There is delicious excitingness afoot! We’re having a Q&A with an Aussie author and a giveaway and a review. I mean, HOW MUCH AWESOME IS THIS?!
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Cassandra Page is a mother, author, editor and geek. She lives in Canberra, Australia’s bush capital, with her son and two Cairn Terriers. She has a serious coffee addiction and a tattoo of a cat — despite being allergic to cats. She has loved to read since primary school, when the library was her refuge, and loves many genres — although urban fantasy is her favourite. When she’s not reading or writing, she engages in geekery, from Doctor Who to AD&D. Because who said you need to grow up?
CAIT: Can you tell us a bit about how you went from first draft to published book?
CASSANDRA: At around the time I (thought I was) finished editing the Isla’s Inheritance draft, I joined Twitter and discovered the valuable resource and support network that is the writing community there. I threw my hat into the ring in a couple of contests, made some great friends, and received valuable feedback that resulted in me doing even more editing. In March 2013, I entered a Twitter pitch party a small press was running. They requested my first three chapters and, a few days later, the full manuscript. And then I waited. And waited.
About six weeks later, I lost my nerve and sent my query out to two more small presses. One requested the full MS at the query stage (this was my publisher, Turquoise Morning Press), the other just the first pages. Three days after that, I heard back from the original small press. It was an offer of publication.
Once I stopped squealing I emailed the two other small presses, withdrawing my book from consideration. I mean, they’d had it three days—there was no way they’d have made it off the slush pile, right? Wrong. I got an email from the YA editor at TMP almost immediately, asking if I’d signed anything yet. I told her I hadn’t. She then offered me a contract too. Trying to decide between these two small presses was one of the harder decisions I’ve ever made!
CAIT: Ack! The pressure! I do not envy you that decision. What was the process behind coming up with the title of Isla’s Inheritanceand did it go through any changes?
CASSANDRA: The working title for Isla’s Inheritance was actually Melpomene’s Daughter. I decided not to use it as the final title when I realised that having Melpomene’s name in the cover of the book was actually a bit of a spoiler. (Of course I then blew it by using that as the title for the third book. Still, it’s only a tiny spoiler.)
Then I wanted to call it Inheritance, because I like one-word titles, but Christopher Paloni got there first. I’m a big believer in Googling potential book ideas to make sure you aren’t going to get lost in the shadow of a NYT bestseller. Hence, Isla’s Inheritance. I like the poetry of it, the way it rolls off the tongue—and having all three titles in the same style ties them together.
The only thing I regret is that the possessive apostrophe means hashtags are a problem. Because #IslasInheritance breaks my grammarian heart.
CAIT: Since book 3: Melpomene’s Daughter just came out, which book out of the three was hardest to write?
CASSANDRA: The first one, definitely, just because it was the first novel I ever completed. Hell, it was the first one I made it past 10,000 words on! I wasn’t in the habit of writing regularly, and my weekly word goals were as low as 500 a week. One of the things that slowed me down was that I was pretty sure the original beginning was telling the wrong part of the story. I was too close to it at the time to figure out how to fix it, but at the same time my doubt kept me re-reading when I should have been ploughing ahead.
It was the feedback I mentioned earlier that helped me see the manuscript clearly. I ended up cutting around 2000 words from the start of the book, and a whole scene from later on. Probably an entire month’s work at my snail’s pace. (Sob.)
CAIT: One of my favourite things is that you put faeries (!) in Australia (!!) which I hadn’t read before and absolutely love. What sparked this idea? And what kind of faerie research did you do?
CASSANDRA: I’d thought about setting a book overseas, but at the time I’d never been to the UK and I didn’t think I could fake it. Besides, I love Australia and thought there wasn’t enough supernatural fiction set here, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is. When I had the idea of “commoner” faeries who are basically refugees, in Australia to get away from tyrannical aosidhe, or high elves, I knew I was onto something.
As far as research goes, I spent a lot of time reading Wikipedia posts, mostly. Don’t laugh—it’s up there with Pinterest in terms of inspiring resources! A lot of the fae myths are similar throughout Europe, even though the names change, and you can see their influence in many facets of pop culture. (Look up the sluagh some time; I bet you $10 J. K. Rowling based the Dementors on them.)
I made myself a mini-bestiary, a Word document in which I collated snippets of description or myths about different creatures. Some of them I fabricated from scratch, such as the hobs’ physical dependence on the aosidhe. A lot of the details never got used, but it was very reassuring to have it there, just in case.
