TQ: What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
Erin: Oh, I have a lot of writing quirks. I don’t write in order, I love adverbs, I write pages and pages that I never end up using. I listen compulsively to the same music over and over again while I write. I’m not sure if any of these are particularly interesting, but there you go.
TQ: Who are some of your favorite writers?
Erin: Margaret Atwood, Douglas Adams, Donna Tartt, Nick Bantock, Tom Stoppard, Dashiell Hammett, Jhumpa Lahiri, Neil Gaiman, Haruki Murakami, Tom Robbins, Diana Wynne Jones, Shakespeare.
TQ: Are you a plotter or a pantser?
Erin: Traditionally I’m a pantser but having gone through so many revisions I’ve become something of a hybrid, I still write free-form to come up with material but then I try to work within a structure.
TQ: Describe The Night Circus in 140 characters or less.
Erin: It's about a singular circus & a competition held within it. A tale of love & choices & the shades of grey between the black & white.
TQ: What inspired you to write The Night Circus?
Erin: The Night Circus actually began as a tangent in a different novel, since I was never much of a planner I got bored with what I was writing and sent all the characters to the circus. The circus was a lot more interesting than anything else in that novel so I focused on that instead, developing it first as a location and then building the story into it.
TQ: What sort of research did you do for The Night Circus?
Erin: I didn’t research much, I mostly took a love of the time period and an overactive imagination and made things up. I would occasionally check to make sure elements weren’t overly anachronistic but I didn’t bend over backwards to make it historically accurate. I was delighted to discover after the fact that Barnum & Bailey’s circus did at one point have acrobats perform in evening wear, I’d had no idea when I dressed my own acrobats so formally.
TQ: Who was the easiest character to write and why? Hardest and why?
Erin: Poppet and Widget were the easiest, they were the very first characters created so in a lot of ways they’re the most familiar and I understood their personalities and their relationship with each other almost immediately.
Celia was the hardest, though now she’s the one I’m probably the closest to. She's a complicated character and she changes a lot during the course of the story so getting that right was a struggle, but a very worthwhile one.
TQ: Without giving anything away, what is/are your favorite scene(s) in the book?
Erin: It’s very difficult to choose, as I love a lot of scenes but I am particularly fond of all the scenes that Celia and Marco share and of those the anniversary party is likely my favorite, with that burst of color and passion within all the black and white.
TQ: What's next?
Erin: Next up I’m about to embark on a whirlwind of a book tour, but after that I hope to get back to working on my next novel, which is still in exploration stage and I’m looking forward to figuring out its secrets.
TQ: Thank you for joining us at The Qwillery.
Erin: You are very welcome, thank you for having me!
About The Night Circus
The Night Circus
(Doubleday, September 13, 2011)US Cover |
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.
Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.
UK Cover |
About Erin
Erin Morgenstern is a writer and artist. Most of her writings and paintings are fairy tales, in one way or another. She lives in Massachusetts.
Erin's Links
Website
Blog
The Giveaway
THE RULES
What: One commenter will win a copy of The Night Circus from The Qwillery.
How: Leave a comment answering the following question:
If you could work at a circus, what would you like to do?
Please remember - if you don't answer the question your entry will not be counted.
You may receive additional entries by:
1) Being a Follower of The Qwillery.
2) Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.
3) Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.
There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.
Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.
Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address. Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Friday, September 23, 2011. Void where prohibited by law. You must be 18 years old or older to enter.
*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*
Thank you for this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteIf I could work at a circus for sure I'll be an acrobat.
Comment √
Follower √
Twitter RT √
http://twitter.com/#!/BookaholicCat/status/114644183683309568
i want to be the magician in a circus :)
ReplyDeletepunkme15 at gmail dot com
im a blog follower =)
ReplyDeleteGFC: Jel
punkme15 at gmail dot com
tweet: https://twitter.com/#!/jelaiii_x/status/114686266615939072
ReplyDeletepunkme15 at gmail dot com
First of all, I love your contest guideline 'The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address.'
ReplyDeleteI would like to work in the 'Lost and Found' area of the circus. A circus needs a magician who can do a great disappering act and then WOW people by reappearing. :-)
I would want to be an animal handler!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the interview and giveaway!
