Author Interview: Christine Johnson (Claire de Lune)

Today, please welcome Christine Johnson, author of Claire de Lune. Thank you Christine for giving me the chance to interview you. I haven't read it yet, but will get to it soon. From what I've heard, it's a werewolf must read. If you haven't already, it's available for purchase in bookstores!

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Photo Credit: Trinity Gossett-Lee

In Christine's words, "I grew up in, moved away from, and finally came home to Indianapolis, Indiana. Now I live in an old house in an old neighborhood with my husband and kids. I have too many books and a weakness for anything sweet. I love yoga and cooking, but I'm not much of a movie person. I like watching soccer, and always look forward to the first sweater-worthy days in the fall. But mostly, I like making things up and writing them down and having people read them. So that's what I do, and I'm very, very lucky to be doing it!"

For more info on Christine, visit her site(s):
-Website
-Blog
-Twitter
-Facebook

Coming Soon:
Nocturne (Claire de Lune, Book #2)
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Claire de Lune (Book #1) by Christine Johnson
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: Available Now
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 352

Summary: Torn between two destinies…Claire is having the perfect sixteenth birthday. Her pool party is a big success, and gorgeous Matthew keeps chatting and flirting with her as if she’s the only girl there. But that night, she discovers something that takes away all sense of normalcy: she’s a werewolf. As Claire is initiated into the pack of female werewolves, she must deal not only with her changing identity, but also with a rogue werewolf who is putting everyone she knows in danger. Claire’s new life threatens her blossoming romance with Matthew, whose father is leading the werewolf hunt. Now burdened with a dark secret and pushing the boundaries of forbidden love, Claire is struggling to feel comfortable in either skin. With her lupine loyalty at odds with her human heart, she will make a choice that will change her forever….

Book Trailer:

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Author Interview:

1) How old were you when you started writing?

CJ: I don’t ever remember a time when I wasn’t writing little things - poems, or stories. I recall announcing to my fourth-grade class during show-and-tell that I was writing a novel, which I believe was going to be about unicorns. Obviously, that never got written! As I got older, I continued to write, though for a long time, my main focus was on the theatre. I was an acting major in college until I came to my senses and realized I wasn’t cut out for a board-treading life. Writing had never taken the front seat as the Thing I Was Going To Do With My Life - rather, it was just always *there*. I was always doing it. I always loved it. And eventually, when everything else fell away, it was The Thing That Was Left. That’s when I really knew that it was what I was meant to do.

2) What inspired you to write Claire de Lune?

CJ: I’ve been interested in werewolves for a long time. The idea of hidden identities, hidden natures - it seemed like such a natural match for YA fiction. So often, the teen years are when we discover sides of ourselves we didn’t know existed . . . or else we begin to make a conscious choice to shield parts of ourselves that we don’t like, keeping others from seeing them. The more I thought about it, wondered what that would look like in a novel, the more Claire de Lune took shape in my head.

3) Are the characters in the books based on someone you know?

CJ: Absolutely! But I couldn’t tell you who - each character is a hundred different pieces, each taken from people I know, or people I’ve seen or read about, all lumped together into a whole new person. I might take a friend’s artistic ability, and someone else’s sense of humor, and add the fantastic hair that I saw on a woman at Target. After a certain point, the characters become just *themselves*.

4) What was the hardest part about writing Claire de Lune?

CJ: Probably getting the initial draft down on paper. That’s always the hardest part for me. I much prefer revisions. Once I’ve gotten a world created and populated with characters, I have a great time tinkering around with the specifics.

5) If you had to describe your book in one word, what would it be and why?

CJ: This is a really, really tough question. I thought of and promptly discarded lots of answers that were accurate, but ignored specific facets of the book. Nothing I can think of is all-encompassing enough. So I’m going to abandon the words that, for me, are evoked by the plot. Every time I look at the ARC sitting on my shelf, I think “lucky.” Lucky that I got to write it. Lucky that my editor liked it. Lucky that other people are going to get to read it. Lucky, lucky, lucky to be doing something that I love so much! So that’s *my* word for the book. I’m sure other readers will each come up with their own (and I’d be interested to hear their words/whys, too!)

6) What are your thoughts on Claire de Lune's book cover?

CJ: I love the cover! I was so happy when they sent it to me. I adore the colors, and the way the moon absolutely glows when you look at it. Book covers are interesting, because after months (or sometimes years) of having other “word people” like crit mates and agents and editors talking to you about their impressions of your book, you suddenly have this whole other medium describing your work. This vision that the cover artist has. An image that sums up the entire book. For me, that brought a whole new depth and dimension to the novel’s identity.

7) Do you have any other projects you're currently working on?

CJ: Yep - I’m writing furiously, trying to finish a draft of the sequel to Claire de Lune. It’s currently slated for publication by Simon Pulse sometime in the summer of 2011.

8) What book are you currently reading?

CJ: I’ve just finished Neil Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giants, which was really lovely and I sincerely hope he continues that story in longer form. He’s one of my favorite authors. Since I finished that today, I’ve got Lisa McMann’s Gone sitting on my nightstand, waiting for me when I finish this interview. (I never go to sleep between books. Even if it means reading a single page from the next one before I conk out for the night. Yeah, I know. It’s weird.)

9) Do you have anything to say to all your readers?

CJ: Yes! Hi! Thanks! I’m so happy that you read Claire de Lune! I hope you liked it! I hope you’ll read the sequel! I’m using all these exclamation marks for a reason! Because I’m really, really, really excited to be talking to my readers - I’m really, really, really excited that I *have* readers! I love you guys!

10) Tell us something about yourself that no one knows about.

CJ: Here’s something that is well-known among my family and close friends, but not so much in the wider world - I can’t find my way out of a paper bag, even if I have a flashlight and a GPS. Seriously. I can get lost going places I’ve been a dozen times. If I have an internal compass, it’s utterly broken. It’s not uncommon for me to drive past an intersection and say “Oh! I know where we are. I’ve been lost here before.” Sad, but true. And, ending on that odd note, I’d like to say thanks for such great questions and for listening to me ramble. I’ve had a great time!