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| - Well spotted! I laid lots of clues about the future Clans in the community of ancient cats - so yes, some cats resemble cats we meet later on, some have characteristics that will feature in the modern Clans like not minding water. But Dove's Wing and Dovekit are not directly connected.
- You’re all so desperate for Jayfeather to have a bit of romance! Hmmmm. Do you really think he’s cut out to be a romantic hero? To answer the first part of your question, we’ll definitely see Half Moon again . I’m not sure about Brightspirit.
- I'm not sure it transformed completely, but he grew up a lot and settled down .
- Not that I can foresee. Too much water under the bridge, if you see what I mean.
- I think Squirrelfeather would be funny company! And I kind of have a crush on Brackenfur, so maybe him, if we were both single. ;)
- No, thought I sometimes listen to music when I'm writing. Usually instrumental, as I find it's distracting if there are words.
- Actually, I want a plushy of ME! Like that’s ever going to happen. I think Warriors plushies, along with all other merchandise like stationery or clothing, would be part of a movie deal, and not somewhere HarperCollins would venture on their own.
- Leaders can retire – Pinestar does in Code of the Clans – but they have to go to the Moonpool and surrender all their lives except for one, otherwise the next leader won’t receive their full quota of nine lives. If a retired leader stays in the Clan, they have to revert to their warrior name .
- Interesting question. The moon isn’t sacred as such – they don’t worship the moon, or believe that it has any special powers, but they do use it to mark the passage of time. The rest of importance comes from the fact that it is a source of light at night, which must seem pretty strange to the cats! It illuminates the Gatherings , and shines on crystalline stones and still reflective pools where medicine cats can imagine StarClan gathering. So the moon has significance, mystery, beauty, but not actual power, if you see what I mean. Early on, we decided that the name “moon” shouldn’t be used by Clan cats not because it would insult StarClan, but because it would imply that a particular cat had more beauty and significance than its Clanmates. In fact Bluestar was originally called Moonstone! However, a couple of references crept in to her mother being called Moonflower, most notably in Secrets of the Clans. Although I tried to change this to Duskflower in the website Q&A, there was a general feeling when we came to Bluestar’s Prophecy that we should go with the name that had appeared in previous books. So, uniquely, and kind of by accident, Bluestar’s mom is indeed Moonflower.
- This is an awesome question! My favourite so far, I think. Hmmmm, who would I choose? I think it would have to be Cinderheart, because I’d want to quiz her and see just how much she knows about being a medicine cat. Then I’d say, Ha! Ever wondered how you knew all that stuff? I’d also like to meet Spottedleaf and say, Leave Firestar alone! You’re dead, and he’s got a mate! Enough mooning over him already!
- Yes you will! In Omen of the Stars Book Four or Five. Not long to wait!
- Alas, BloodClan are no more; only their fear of Scourge held them together as any sort of Clan. Their history before the battle with the four forest Clans is covered in Scourge’s manga, The Rise of Scourge, which explains how BloodClan came to be. Oh, and the remnants of BloodClan pop up in Ravenpaw’s manga trilogy, which comes out…er…soon. People always ask me when the books are coming out and I never remember!
- I've never pictured her with one white paw, but maybe it's mentioned very early on?
- He's five years old - so not elder old, but middle-aged in Warrior cat terms.
- Yes she was, sigh. And he never realized! Stupid man-cat.
- Oh, that’s a very good point! StarClan are wise enough to know that some things have to be sorted out by the Clans on their own, so that they have their own experiences to learn from. Also, the discovery of Redtail’s true murderer was vitally important for the destinies of Ravenpaw, Bluestar and Fireheart, so the fact that StarClan didn’t interfere meant each cat ended up where they were supposed to be.
- I only provided the framework; Cherith wrote the actual scene. I was both honored and humbled to be able to remember Emmy Cherry like this, and I think the scene and character that Cherith created are perfect in every way.
- I have perfect silence in my head while I write, except for sounds of the cats and forest I'm writing about - but I've seen loads of fan vids on youtube and I love the way you add soundtracks to the images!