I am a follower
ssosborn atgmail dotcom
I think I would have liked to become the Magician's apprentice in a circus as you are an inside look to their tricks.
ReplyDeleteSeemasmilz(at)Gmail(dot)com
I would love to be a magician in the circus:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
+1 comment
+1 I'm a GFC follower-Janhvi Jagtap
+1 i tweeted-http://twitter.com/#!/justjanhvi/status/114690565676871680
Janhvi
justjanhvi at gmail dot com
Oh god, if I worked in circus, I would have been one of those weird and mysterious dancers, you know? Like in Cirque du Soleil?
ReplyDeleteThank you for the giveaway! This book is on my wishlist :)
+1 comment
+1 follower
+1 shared on my blog
http://nocturnalbookreviews.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
I want to be clown.. Love to make people laugh! ^^
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
+1 comment
+1 follower
+1 Retweeted : https://twitter.com/#!/r3n87/status/114693210298785792
Thanks for the giveaway!
sawamura_foxman At yahoo DOT com
If I could work at a circus, I'd want to be a tightrope walker.
ReplyDeleteGFC follower: Nakoya
alias.known.yo at gmail dot com.
Thanks for the giveaway!
This sounds so good! Putting it on my TBR list. If I were in the circus - animal trainer, but probably not the big cats. Maybe monkeys or something.
ReplyDeleteWell it would have to be a circus with no animals (circuses are abusive to animals), but I would love to be a clown. Making kids laugh by being silly would be awesome! :)
ReplyDeletecegluna(at)Gmail(dot)com
I would love to be an animal trainer :D
ReplyDeleteGFC follower.
lesly7ch(at)yahoo(dot)com
If I worked at circus I would want to be an acrobat. I'd love to swing from the trapeze. That has always looked like so much fun.
ReplyDeletecsolinda(at)hotmail(dot)com
If I worked in a circus I would want to work with the horses- maybe be one of the trainers who got to run around with them and ride them through their show...I think it would be kinda cool! Thanks for the giveaway
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 GFC Follower
+1 Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/crazymidwestgal/status/114727914498572288
junegirl63(at)gmail(dot)com
If I could work in a circus I would be a mysterious magician's apprentice...the one who disappears and gets sawed in half! Thanks for this wonderful giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI am also a follower.
kalan108 at yahoo dot ca
thanks for the giveaway ! I would love to read this book ! If I could work at a circus, I would love to be a tightrope walker, it could be amazing !
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower
ellana_(at)hotmail(dot)fr
If I would be in a circus - which, totally random fact, I have done once! A little grounded acrobatics and balancing, fancy enough for a 10-year old - I would go for some magic things. I'm not a big fan of animals in the circus, nor clowns - It! - and big stunts are way above me, so yes, gimme some high hats! ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you so so so much for this giveaway! It's been on top of my to-buy-list since I noticed it earlier this month. Should be awesome!
+1 comment
+1 follower
jannickv[at]hotmail[dot]com
Trapeze artist! Woot :)
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 follower
Vivien
deadtossedwaves at gmail dot com
I would be... a knife juggler! even though I'd probably lose some extremities lol. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 GFC follower
+1 Tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/lesleyboogie/status/114755366335684608
+1 blog mention: http://les121.livejournal.com/16979.html
drakeLa90 at aol dot com
https://twitter.com/#!/Icecream1891/status/114761765891485696 tweeted
ReplyDeleteGFC Krystal Larson
edysicecreamlover18@gmailDOTcom
I would love to be a tight rope walker or acrobat-I'm pretty good in real life and I'm extremely bendy. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
If I could work at a circus, I would want to be an acrobat because I've always thought that it'll be amazing to be able to do what they do.
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 GFC follower
chibipooh(at)gmail(dot)com
I'd read tarotcards. And minds. Maybe even sell candyfloss.
ReplyDelete+1 GFC: Frederikke Reimer
frederikker.jb@gmail.com
Thanks for the giveaway, I have seen this book reviewed alot this week and it sounds so good. If I could work at a circus I would want to walk the tight rope.
