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| Cayla at the beach... writing. |
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Check out Cayla's Author Blog at caylakluver.blogspot.com!
Cayla Attempts to Answer Your Questions...
When did you start writing?
Right around when I started talking. I dictated my first story to my mom when I was two. She wrote it down and I literally scribbled the illustrations. It was about four pages long, and about a bunny.
Why do you like to write?
I can't not write; I've never been able to go very long without putting things on paper. I can't go to sleep if I've got ideas running around in my head. It's like they're banging to get out, and they won't leave me alone until I let them. In addition to that bit of weirdness, writing has always been a way to express my feelings. Between working on bigger projects, I write a lot of poetry and short pieces that probably should never see the light of day, but that convey something, an emotion or an idea (to me, at least).
How did you come up with the idea for Legacy?
I was actually playing a video game at the time. I was bored with the plot of the video game, so I made up my own, pretending the video game's characters were on my quest instead, and years later that little idea became Legacy.
Were there ever times when you felt you were too young to undertake something as big as writing a novel?
Oh, yes. Sometimes I felt stupid because my mom would suggest a different word in place of one I'd used, and I'd never have heard her word before. Or she'd suggest rephrasing a sentence a certain way, and I'd sit there, scratching (or hitting) my head and going, 'How come I didn't think of that?' It happened with my older sister sometimes, too. She knows more words than I do, and is infinitely better at describing things. I did a lot of smiling and nodding along.
Is there a message in Legacy, or a theme that you're trying to put across?
There's no great, deep meaning to Legacy. It's just a story I wrote for fun, and hopefully is one people can read for fun. I suppose there's an underlying bit of 'nothing's perfect in the world,' as evidenced by the way I ended it. I don't particularly like fairytale endings (unless they're in a fairytale, of course).
With which character in the book do you identify most? Why?
The quick answer is Alera, the main character. I have to be able to identify with her in order to write from her perspective. The slightly more introspective answer is Steldor, surprisingly, but those of you who have read the book, don't judge me too quickly! I promise I'm not a pigheaded, conceited, condescending, arrogant wad of dog spit. There's more to Steldor than meets the eye; I relate more to the Steldor of Legacy's sequel, Allegiance, but you'll have to wait to see what I mean.
If you could be someone from your book, who would you be?
For starters, I'd definitely be a guy. Hytanica, the main kingdom in Legacy, is based heavily on medieval society, and Hytanican men therefore have the advantage of not being repressed. On the assumption that by becoming this character I'm taking on all their experiences, talents, and failings, I can say I wouldn't be London, Cannan, or Narian, simply because they've been through (or will be going through in Allegiance) some things that would leave me in need of severe therapy. Steldor might be fun, since he's gorgeous and everyone seems to love him, but I don't want to be a pigheaded, conceited, condescending, arrogant wad of dog spit. I guess I'd be Galen, Steldor's best friend. He's well-off and hasn't been scarred for life yet.
Who is your favorite character in Legacy and why?
People are probably going to hate me for this. I love Steldor to death. He's so much fun to write. I love that, with him, I get to portray someone who's caustic and abrasive, but intelligent and capable, someone who has awesome potential, but who also makes you want to slap him. To quote my sister, Cara, "He's just a little treasure."
What interests do you have aside from writing?
I enjoy horseback riding, ballroom dance, acting, singing, reading, watching movies, and hanging out with my friends and family. There are probably more, but I can't remember them right now.
Are you going to write a third book?
I'll definitely be writing a third book at some point; whether or not it will be a continuation of Alera's story, though, I can't say. I'm certainly not opposed to the idea, but this particular plot at least is set to wrap up in Allegiance. We'll see what happens!
How did you manage to graduate so early? And did you attend public school?
I started kindergarten at four, did seventh and eighth grade together, and then did my junior and senior years of high school in one year as well. And I did attend public school -- thankfully, the faculty at my high school were very cooperative and helpful.
Will you be attending college this fall?
I'm actually going to take this next year off to promote Legacy and finish working on Allegiance, but the year after that I plan to go to college and get a degree in creative writing, which I'm really looking forward to doing.
When can we expect Allegiance to be released?
I'm hard at work on it right now, so it's looking like spring or summer of 2009. I'll keep you posted!
For Cayla's biography, visit the 'Our Authors' page. |