“House of Night” authors talk about writing, end of their series
"House of Night" authors P.C. Cast (left) and Kristin Cast.
P.C. Cast is part of the mother-daughter team writing the "House of Night" series.
Kristin Cast is half of the mother-daughter duo writing the popular "House of Night" series.
“House of Night” is a 12-piece series that follows the adventures of Zoey Redbird, who has recently become “fledgling vampyre” and is required to attend the House of Night boarding school in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Authors P.C Cast and Kristin Cast — who recently visited Salt Lake City — have been very successful. Their books in the “House of Night” series have been on the New York Times Best Seller list for 63 weeks and have sold more than 7 million copies in North America and more than 10 million books worldwide, in 39 countries.
Their final book in the series is “Redeemed,” released on Oct. 14. The mother-daughter team of P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast came to The King’s English Bookstore on Oct 22 to sign copies of the latest book in their popular series.
I had the opportunity to sit down with the two of them and ask them several questions; during the interview, I learned a lot about the authors that not everyone knows.
The first question I asked the Cast clan was, “How did you start your writing career?” Kristin answered by saying in first grade she wrote “Debbie the Blue Whale,” which did not get published.
• Are you excited about the release of “Redeemed”?
“Yes! We are very excited for the book to come out.” P.C. said.
• Have you become attached to these characters after writing so many books on them?
“We have become super attached to them. We started writing the series in 2005,” Kristin said.
• Who are your favorite characters?
Kristin said her favorite character is Damien because she feels that they would be friends in real life. P.C said that Aphrodite is her favorite because she is the most fun to write about, but of course she loves Zoey.
My personal favorite character in “House of Night” is Stark because he is good-looking in my mind and so sweet to Zoey.
Jordan Garcia, who attended the book signing and is from Salt Lake Community College, said that she “hates and loves all of the characters.”
When Kristin and P.C. Cast first started to write the series, they had a three-book contract and had no intention of it becoming as big as it currently is. When the third book debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list, their publisher said that they could write how ever many books they wanted, so they expanded the world and it just happened to end up being a dozen books.
One West Valley woman attending the book signing said she has read all 12 books and is glad that the authors didn’t stop at a trilogy. I also have read all the books and would agree; I would have been super disappointed if the series ended at three.
The final question that I asked Kristin and P.C was, “What advice would you give to young aspiring writers?” P.C said her advice was to treat it like it’s a job; too many people glamorize being an author. You need to understand how the book comes from your mind onto paper, she added.
Kristin’s advice was to not get stuck in writer’s block; just sit down and write so you can you get over it.
According to the “House of Night” website (www.thehouseofnight.com), “Redeemed” is “the final electrifying novel” of the series. “Neferet has finally made herself known to mortals. A Dark Goddess is loose on Tulsa and the world. No single vampyre is strong enough to vanquish her — unless that creature has the power to summon the elements as well as the ability to wield Old Magic. Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power … but because of the consequences of using Old Magic, she is unable to help. Find out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.”
If you haven’t read all the books or none of the series at all, the first book was “Marked,” followed by “Betrayed,” “Chosen,” “Untamed,” “Hunted,” “Tempted,” “Burned,” “Awakened,” “Destined,” “Hidden,” “Revealed” and, finally, “Redeemed.”
I have not finished “Redeemed” yet but I’m addicted to it and love they way it’s going. I am sad that this series is over; I have read these books over the course of three years and feel like the characters are a part of me. I almost want to drag out reading this last book just so I don’t have to say goodbye to the characters.
Morgan Pales is a senior at Fremont High School. She enjoys writing and playing on a travel softball team. Contact her at mpales45@gmail.com.