CAIT: Ooh, a mini-bestiary?! That is epic! What’s your favourite part of the writing process? First drafts, rewriting, edits, chocolate…etc…
CASSANDRA: If I can’t say “the moment where I type THE END”, then it’d have to be editing. Having something there to shape and hone is so much fun, and comes much more easily to me since I edit in my day job. Drafting is sometimes such a word vomit process that by the end of a writing session I’m convinced what I’ve set down is all a bit rubbish. It’s taken me years to learn to just keep drafting, and then to come back and fix it later.
CAIT: Thanks so much for coming to chat with us, Cassandra!! It’s been a blast!
Well this was a delightful little paranormal Australian golden nugget. I had fun. I TRULY DID. The stakes aren’t astronomically high and there were no mind numbing plot twists, but it was fun, interesting, and insanely addictive. Now I know the blurb is uber vague, so I’m just going to throw the unique deliciousness at you: IT’S FAERIES, FOLKS. FAERIES! In Australia! Oh yes please. While it starts with a seance, it’s really more of an urban fantastical family faerie (ooh! alliteration! clever me) story.
THINGS I LIKED AN ASTRONOMICAL AMOUNT:
Because lists rock, and I want to write a list.
- It’s family focused. I love books about families! It focuses on Isla and her dad. And also her cousins! And grandma! And aunt! Let’s just squish the entire family in there, yes.
- It’s Australian. HECK YEAH. Um, sorry. (Am so not sorry.) It’s just I don’t read a lot of paranormal Aussie books. So Australia + Faeries = CAIT IS PLEASED.
- It wasn’t swimming in folk lore. Okay, maybe this is just me, but I tend to get overwhelmed reading faerie books where there are ginormous info-dumps on the different aspects of lore. Don’t get me wrong: fey lore is great. It’s just overwhelming and almost every book does it differently. SO. I was pleasantly happy that ISLA’S INHERITANCE kept the lore to a minimum and wasn’t stuffing Gaelic words down my throat.
- The writing kept me glued to the page. YESSSS. This pleases me greatly, okay?! The pace didn’t rocket along, but it balanced witty dialogue with Isla’s candid voice. Add in a lot of BUT WHY questions and mystery and it just pulls you right along.
STUFF THAT MADE ME A LITTLE TWITCHY:
There’s not a lot, but here goes…
- It was a very easy story. While I appreciated the calmness, I never gripped the page with fear for the characters.
- There was a tendency for too many details. There was pretty much no reason for me to read Isla’s brushing her teeth and getting into bed. We could’ve skipped those little teeny details and fleshed out more of the fight-or-flight scenes.
SO YES.
I quite liked this book! I curled up with it on a wet day and just devoured this faeried Canberra. I’m definitely in love with all the characters and the fact that there’s plenty of food. Like the melting mocha lava cake. Um, YUM.
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Isla was content to let her father keep his secrets, but now she can’t stand the touch of iron and her dreams are developing a life of their own. She must discover the truth — before it’s too late.
Seventeen-year-old Isla Blackman only agrees to participate in a Halloween party séance because Dominic, an old crush, wants to. She is sure nothing will happen when they try to contact the spirit of her mother. But the séance receives a chilling reply.
SHE IS NOT DEAD.
Isla doesn’t want to upset her father by prying into the family history he never discusses. When the mysterious and unearthly Jack offers to help her discover the truth, Isla must master her new abilities to protect her loved ones from enemies she never knew existed.
Amazon Book Depository Goodreads
And YAY for a giveaway (thanks to the wonderful and generous author) of an ebook of Isla’s Inheritance…or, if you’ve already read it, one of the sequels! OPEN INTERNATIONALLY.
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YAYYYY GO CASS <3 She's so lovely and funny. I'm glad you enjoyed Isla's Inheritance! I'm a total hipster since I read this before it was published 😉 OH and as for Aussie authors, um, hello Cait, there are WAY too many to name. Maybe I'll go with one I'd like to read. Okay. Let's go with Jaclyn Moriarty since I still haven't read any of her books!
YOU ARE JUST FAMOUS, OBVIOUSLY, HIPSTER, EMILY. I can’t believe I put off trying it for so long! WHAT EVEN IS WRONG WITH MY BRAIN. *covets rest of series*
Fairies in Australia? What is this amazing brilliance? I’m so glad someone has finally decided to set fantasy in our delightful country. And the refugee idea is pure gold! I may have to enter this giveaway. The book sounds like deliciousness itself. As for Australian authors, there are actually a few I’ve read in the past. Aimee Said is pretty fun, and David Metzenthen is also Aussie I believe. He’s one of my favourite Australian authors. I’m still trying to read Marcus Zusak’s The Book Thief, but I did read When Dogs Cry by him, which I sadly didn’t overly enjoy. I dearly want to love him so.
