I Met Her When She Had Pink Hair
My first interview is with a dear friend of mine: Cayla Kluver. This spunky girl has written a book which has blown my mind. Legacy, released in sixteen countries worldwide, is a book which can be found hard to put down. Let the interview begin!
- What’s the one thing that lets you know a book is finished?
When someone rips it from my hands and says, “No, you can’t edit this anymore!!!”
- After self-publishing Legacy, did you ever think that you would be picked up by Amazon?
No, that was a surprise. I literally got a phone call one morning and they said, “We’d like to buy the rights please.” Promptly, I almost passed out. When I ended up parting ways with Amazon, I thought it was over for me, my books, and my career (in the US anyway), until duh duh duh duh!! Enter Natashya Wilson at HarlequinTEEN, all backlit and radiant and echoey, saying, “Cayla… you shall be saved.” (Meaning she wanted to buy my trilogy.)
- When the trilogy is done what will your next focus be?
I have a few other projects on the back-burner. Another fantasy adventure which might turn into a series (actually it probably will). A couple of contemporary stories about bad boys (because who doesn’t love bad boys? When they’re on the page and not in your face being annoying and smelling like cigarette smoke, that is). I have a sort of kind of sci-fi in mind as well. Who knows? But the scariest thing is, I’m probably going to college. I’m still planning on writing being my primary career, but I’m thinking of getting a degree in Criminal Justice.
- What do you do when you get writer’s block?
I am magical and never get writer’s block, Andrea. (I hit my head on my desk and cry and panic and think I’ve lost my touch forever until suddenly the next sentence pops into my head and it was super obvious the whole time.)
- One essential you need while writing a book.
It’s a horrid cliché, but I need coffee. The caffeine is nice of course, but it’s more about the taste for me (the taste of an abundance of creamer and Sweet & Low) and having something to do while I think. I’m an oral fixation kind of person. Actually just a fixation kind of person. I can’t accomplish anything while sitting still.
- We know your favorite character is Steldor, but who’s your least favorite?
Wow. I’m so used to the favorite character question that I’m drawing a blank. I’m not used to evaluating my characters this way. Okay, least favorite… I don’t know, they’re all fun to write in their own way! Maybe Alera, but not because of her personality — just because I write everything from her perspective and can blame the hard work I have to do on her.
- Have you developed any mini-crushes on any of your characters?
Umm… yeah… maybe…. I started out totally in love with Narian. That’s why the book got written. And then, just when Narian became a prevalent character in the books, I fell in love with Steldor. And I’ve been in love with Steldor ever since. (I’ve also had a mini-crush on London, because he’s mysterious and whatnot, and on Cannan because I’ve written huge stories about his teenage-hood, and, I’m not going to lie, I find the High Priestess wink-worthy.)
- Say your books were turned into movies, what actors/actresses would you cast?
Well I would cast my beautiful actress sister Cara as Alera (shameless. advertising). I don’t know for sure who these people would all play, but I’d want Garrett Hedlund, Milo Ventimiglia, Dakota Fanning (Miranna?), Matt Ryan, Jesse L. Martin, Carmine Giovinazzo, Natalie Portman, Benedict Cumberbatch, and all my other celebrity crushes in it. :P
- Can you quote any movies from beginning to end?
Newsies; Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure; MST3K’s Touch of Satan (that one for real); and almost any episode of Law and Order.
- What is a typical day for you?
I get up, I eat, I make my coffee. I go up to my office and check my email/Facebook/Twitter/blog comments and anything else that needs my attention. During the day I mostly work on business stuff, like interviews, stuff from my publishers and agents, etc. Then at about eight thirty or nine, I make another cup of coffee, hunker down, and write until five in the morning. (Going back to school is going to seriously screw with my schedule.)
- Favorite words?
Damnation. I played this computer game called Dracula: Origins and in the game you play as Van Helsing. He walks incredibly slowly and strangely and whenever you come to a locked door or something he says, “Damnation” in this silly, drawn-out way. It was a really fun game though. And one I still talk about even though I played it two years ago while I was writing Allegiance. Other than that, I love the word “discourse”. It sounds so very British.
- Remember that time when you spontaneously came to SnoFest with me?
Yep. Your hairdresser bailed and you came to my house in a frenzy for me to get you all dolled up, and somehow or other I ended up going to the dance with you even though I wasn’t in high school anymore. That was an awesome beyond awesome night.
- Silliest moment in your life?
Fourth grade, at my best friend’s house, eating dinner. Lisa’s dad put chicken on my plate then asked if I wanted broccoli with it. My answer was, verbatim, “I - um - er - well - I mean - I don’t - it’s - um - er - I’m not very good at eating broccoli.” Silliest intentional moment was when I worked out at the gym in front of an entire crowd by dancing crazily in front of the body mirror. It was a great workout.
- Your favorite cat’s name? And why is this cat your favorite?
My favorite cat is Nina, because she’s super nice and she lets me share a room with her.
Well that’s a wrap! I hope you guys enjoyed my début interview with Cayla Kluver!
<3 Andrea
