Blog Tour - The Assassin's Curse

Hi there everyone! I'd like to start off by saying a HUGE thank you to Cassandra and Amanda for letting me be involved with this blog tour! :D I would also like to say sorry for not posting it yesterday! We had a bit of trouble with our ISP Grrr!

Make sure you read all the way to the bottom, for there is an AMAZING giveaway for the tour!

So here is the #YABluewater interview with the wonderful Cassandra Rose Clarke! Enjoy...

 

Congratulations on your debut novel The Assassins Curse! How do you feel now that it's due for release here in the UK in just a few weeks?

Thank you! It still feels incredibly surreal, like it’s not something that’s actually happening. I have a launch party planned in Houston for when the book releases in the US (which is two days before the UK release), and over the weekend someone pointed out to me how that’s a little over a week away! Which I have the hardest time wrapping my mind around.

I have a feeling it will all come together for me when I can go into a Barnes and Noble and see my book sitting on the shelf. But it’s hard to say until it actually happens…

 

The main characters in TAC are pretty bad-ass! Do you see any aspects of yourself in them?

Hmmmn, that’s an interesting question. I actually wrote Ananna with the intention of writing a character who’s nothing like me, but since she did come out of my head, there’s definitely some overlap — we both love traveling and the ocean, for example. I also see bits of myself in Naji, particularly in the way that he’s ultimately more of a scholar than a fighter.

 

What kind of research did you do in the run up to writing The Assassins Curse?

I’d read several books on the history of piracy long before I ever sat down to write The Assassin’s Curse, so some of that material worked its way into the story, particularly the worldbuilding aspects. I also looked into how sailing ships worked, and I even visited a museum in Galveston that lets you wander around on an 1877 tall ship called the Elissa. Now, a lot of the sailing-ship research ultimately didn’t work its way into the novel, but it was still quite interesting. I also watched Youtube videos of camels, so I could get a feel for how they run.

If you had to chose to be either the pirate Ananna, or the assassin Naji for the day, which would you pick and why?

You know… that’s a really difficult question! I think I’ll probably go with Ananna, because who doesn’t want a chance to be a pirate for a day?

 

If you could have any super power, which one would you pick?

The ability to breathe (and see!) underwater. I love swimming, and so I think I’d get the most mileage out of that one.

 

What has been your toughest criticism as an author?

 

Although it isn’t criticism per se, I think the toughest time I’ve had so far was the process of submitting manuscripts to agents, and the constant stream of rejection that entails. I’ve been through writing workshops and am pretty used to receiving criticism, but hitting a constant wall of “No”— especially when it wasn’t necessarily my book being rejected, but my query letter — was very difficult.

 

What has been your biggest compliment?

 

I once received a note on a short story from someone who identified with one of the characters. They told me that the culminating point of the story — when the other character reached out to the character they identified with — brought tears to their eyes. The fact that my story had touched someone on that level meant so much to me.

 

So, if you were hosting a dinner party and you could invite five fictional characters to your table, who would get a seat and why?

Data, from Star Trek: The Next Generation: I’d want to have a least one robot/android/replicant/whatever, because robots are awesome. However, I do think Data would be the one least likely to cause trouble, and that sort of thing is important at a dinner party. Plus, he seems to have an appreciation for human food.

Sophie and Howl, from Howl’s Moving Castle: I think these two are the greatest literary couple of all time. They would playfully bicker over dinner while telling stories about their exploits.

Sansa Stark, from A Song of Ice and Fire: I feel like adult Sansa and I would be best buds. She’d show up early and help me get everything ready, and her table setting would be amazing. She’d also be the best at keeping the conversation flowing so there aren’t any awkward pauses. And she would bring lemon cakes!

Witch Baby, from the Weetzie Bat books: Witch Baby was my favorite character in those books. She was the outcast in the family of outcasts. I think it would be good for her to get out and meet some new people. I imagine she’d get along really well with Data.

 

What are your plans for the next five years?

Well, I hope to continue writing and publishing books! Really, that’s the only plan I can have — just keep writing the best books I possibly can, because everything else is pretty much out of my control. Besides, I have so many ideas for new novels that I’m set up for the next ten years.

I do know that I want to continue writing both YA and adult books. Both genres get me excited in different ways.

 

Are there any sneaky hints you can give us about the sequel to TAC?

The sequel is even more pirate-y than the first. You get to travel to some new places. And the story introduces a character who is one of my absolute favorites.

 

Is there any advise you were given, or would love to have been given, when you first started writing?

I think the best writing advice I ever got was to write everyday. It gets you in the habit of producing work, which makes it much easier to finish a novel in a timely manner. I’m always amazed by how much progress I make on novels just from writing 1300 words a day or so.

 

Is there anything you would like to say to your fans and readers?

 

To those of you who’ve already read and enjoyed The Assassin’s Curse: Thank you so much! I’m so glad my story brought you some entertainment, since that’s what it’s there for! To those of you who haven’t yet read it: I sincerely hope you enjoy it when you do.

 

 

You can get your hands on a copy of this awesome book now! Right here!! :D It's next on my own TBR list and I can't wait to get started :0)

 

If you want to visit the other stops on this blog tour here's all the info you need:

 

Friday, 21st September: Serendipity Reviews | Guest Post: Movie Maker
Monday, 24th September: Once Upon a Time | Interview
Tuesday, 25th September: Readaraptor | Guest Post: Pirates
Wednesday, 26th September: Curiosity Killed the Bookworm | Interview
Thursday, 27th September: YA Bluewater
Friday, 28th September: The Book Fairy’s Haven
Monday, 1st October: Winged Reviews
Tuesday, 2nd October: Once Upon a Bookcase
Wednesday, 3rd October: Dog Eared Discs

 

As I said before, there is also an amazing giveaway too!

Cassandra has annotated a copy of the Assassin's Curse, It is full of notes and doodles and all sorts of things. Heres what she says about it here

All you have to do is use the rafflecopter thingy below to enter, simples! Each entry via the form below counts as a seperate entry, so if you wanted to tweet us and follow us on facebook then that would count as two, and would increase your chances of being picked ;) The competition is open until the 5th of october and is international. Each of the nine blogs in the tour will be selecting one winner to pass on to Strange Chemistry, who will then select the final winner to recieve this amazing prize!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck and I'll see you next post!

Kaylie :0)