I KNOW RIGHT?! I’m really excited about that combination!! My new favourite thing. XD And there is totally not enough wild and paranormalish fantasies set in Australia…I don’t even know why. Our country is freakishly awesome. *nods* Markus Zusak is my FAVOURITE. I loved The Book Thief, but felt kind of meh about I Am the Messenger. I haven’t tried his When Dogs Cry yet. 😐
Gah, but this exiled-fairy thing sounds just the best because fairies? Internal squabbling/politics? Plus finally out of the US/UK? IT’S MINE. And I can’t even say I mind extra detail. I’m an ASOIAF fan, no detail can faze ME. And also that is just an amazing story behind this book and OMG Cassandra are you some kind of sorceress you can get your first finished ms published? THAT’S AMAZING. And wait, did I spot lava cake? I’m in. I’m absolutely in.
HAHAHAHA. Yes. Okay, it’s nowhere near the detail of ASOIAF. Because we totally wanted to know what the freaking cobblestone in Westeros looked like -_- Okay, I love GRRM, but sometimes he’s a little over the top with his description.
Oooooh, a paranormal story set in Canberra? YES PLEASE. Especially when it’s not heavy on lore. So many fae stories get over the top with lore and I just…don’t care that much. I HAVE A LOT OF BOOKS TO READ AND TIME IS PRECIOUS, DAMMIT. This one, however, sounds like something I need to track down immediately.
Omg, I know right?! I get so confused with all the Gaelic stuff happening. It was such a relief just to have a few types of faeries and basic law. *sighs with relief* I WANT TO SEE CANBERRA SOMEDAY. It’s like, 12 hours away or something, but stillllll. It’s the capital. I want to go there.
Pfft, but you like inhale books. This one’ll be a nice quick sniff for you.
I’ve heard of this book before, but I’d never really looked into it…I really want to read it now.
I mean…FAERIES! In AUSTRALIA!
It’s the thing I never knew I wanted!
I know, right?! That’s exactly what I thought! I would’ve snabbled this ASAP if I knew it had faeries. xD
Um…I’ve read the Book Thief…*hides head in hands* Being fair to me, I’ve probably read more Aussie books than that, but I don’t tend to pay attention to the nationality of the author when I’m reading a book so I wouldn’t know. Quite a few of my TBR books on Goodreads are Australian though – including Isla’s Inheritance which I’ve just added to it. Fairies and seances. You’re speaking my language. 😉
It is so my language too. *nods* OH. But Markus Zusak totally counts. Even if The Book Thief is still set in Germany…BAH. It doesn’t matter since the author IS Aussie. He’s like our massive claim to YA fame.
Garth Nix and Michelle Coopers are two of my favourite authors and they’re both Australian. Yay for books not set in the default US or UK! Isla’s Inheiritance sounds awesome, I would love to read it! Thanks for the post, Cassandra and Cait
Can you believe I haven’t read Garth Nix yet?! I thought I was reading his book but it was actually a Jay Kristoff book…because I’m illiterate like that. Gah. -_-
Wow. This book looks pretty good. The idea of the book kind of reminds me of 13 Treasures.
Ooh, I haven’t heard of 13 Treasures! I’ll have to look that one up!
Faeries in Australia?! Whoa, my interest has been piqued and it is OFF THE CHARTS. I definitely agree that it would be extremely difficult to write about places you didn’t stay in for a while, so writing a book in Australia seemed to be a good choice–and I’ve never read any book set in Aussie yet (shame on me, I know!), so bonus points!
Ahh an Aussie author I definitely want to read from is Ellie Marney. 😉 I’ve heard the best things about her books!
SHAME ON YOU FOR SURE. You must read Ellie Marney ASAP, seriously Aimee…BEST BOOK EVER. *hyperventilates quietly* I have insane insane love for Mycroft and Rachel. <3 AHEM. But yes. Faeries in Australia is my new favourite thing. XD
This sounds like an amazing book…. Australia with faeries just sounds divine! This is a new book and author to me but I will be investigating further as I love the sound of this…. thanks so much for the heads up! xx
Yaaay! I’m so glad you like the sound of this one!! I QUITE LOVED IT.
My favorite Aussie author is CJ Duggan – I LOVE her Summer series and it features Australia in the 90’s, which I adore! 🙂 Thanks for introducing us to this one!!
I HAVEN’T READ ANYTHING BY HER. THIS SHAMES ME.
