CJ's interview in English

We had the pleasure of make an interview to CJ Daugherty, the author of the books that lose our dream! Night School. Do you want to know what she said?... Pay ATTENTION! 

-What made you to write Night School? Did you think to writte only one book or did you think in writting more than one?

I intended to write just one book but I got 400 pages into it and realised I’d created such a complicated plot that there was no way I could finish it. That’s when it became a series.

- Would you be pleased to belong to a secret sociaty as Night School?

Probably not. I’m kind of a loner in real life. I’ve never joined any group. Once, in school, I joined the flag twirlers (it’s a thing in American marching bands) just so I could know what it was like to be in a group. I did like it. We got to wear cool uniforms. But I never really joined anything again. I prefer to be alone, reading. And I’m very picky about who my friends are. 

-If you could become a character of the book even if you're not like him, Which one would it be?

Rachel. She’s super intelligent and good at science. I’m rubbish at science.

-When you're writting one book of Night School and you run out of ideas, What do you do in order to make the ideas to come back?

I go for long walks in the woods around my house. I set the school near where I live. So the school grounds look like the area around my house, with forests and streams and ponds. There’s a ruined abbey instead of a ruined castle. I go to these places that look like Cimmeria and then the ideas come to me. Also, my husband is brilliant, and when I get stuck he helps me come up with ways to get unstuck.

-When I read one of your books I'm constantly in tension, there always mistery after mistery, Do you think is that what identifies you as a writer?

I think all thriller writers create a world in which things go horribly wrong and the characters have to get through it – that is the heart of the thriller. I think what identifies me as a writer is the way the characters change as the book progresses. So at the end of Book 1, none of the characters are the same as they were at the beginning. They’ve all been changed by their experiences. The same is true in Book 2 – they get wiser, tougher. They react like real people react. 

-We think you make a good selection when you picked up Ryan and Louis as Carter and Sylvain, and of course, Jessica as Allie, Did you have a hard time to find the actor to cover the characters of your book?

Jessica was recommended to us by one of her college teachers, who is a friend of mine. She knew I was looking for an Allie and she showed us Jess’ picture on her phone. I knew instantly she could play the part – with a little hair dye, of course! Both Louis and Campbell Challis, who plays Carter, we found on an acting website, where actors post their resumes and pictures. We started with a list of 10 actors and narrowed it down to these two. When we met them, they were both PERFECT. 

-When Allie met her grand-mother Lucinda, I thought I was going to be warner meeting, Why did you want that it wouldn't be a warn meeting?

Lucinda is an incredibly powerful person. In my experience, powerful people are rarely warm. Also Lucinda felt guilty – after all, she could have insisted on getting to know her granddaughter at any point, and she didn’t. I have often noticed that very powerful people, when in the wrong, go on the attack. I don’t know if it’s to make themselves feel better or just because attacking is what they DO. Then there’s Allie – who doesn’t know who to trust. She’s naturally suspicious and hurt, because her grandmother never tried to meet her. I always viewed that meeting is cautious, cool, and distant. But inside, I think, each of them longs to be loved by the other.

-The Night School: Fracture is in the book stores in England already, but Spanish Nighters can not enjoy it until the winter. Anything you could give us ahead of time?

Fracture starts a couple of months after the end of Legacy. Allie has gone through the stages of grief and stopped at the anger stage. She’s very, very angry. Angry not just at Nathaniel, but at the people who she believes let Jo down. Particularly herself. She blames herself for not saving Jo. Now she wants revenge. She’s convinced herself that if she can find Nathaniel and Gabe and kill them she will have avenged Jo. And then, she thinks, she will stop hurting. 

-We already know that you're actually writting Night School: Resistance but, have you already thought how is going to be the end of Night School saga?

I have thought about it. From the start I’ve known how it was going to end. The only problem is, I keep changing my mind! But yes, I have a good idea how this goes. We’ll see what happens when I write it…

-How do you feel as you notice that your Night Schoolis more known everytime around the world?

It’s amazing!! Night School is very popular in countries that are so different – Germany, Poland, France, Spain, Israel. I think it’s wonderful that people find something in this story and in these characters that they can relate to, wherever they live in the world.

-What would you prefer, that Night School would jump to the cinema or a TV serie? In the second case, Do you think it would be translated to spanish for the Spanish Nighters?

I’d love for Night School to be either. Each has good points. TV shows can take time with the story and build the characters. Films are thrilling and fast. So really, I’d be very happy with either! And, yes, I’m sure if either gets made, there will be a Spanish version!

NOW NIGHTERS WINNER QUESTIONS:

Question of @destielx: Who do you like better, Carter or Sylvain?

I think I like Sylvain best, because he’s taken such a complex journey from spoiled little rich boy to thoughtful, caring young man. He could walk away from Cimmeria at any point – he’s rich enough to do it – but he stays and risks his life over and over again. All because he’s in love with Allie. 

@rainybeth sais: If you had the chance to bring to life one of your characters, Who will it be and why?

Allie. Because I absolutely love her and I want to give her a hug. I think people like her change the world.

The last question is from @Rose_K2: What inspires you for created Allie, Carter and Sylvain?

There’s no single thing that inspired them. I had a difficult childhood and a broken family, and I can really relate to children from that kind of situation, so I wanted a main character who was dealing with a situation where her family had fallen apart. I wanted her to be clever and angry – because I think those two elements are incredibly powerful when mixed together. And I wanted all the characters in the book to be complicated and real. None of them could be plastic. So I created Sylvain, a spoiled, smart prince of a boy, and Carter, a wounded, angry young man with a good heart. Neither of them is a traditional Prince Charming. Each has serious flaws – Sylvain is selfish and used to taking whatever he wants; Carter is angry and possessive. But, by the end of Book 2, each of them is a hero in his own way. Each of them has sacrificed himself for someone else. Each of them has learned and grown. And the same is true of Allie, the real hero in this series. If you think about it, she does nothing in this series but put herself on the line for other people. She’s more of a hero than either of the boys. 

Than you very much for all!

Kisses and hugs form Spain!