ReplyDelete+1 Comment
+1 Follower (RachaelM)
+1 Twitted
http://twitter.com/#!/ERachaelM/status/114773718303129601
rachaelmccully@yahoo.com
I have always admired the acrobats so that is what I would pick if I had the choice.
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 GFC Follower
+1 https://www.facebook.com/pages/Book-Flame/190685457638977
+1 posted on blog sidebar (bookflame.blogspot.com)
bookflamereviews@ gmail.com
I would want to be one of those people that do the animal tricks! I think it would be so cool! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteTwitter: http://twitter.com/#!/theblogginbook/status/114792596269834241
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aMarie821/posts/287015007979080
GFC Name: Ashley Barker
Thanks!
BloggingBooks @gmail .com
Definitely the trapeze! Although I would have to get over my fear of heights first!
ReplyDelete-comment
-GFC follower
-tweeted: http://twitter.com/#!/jwitt33/status/114798190552809472
jwitt33 at live dot com
If I woked at the circus I would be a trapeze artist, they look so graceful. Thanks for the giveaway, crossing fingers
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 GFC follower
+1 tweeted- http://twitter.com/#!/joleneallcock/status/114804136926654464
june111(at)att(dot)net
I would want to be a stunt horse rider.
ReplyDeleteGFC follower
Cambonified (at) yahoo (dot) com
I would like to be an acrobat or dancer. Please enter me in contest. I am a follower and email subscriber. Tore923@aol.com
ReplyDeleteI would love to be a magician-- though I wouldn't be very good at it, haha! :-)
ReplyDeletejustforswag(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
I'd love to be a clown: freak people out.
ReplyDeleteI follow.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
If I am going to work in a circus I want to go all out. Meet the new lion tamer!
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 follower
thegirlonfire27 at gmail dot com
Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI would love to ride horses in the circus, doing amazing tricks to wow the audience!
+1 comment
+1 GFC follower - Nicki J Markus
nickijmarkus AT y7mail DOT com
If I could work at the circus I would love to do the trapeze
ReplyDeletefollow via gfc
drakebdog@gmail.com
I would want to be the animal tamer! (:
ReplyDelete+1 Comment
+1 Follower (Blissfulrains)
+1 Tweeted http://twitter.com/#!/Blissfulrains/status/115304181698543616
blissfulrains(at)yahoo(dot)com
If you could work at a circus, what would you like to do?
ReplyDeleteI would like be an aerial acrobat to style acts on aerial silks, aerial rope.
GFC : Adriana
Tweted: http://twitter.com/#!/Adrianaec7/status/115990655804780544
I'd love to be an acrobat because I can hardly do a small jump without getting myself killed!
ReplyDeletealiasgirl at libero dot it
GFC follower
Thank you for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI would like to be someone who cares for the animals.
GFC follower as Diana
I shared it on FB: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1522821560
artgiote at gmail dot com
awesome giveaway! I've heard such awesome things about this book :)
ReplyDeleteGFC ~ erin
efender1(at)gmail(dot)com
total-2
I would like to do acrobatics or be a knife juggler !
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for making this awesome give-away international !
+1 Following your blog via GFC : Ifrah
+1 comment
+1 tweeted : https://twitter.com/#!/Twinklesmile023/status/117173212105801729
Best,
Ifrah
starlight023(at)hotmail(dot)com
I was stage manager in high school and I love the idea of doing the same for a circus, getting all those personalities through a "smooth" show. What a challenge!
ReplyDelete+1 Follower
Definitely a trapeze artist/acrobat.
ReplyDelete+1 comment
+1 GFC follower (as Allie)
+1 retweeted :
https://twitter.com/#!/QQwill/status/114644183683309568
email: icecreamavalanche (at)gmail (dot) com
Thanks for the giveaway!
Thanks for the giveaway! If I worked in the circus I would just simply want to be a clown!
ReplyDeleteBornajhawkATaolDOTcom
Already follow via GFC (MamaHendo3).
ReplyDeleteBornajhawkATaolDOTcom
Tweeted giveaway: https://twitter.com/#!/MamaHendo3/status/117403813207482368
ReplyDeleteBornajhawkATaolDOTcom
I would be a trapeeze artist!!
ReplyDeletecejbguymon@hotmail.com