Ooooh, I must have this book or I will be miserable for the rest of my life! Gah! Off the top of my head I can’t actually think of any Aussie authors I read, not because haven’t read any because I’m sure I have, but because I’m horribly bad at remembering these things. But oooh, this book looks delicious. And I am in the same boat as Cassandra–drafting is awful (which is why I race through it). And that’s why I’m only ready to finish editing my second book–because it took me ages before I actually finished drafting anything. Fortunately, all I had to do was break that wall. 🙂
I’m so opposite! XD I love drafting and loathe editing. Gahhhh. Which sucks because I spend so. much. more. time editing than drafting! HAHA. ANYWAY. You must read this. *nods* It calls to you, Liz.
Sounds like an interesting book. I’ll have to check it out. And wasn’t the guy who wrote The Book Thief Australian. I haven’t actually read the Book Thief, but hey…
YES. Markus Zusak. He sounds…German, but definitely an Aussie. 😉
Ahh! This sounds absolutely fantastic Cait! I’ve always loved books about fairies (I think that’s the Irish part of me taking over) and this sounds absolutely fantastic. I haven’t read many books by Aussie authors because they’re really difficult to come by in the US, so thank you so much for being awesome enough to offer such a generous giveaway! Thank you for sharing this – loved the photos and the interview questions! Lovely post Cait, and thanks for sharing!
It drives me BONKERS how hard it is to see Aussie books outside of Australia. Seriously, we’re like covering up our talent and keeping it to ourselves. Sooo fruuustrating. *growls softly* BUT YAY SO GLAD YOU LIKE THE SOUND OF THIS BOOK. Also: you’re part Irish?! Oh that is so cool. XD
This sounds like such a cool book! I LOVE faeries! And I love Australia (even if my total time there amounts to around 4 hours). It’s such a stunning country and the whilst the wildlife terrifies me, I do love the diversity. And, I know I’m going off on a) a bit of a tangent and b) it’s a different island but I really adore Tasmanian Devils. Just… ugh. I could snuggle up with one forever. Providing it didn’t, y’know, eat me.
As for Australian authors (we-hey, back on topic!), I just finished studying ‘True History of the Kelly Gang’ by Peter Carey for my English Literature and Language course. Whilst many of my peers preferred the other book we studied, preferred THOTKG! Mainly because I love Ned Kelly, but also because the descriptions of the wildlife and nature are just great. And it’s history. HISTORY ROCKS.
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You’ve only spent 4 hours in Australia?! Clearly, you need to spend more. CLEARLY. Because it is a wonderful part of the planet and our food is delicious. (Come on! Our wildlife isn’t that bad! At least we don’t have any bears or anything. :O Those are terrifying.) I think the Tasmanian Devil would eat you, but lemme know how you go with that one. xD
I LOVE THE KELLYS. Have you seen the movie, Ned Kelly? It’s so incredible. It made me sob.
I’ve read one of Alison Croggon’s books… she’s Australian. 😀 It was kinda awesome and I want to read the sequels… ENORMOUS FANTASY. (Which is awesome but also intimidating.)
ALSO I SO SO SO WANT TO READ JOHN FLANAGAN. BECAUSE RANGER’S APPRENTICE SOUNDS SO FUN.
I know there must be more Aussie authors I’ve read/want to read but I’m drawing a blank right now. XD
OH. AND YOU. YOU’RE AN AUSSIE AUTHOR I’VE READ A BIT OF AND WANT TO READ. XD
DUDE. YOU MUST TRY JOHN FLANAGAN. REALLY. WHY HAVEN’T YOU YET? IT IS CALLING FOR YOU. I totally count yes, I count for double points because of my fabulousness. 😉
This doesn’t sound too bad, but I’m all fae-ed out, and have been for quite a few years. So I’m loath to add any to my TBR pile. Glad you enjoyed it though! Thanks for the review and Q&A, Cait! 🙂
SO keen to read this now! Love sci-fi and fantasy set in Australia!
In terms of recommending other authors, I have read and adored Karen Healey. Okay, I think she actually lives in New Zealand… But we try to claim everything good from New Zealand anyway! And an author that I’m looking forward to reading, but haven’t yet, is Erin Gough. I’ve heard fabulous things about The Flywheel.
YAAAY!!! Fingers crossed for the giveaway then, xD Oh yes, we’ll claim the good parts of NZ. *nods* I quite love Rachael Craw from NZ…totally claiming her as an adopted Aussie. xD
Having two publishers fighting over a debut? Forget about tough choice- she must have DIED right there! Congrats on finding yourself a great Aussie author, Cait =P
I have a confession to make: I have not read nearly enough Aussie fiction. Actually . . . . I don’t know that I have read any. Yes, I am hanging my head in shame right now. D’oh! This book sounds so amazing though. Thanks so much for the giveaway!!