Author Interview: Claudia Gray & Book Review: Afterlife

Today we are thrilled to welcome Claudia Gray, author of the Evernight series.  We were privileged enough to receive Afterlife early and can promise that you will love the conclusion! Click here to read Kelli's review of Afterlife, which set to release March 8, 2011.  So without further ado, here's Claudia!


1.  One thing that sets your series apart from others are the surprises in each book.  I gasped in surprise at least once a book while reading the Evernight series.  Do you find it difficult to surprise your readers or does it come easily for you?

Good question! I love to sit down and plot out surprises (obviously), but sometimes readers are surprised by things I didn't intend for them to be surprised by, or catch on to things I think they'd never have caught on to.  But really I think the most critical thing is that I write the stories in ways that surprise me; that I think is the main element in making sure the stories aren't too predictable. 

2.  Afterlife gives conclusions to many characters' stories.  Did you have the ending planned out when you started the series or did it develop over time?

I had most of the ending planned out.  I knew the main trajectory of Lucas and Bianca's stories, for instance, and the fundamentals of what was going on with the wraiths this whole while.  But there were elements that developed over time, too.  I always knew sort of what was going on with Mrs. Bethany, but when I got in and explored her story fully, that ended up being something very different than I would ever have imagined at the start. 

3.  Many YA readers have come to expect a traditional happily-ever-after, especially at the end of a series.  Did you feel pressured to provide a certain type of ending to the series? 

The ending has to be satisfying, I think; readers need answers and a sense of the future. I feel like the ending of AFTERLIFE delivers -- but not in the ways people have been guessing or arguing for in their emails to me since HOURGLASS came out.  But I hope that once they read it and see how things play out, they'll feel that this is absolutely the right place for Bianca and Lucas to be. 

4.  What's next for you?

Well, I have two more books about to come out -- stand-alone novel FATEFUL, coming Sept. 13, is about werewolves on the Titanic, and then in March 2012, you can expect BALTHAZAR, a spin-off novel about our favorite sexy vampire guy.  Soon I'll start work on the SPELLCASTER trilogy, a witchcraft-based thriller series, which I'm very excited about. It's the story of Lia, a young witch who (like all witches) has been trained in secret by her mother ... until her mother abruptly leaves her father and abandons the family.  Lia's not only momless; she's been abandoned at the most vital part of her supernatural education. Her heartbroken dad takes Lia and her younger brother to live in a new town, one she instantly realizes is in the grip of a deep dark magic.  Among the many people touched by this malevolent power is Mateo, a guy in her class who has been cursed to see terrible visions of the future -- including one of Lia lying dead at his feet. So he tries to avoid her for her own good, but they're irresistibly drawn together.  And in the end, to save both Mateo and herself, she'll have to confront an extraordinarily powerful witch on her own.  I can't wait to dive into this one! 


Click book titles to read Kelli's review of each book in the series: Evernight, Stargazer, Hourglass, Afterlife.  

Ways to connect with Claudia: Website, My Livejournal, Facebook, and Twitter

Thank you Claudia for taking the time to answer our questions! We know you are extremely busy right now but still find the time to connect with your readers and we really appreciate all your hard work.