Interview with Andrea Cremer, Author of Nightshade

I loved Nightshade, so when Andrea Cremer agreed to do an interview I was really excited! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.


Pick six words to describe Nightshade. (Spoler-free, of course.)

Thrilling, seductive, mysterious, steamy, twist-laden, and addictive.

Where did you get the idea for Nightshade?

Nightshade is Calla's story and she was the inspiration for the book. I tend to write from characters and Calla was floating around in my head for a week or two before I started putting her story onto the page. I knew she was a girl who was also a wolf. I knew she was strong, but also in serious trouble. I couldn't figure out how someone so powerful could be in that sort of a fix. That's where Nightshade's world emerged it was all about building a history and society that explained Calla's predicament.

Do you listen to music while you write? Do you have a playlist for Nightshade?

Yes! I create soundtracks for all my books. For Bloodrose (Nightshade #3) I've been listening to a lot of Florence and the Machine. You can see songs from the Nightshade playlist here: http://www.andreacremer.com/soundscripts.html

On your way overseas, your boat crashes. You see a small island, but before swimming to it, you decide to take four books along to accompany you for who knows how long. Luckily, this boat has just about every book. Which four books would you choose?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Watership Down, The Mists of Avalon, and a Botany Guide so I don't eat poisonous plants.

Team Zombie or Team Unicorn?

Team Unicorn

Aside from reading and writing, do you have any other hobbies?

Yoga, playing World of Warcraft, and cooking

Which one of your characters would you say is most like you?

Probably Ansel, Calla's younger brother, because he's loosely modeled on my younger brother and my brother and I are a lot alike.

Do you plan to write more YA books after you've finished the Nightshade series?

Definitely! I have lots of ideas, but the project I'd like to work on first is a steampunk series set in an alternate 19th century U.S. where the American Revolution failed and the world is ruled by the British Empire; I'd actually describe it as historical dystopian.

Thanks again Andrea! I hope you all go pick up a copy of Nightshade ASAP.

Nightshade Review

Author: Andrea Cremer

Release Date: October 19, 2010

Pages: 452 (ARC)

Publisher: Philomel

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: Around The World Tours

Calla Tor has always known her destiny: After graduating from the Mountain School, she;ll be the mate of sexy alpha wolf Ren Laroche and fight with him, side by side, ruling their pack and guarding sacred sites for the Keepers. But when she violates her masters' laws by saving a beautiful human boy out for a hike, Calla begins to question her fate, her existence, and the very essence of the world she has known. By following her heart, she might lose everything including her own life. Is forbidden love worth the ultimate sacrifice?
---------------------------
As I'm sure you know, there is a lot of hype surrounding Nightshade. A lot of undeserved hype, if you ask me, since this "novel" is completely atrocious.

...I would slap anyone who said that. Hard. The hype for Nightshade is very well deserved!

(Let me apologize in advance for using a lot of synonyms for "REALLY FRICKING AWESOME".)

The plot, you know, werewolves. Sure, it's been done before, but not like this. Andrea Cremer completely dived into the normal werewolf story, twisted it, added some more magical elements and Keepers, whose rules must be followed at costs, and came out shaking her fists triumphantly. It also did something that very few paranormal books have done: it made me think. The plot was fast-paced, with twists and turns at every corner that I didn't even anticipate since I was still absorbing the last twist!

Calla was just so awesome. Seriously. I want her as my best friend (not to replace my best friends, just as one of them ((yeah, I know my friends read this blog, so I need to make sure I do not offend them). She had every quality you want in a protagonist: strength, humor, logic, independence...I cold go on. Point is that she rocked. She has two love interests, Shay and Ren. Ren; the sexy, arrogant guy that Calla has been matched up with since birth. Then there's Shay; the rebellious, amazing new guy that makes Callla question everything she's ever known. I am definitely Team Shay. I won't say anything more about the love triangle though, cause I don't want to ruin it for anyone. Each member of the pack--meaning Calla and Ren's combined pack--had their own personality. Sometimes, when reading a group conversation, it's hard to keep track of who's saying what, but you could tell just who was speaking just by what they said in Nightshade. The characterization was brilliant!

Andrea Cremer is an author to watch. And stalk. Her writing was fresh, descriptive, and addictive. She really made Nightshade all it could be and then some.

The ending. I...I...NO. It was SUCH a cliffhanger! It made me question everything I'd thought true! I have no idea if it is physically possible to wait for Wolfsbane, book two. Overall, this is one to pre-order. Like, NOW. It was sexy, addictive, fast-paced... I loved it even more than I'd expected to!

How kid friendly was it? There were mentions of drugs and sex as well as swearing.