Author Interview: Cara Lynn Shultz, Author of Spellbound

Today is the official release date for Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz! This was one of the most enjoyable books I have had the pleasure of reading in recent weeks (see my review HERE). Spellbound is chock full of everything from mystery to romance to weighty issues that teens face every day. I recently had the privilege of asking Cara Lynn some questions about her book, YA lit, and the issues she portrays so well in the pages of Spellbound. If you haven't already, I highly recommend that you read it very soon. Otherwise, you will miss out on a fun and intriguing read.

From Goodreads:

What's a girl to do when meeting The One means she's cursed to die a horrible death?

Life hasn't been easy on sixteen-year-old Emma Conner, so a new start in New York may be just the change she needs. But the posh Upper East Side prep school she has to attend? Not so much. Friendly faces are few and far between, except for one that she's irresistibly drawn to—Brendan Salinger, the guy with the rock-star good looks and the richest kid in school, who might just be her very own white knight.

But even when Brendan inexplicably turns cold, Emma can't stop staring. Ever since she laid eyes on him, strange things have been happening. Streetlamps go out wherever she walks, and Emma's been having the oddest dreams: visions of herself in past lives—visions that warn her to stay away from Brendan. Or else.

Marla: Hi, Cara Lynn! Congratulations on the release of your book, Spellbound. First off, I want to say that I really enjoyed your book. What gave you the idea of implementing past lives and reincarnation in the plot of Spellbound?

Cara Lynn: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with the characters at first, to be honest. Emma and Brendan were characters that I'd had for quite some time, and at the end of 2008, I took the characters out and began playing with them. I had a tenuous plotline, at best, in mind. So I just kept writing, exploring different storylines that I thought might work, letting the characters do what they wanted and seeing if it worked. Then one night, I stayed up all night on a writing tear, and I just found it the story that way. That was the night I wrote the book-within-a-book story, and it all just clicked. I don't know if anything inspired it particularly—there wasn't an a-ha! moment—but I've always been fascinated by the idea of reincarnation and past lives.

M: Your characters are very engaging and fun to read about. Do you have a particular favorite?

CL: Thanks! They're fun to write. My favorite characters change as I'm writing. I adore Aunt Christine, because she's heavily based on my grandmother and my aunt. And I love writing Ashley because she's so gleeful and inherently good. Brendan is a blast to write, because he walks a fine line of bad boy and nice guy. But Emma is probably my favorite. I always feel a little guilty when I put her through hell.

M: As I am sure a lot of readers will be interested, will there be a sequel?

CL: Yes! I'm working on it now.

M: Emma undergoes a lot of bullying. Would you say that shedding light on this tough subject was a goal when you set out to write this book?

CL: Yes. One thing that was especially important to me to show was Emma and Brendan's unblinking acceptance of Cisco. His sexuality doesn't matter to them, because it shouldn't. The strength of someone's character is important, not who they love.

M: I really loved that aspect, as well, and couldn't agree more. Can you tell us about any recent reads you have enjoyed and would recommend?

CL: Just two days ago, I read If I Die which was fantastic. I keep raving about it because I honestly really love Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers series. And I adore the mash-up books: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Seth Grahame-Smith) and Little Vampire Women (Lynn Messina). I've been on a zombie kick lately. Breathers: A Zombie's Lament by S.G. Browne was awesome.

M: I especially loved the role folklore played in Spellbound. Are there certain folk tales or mythologies that you especially enjoy or were inspired by?

CL: I took four years of Latin in high school (Emma's hatred of Latin is 100% how I felt about it), but I do enjoy the ancient tales of the gods and goddesses. I can't wait to read Aimee Carter's The Goddess Test. But generally speaking, I love fairy tales—and classic fairy tales are the ones that inspired Spellbound. There's some serious Cinderella action happening with Emma. She's got the fairy godmother, the prince, the wicked stepsisters (mean girls at school), evil stepfather...if we wanted to stretch the analogy, the necklace could be seen as her glass slipper, showing the prince that she's his true love.

M: I can definitely see the Cinderella in Emma. If you could meet one author past or present, who would you want to meet?

CL: Hmm...this is tough. I think, for this answer, I have to go way back to when I was a little kid, and pick Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was the very first author I was obsessed with.

M: After the huge response to the YASaves Twitter campaign, a lot of adult readers have been discussing the importance of YA. What would you say is the one current YA novel you most wish had been available when you were a teen?

CL: I'm thrilled that YA now gives a voice to teens who feel like they don't have one. I can't pick a particular one, because I think when it comes to the books that tackle these deeper issues, they're all crucial. Even if you, particularly, weren't struggling at the time, the book might give you a better understanding of a friend who is.

M: That's a very good point. Thank you so much for being here at Starting the Next Chapter today. Is there anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?

CL: Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy Spellbound!

Cara Lynn Shultz's love of supernatural writing began when she was seven and wrote a play about ghosts, which she and her friends acted out on her grandparents' porch. Since then, her work has appeared in Teen People, Alternative Press, Stuff, Us Weekly, The Guardian UK and countless posts on Facebook and Twitter. She is a proud graduate of Fordham University and is currently a senior editor at People.com. Cara lives in her native New York City with her husband, tuxedo cat and eight million other people. Spellbound is her first novel.

Bio and photograph procured at Harlequin.com. Photo credit: Melinda Oswandel