- He's got a few lives to lose, so yes! Will he lose his ninth life? I'm not telling you.
- Ravenpaw’s manga is set in the year between the first arc and The New Prophecy. It begins not long after Firestar and Sandstorm get back from helping SkyClan – Ravenpaw meets Squirrelkit and Leafkit on his first visit to the Clans in the manga trilogy. It’s been very useful having that year to fill with extra stories, but I’m concerned there won’t be room for many more!
- I like Leafpool a lot. Often authors will make the characters they really like suffer most. I don't know why, but it's often true.
- I'm not sure, to be honest. It's something we're exploring in Omen of the Stars. I'm going to let the characters make up my mind, I think.
- I have to say that no, I don’t think of theme music while I’m writing. But I love watching your animations on YouTube and I often think, Wow! That song is perfect!
- Please can I answer this as well? Much as I love dogs), I’ve shied away from doing a canine version of Warriors so far because I feel it would be too similar in terms of storylines and set-up: Dogs live in close-knit groups organized by rank; they mark and defend their territory; they hunt for food and train the younger dogs. The main reason I chose to write about bears for Seekers was because they were so completely different from cats: independent, purely wild, solitary, at the top of the food chain yet at the mercy of humans’ destruction of their environment. I’m not saying that I’ll never write about dogs , but I’ve had my reasons for staying away from them so far.
- Okay, these are fair points, and I’ll do my best to answer them. Training still starts at dawn if you’re on an early border or hunting patrol, which usually involve most of the apprentices . The warriors still tend to eat in their ranks, although I agree we haven’t made that obvious for a while. The whole multiple-father thing, although realistic, became too difficult an issue when it came to family trees, and also to the sense that our cats are seen by many readers as moral role models. You can figure out for yourself why we streamlined all the messy relationships, then! I don’t think tick-duty takes place every day – don’t forget, a lot goes on that we don’t see on the page. Finally, the reason cats don’t bow quite as much as they used to is because every other line started to include “dipped his head”, “dipped her head”, “bowed his head”, etc. Far too repetitive for my liking! So I cut down, although it still goes on.
- About one quarter of a mile in diameter.
- No, I cannot tell you anything about who becomes leader after Firestar.
- Did I? Where does it say that? :)
- Icecloud!
- Interesting suggestion, but no.
- It was an "inconsistency". As in, I forgot. Oops.
- I have considered it, yes, but I’m reluctant to have to populate an entire Clan with brand new characters when Kate, Cherith and I have spent so long getting to know the familiar faces! Also, we've had fires, floods, rampaging dogs, and major roadworks - those ThunderClan cats seem to dodge everything I throw at them! They are invincible!
- “Kin” means “relative”, not just the closest generation. So your grandparents are your kin, your great-grandparents, your cousin’s children, their grandchildren – if anyone is linked to you by blood, they are your kin. Technically, the prophecy could have just said “your kin”, but that didn’t have the nice ring that “kin of your kin” does!
- I don't think Cloudtail would be a kittypet now. He's pretty well assimilated into the Clan. I suspect Purdy would quite like a kittypet lifestyle! Or Daisy, she likes being the center of attention.
- If they’re still alive, bwa ha ha ha. And even if they’re not, they can still shout encouragement from StarClan. Everyone keeps complaining that I kill all the young pretty cats, but haven’t you noticed I just whisk them off to StarClan so they can stay in the stories?
- Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Dovekit, and Ivykit!
- Lots of things, some good, some bad.
- Good question! I always say that I don’t write for children or adults, I just write about things that interest me, and strong characters in all different shades to bring those things about. The fact that we write about cats gives us the freedom to deal with subjects that wouldn’t normally be acceptable in a book aimed at younger readers that featured human characters – I’m thinking specifically of death, parenthood, intense political situations, violence, giving away your children, losing religious faith, madness… So joyously I don’t feel constrained at all about what I can include in the books, which is one reason why I haven’t run out of stories yet. However, there are two topics that will never fit into any of the books, and those are homosexuality and drug addiction. Not because the readers are too young , but because they don’t sit easily in a series about feral cats.
- Oh yes. there will be lots of villains!
