =0)

Still I'm routing for Stark, unless he turns fully evil. *hehee*

Take care, Jess

PC Cast said...

Hi Jodi - thanks for posting. At 35 you knew better than to label Zoey. You also probably understand finding the right guy is a learning process - about the guys but mostly about yourself. I've always hated the fact that young girls are so willing to turn on each other. It takes women far to long to figure out the strength that can be found through having a girlfriend's back versus stabbing her in the back.

Sirry - the hardback of all 4 will be released in September. Kristin and I were just in NYC and we saw the posters! They're of more than just Zoey and all four fit together to form a big poster. So cool!

Unknown said...

Wanted to say I picked up "Marked" amid a display of Ms. Meyer's novels in a local Target here in Tampa Bay, and gave it a try... and before I realized it, I'd bought it and every book including "Hunted" and devoured them all in a span four days!

I've NEVER been so thoroughly hooked by a series before I read you and your daughter's work, and I'm happy to say I'm looking forwards to the next book in the series. Thanks to you and Kristen for sharing this world and works with us, Ma'am!

Stay Crispy,


Stephen R. Sobotka, Author

Anonymous said...

Hey!
Well I was wondering if you know how many books there will be, or if Tempted is going to be the last one?

Emma(:

Unknown said...

Ok, people, I just want to say, that Mrs. Cast has repeatedly told us how many books they are writing, when Tempted is out, not soon enough. LOL. She has told us that there will be most of the characters (principal) povs, and how much fun they are having promoting Hunted.

On another note, I love they way you are exposing Zoey about relationships, responsibilities, love, compromising to a higher belief and trusting, above all the deceptions, trusting friends and loved ones.

Twilight introduced me to this kind of reading, and for that I thank SMs, but now, I am fascinated with your books. I know that I will enjoy your other books.

I really appreciate all your hard work Cast family. Please keep it coming.

PC Cast said...

Maria - you're my hero. Finally, someone who actually reads and researches before she questions. I heart you. And thanks for understanding Zoey, too. I am Ms. Cast, though. Mrs. Cast is my mom. Grin.

And yes, LL - I know you read and research too...Aphrodite still hearts you.

Unknown said...

Thanks Ms. Cast. LOL. And for the records, I am a mom, 45 years old.

My daughter is fascinated with the Zoey series also. I, and I am so happy to say it, I introduced her to your books. She can't wait for the next one.

Ah, I forgot to mention that the way that Zoey is trusting in herself, that is the most important thing, her self esteem and her believing in her.

My comments are because, I, who am not the author get annoyed for the same old questions, you know who repeating the lesson, will help the student remember it, constant repeating the material, so, Ive been a good student. ;-)

No, but seriously, thanks again for the books, and I saw the jewelry and I love what Ive seen, its beautiful. I give a high thanks for paypal. ;-)

Take care family.

Kristen Painter said...

Hey, did you see your book on the Today show segment? http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/30133182#30133182

(Also, did you get my email? lol)

carla said...

People learn how to research! lol Ms. Cast has told us many times how many books there are!

Ms.Cast the first time I read your book Marked i was so attached to it that i could hardly put it down!lol .... And i admire how Zoey is living a life of a normal teenages with her boy issues! lol And how she is such a great leader and she is so responsible!

I hope that you and your daughter can come to a book signing in st. Joseph, MO... if your publisher lets you! lol .. which i really hope he does! :) :)

well keep up the goody work! And i totally give series a 10! Cant wait for the next one!

Ang from Oz said...

Just wanted to wish you a Happy and Safe Easter! Hope the bunny is kind to you!! Don't over-indulge LOL!

Unknown said...

Just wanted to drop this post from Disney Fort Wilderness in Orlando: today, my twin sister Patricia and I are celebrating our 40th birthday by spending it and this weekend at the parks.

I also took the HoN books with me, so I'd have something to read in the quiet times between all the parks and rides.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Good Friday and Happy Easter! And a thanks again to P.C. and Kristen for your story again!

Stay Crispy!


-- Stephen

carla said...

Hey just wanted to wish you'all a HAppy Easter!!!! Have FUN!!!! LOL :)


- Carla

Kera said...

Hi! I jsut bought your books the other day I mean literally like 3 days and read them all. They were freaking fantastic! As soon as I got done reading the last one (Which was like 15 minutes ago) I had to run to the computer and see if you were alreqady in the works for the nest installmant. Which Im so happy and excited that you are already writting TEMPTED. I'm going to buy it as soon s it comes out. :) I love your books and hope that everything does well!

Blessed Be!

Kera :)