- Oh, she’s most definitely involved.
- Soon, soon!
- Sorry, he's called Foxleap.
- Would you leave ThunderClan?
- In WindClan, Onestar stands on a boulder to address his Clanmates; in RiverClan, there’s a tree stump ; and in ShadowClan, Blackstar stands on a fallen log. )
- Yes, it is.
- Yup!
- What happens to Leafpool after the end of Power of Three arc is a central part of Omen of the Stars, so I’m not going to give anything away, I’m afraid! But I think I can say that Leafpool fans won’t be disappointed .
- Hmmm, I think maybe she's pushed herself to the front of the stage without me noticing! But perhaps I should reward her with something really exciting.
- Gosh, no, but I wish he had done! What a gorgeous classical reference.
- If she truly wanted to, then yes. Firestar knows better than most cats that you have to be in the place where your heart feels happy.
- Yes, Sorreltail has had kind of a tough life, hasn't she? But she has her pure and constant love for Brackenfur to keep her happy. Ha, I will punish her for boring romance!
- At last, there is truth on the internet! Yup, SkyClan’s Destiny and Battles of the Clans will be out next year . Allegiances of the Clans, all about the tangled romantic, political and platonic relationships in the Clans’ history, will follow in 2011. Which is very far away!
- Reedwhisker, one of the cats that Firestar and Graystripe rescued during a flood.
- Hee hee! A reader after my own heart! Happy endings are so dull, and quite unrealistic, to be honest. Life is fabulous, don’t get me wrong, but you can’t rely on what’s going on around you to make things perfect. I have a Buddhist quote on a postcard pinned to my dresser that I see first thing every morning: There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. It’s so true, and worth remembering when you get caught up thinking, I’d be happy if I had those jeans/a new iPod/a boyfriend, or IF I was thinner/taller/had different hair. Happiness doesn’t arrive in a box. It’s inside you all the time, if you look close enough. Phew, philosophical lecture over. :) Aha! Funny you should say this, SkyClan’s Destiny features exactly this theme! Civil war splits the newly formed Clan in two as Leafstar struggles to find a way for her Clan to survive among pressures and challenges that aren’t found in the forest. Also, we’ve had cats rebelling in the main series on a smaller scale, such as Mudclaw’s attempt to overthrow Onestar after Tallstar’s death. And how about Sol, turning ShadowClan upside down with his “fend for yourself” philosophy?
- You’re assuming that a cat with his kind of powers - and his unique destiny - can have a mate! Actually, I do have someone in mind. Wait until Omen Book Two for some clues!
- Longtail is younger than Mousefur - he moved to the elders' den because he lost his sight, not because he was old.
- She never had one, because she was never part of the prophecy.
- I have been asked this several times, which makes me realize I should have figured out an answer before I came up with the idea of bringing Cinderpelt back! Whatever happens will depend on how much Cinderheart learns about her previous life, and how she feels about it. Hmmm, is that suitably evasive?
- I’ll be honest : in The Sight, Hollyleaf was absolutely and totally one of the Three in the Prophecy. I always wanted to send her into a place where she would end up doing something dreadful, but I thought this would come about because she misused her extraordinary powers. But by Book Three, I just couldn’t think what Hollyleaf’s power was. Jay and Lion had walked straight into their roles from the moment they appeared in my head, but Holly seemed to reject everything I offered her, from foreseeing the future to reading minds . Nothing seemed to fit – and I realized, literally overnight, that she was never meant to have a power. She wasn’t one of the Three, and the knowledge of this would help to crush her, along with all the other doom I had lined up for her. I love it when characters find their own destinies like that! And thanks for coming to see me at Naperville. Anderson’s is one my most favourite stores to visit!
- I like Poppyfrost, too! I don’t want to give too much away, but in Omen Book One she has a mate and kits, yay! She’s a lovely character, and is getting to play more of a central role because Kate, Cherith and I are very fond of her.
- I love them all dearly because they all have such great story possibilities. Lion was a bit dull at first - the silent hunky one, yawn - but now he's much more interesting. Jay is probably my favourite to write about because of his spunky attitude.
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