The author of the book, Erika Johansen, gave an interview after the release of the last book of the trilogy. There might be spoilers in it. I haven't read the last two books yet as I want to re-read the first one first so I haven't read all the questions and answers of the interview because I was scared of the spoilers. I'll bold what I'm sure is not spoiler-y.
Feel free to talk about the books in the comments. So to those who haven't read the last one, there might be spoilers in the comments section too.
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Q: Were you ready to part with Kelsea Glynn and the Tearling, or were you reluctant to see the story end?
A: Let’s just say I was relieved to be able to take a break from the lot of them. That said, I’m not sure the story’s over…
Q: What initially prompted you to write the Queen of the Tearling?
A: I wanted to write about a better class of leader than we generally see today, and how she might deal with such pertinent issues as socioeconomic inequality and a migrant crisis. President Obama was definitely an inspiration.
Q: The Fate of the Tearling reveals many secrets about Kelsea, the Crossing, William Tear and the Red Queen. How challenging was it to tie everything together, particularly because you use multiple points of view?
A: Very challenging. I’m still not entirely satisfied with the results—which is, admittedly, par for the course with me. Some characters received shorter shrift than they deserved, but I suppose that’s the great danger of writing under deadline.
Q: Kelsea has quite a few similarities to Queen Elizabeth I, the most significant ones being her desire to never marry and her love for her land and her subjects. Was Elizabeth I an inspiration when you created the character of Kelsea Glynn?
A: Yes—good catch! I’m constantly impressed by Elizabeth Tudor, not least because she deliberately sacrificed her own personal life for the good of the kingdom. That’s the decision of a good monarch and a strong woman, and I don’t see it echoed nearly enough in fiction nowadays, when everything for female characters seems to turn on romance. For Kelsea, it’s all about the job, and I wish there were more such heroines out there.
Q: The ending was quite surprising, at least it wasn’t at all how I imagined the story was going to end. Did you have the ending planned since the first book, or did it develop as you were writing The Fate of the Tearling?
A: I had a different ending planned until I finished the second book. Then I came up with the ending you see on the page. It broke my heart, but I had to do it.
Q: How do you think readers will feel about the choices Kelsea makes in the end about the Tearling and herself?
A: I understand that many readers long for an unequivocally happy ending with everything neatly tied up, but I felt that to do so would underserve the story. I am prepared for some readers to object to the ending, but I also hope that an equal number will be pleased.
Q: How true are the rumors of a Queen of the Tearling movie adaptation with Emma Watson as Kelsea? If true, is there a tentative release date for the film?
A: When The Queen of the Tearling was published, Emma Watson, David Heyman and Warner Brothers optioned the rights to the film. But there is no release date that I’m aware of.
Q: Now that The Queen of the Tearling trilogy is over, what future projects are in the works for you?
A: More Tearling, actually. I have so much more story to tell!
blogcritics via harlow
21 comments:
Clearly the series wasn't nearly the success it was anticipated to be. Of course I'd love to see Emma in another multi-part series, but at this point it doesn't seem likely.
Agree with the author when she said she isn't sure the story is over. The ending felt a bit contrived and unsatisfactory. The book itself, although a riveting read, doesn't feel complete. Hopefully, Ms. Johansen will write more Tearling books because it's a wonderful, different world than what we read in dystopian fantasy genre.
I really do hope they make the trilogy into either a movie franchise or TV series like GoT because the books have a lot of potential to connect with the audience.
No Christmas message to her fans from Emma on twitter? Poor form.
Why would that lack of contact bother you anon as you don't appear to be one of the fanbase.
GoT is not active as far as I know but she does keep announcements for when she has something noteworthy. So we shall see.
No need to go after Anon. I liked it too when she left messages but she barely ever communicates anymore (even when it's cinema related) unless it's about feminism.
^ Thanks Eden and your so right. Take ten seconds to post a quick message.
I also found the ending to the QoT unsatisfactory. The ending did not fit with the rest of the story. I felt like the author did not really know where she was writing in Bk. 3. She is a good writer, but the 3rd book does not seem believeable. I will not read anymore Tearling. I think I would rather read the next generation at Hogwarts.
Right! Emma does not post anything anymore. I have been wondering if she is bowing out of acting. No roles seem to be in sight. If you look at the imdb of her peers, some roles are at the pre stage or announced. I'm just interested in her film plans. But non of the former HP stars seem to be going anywhere. Rupert has two series in postproduction in which he stars and serves as producer. of the trio, Dan seems to be the only one with jobs. I have not been interested in any of them. Matt lewis was in film with Sam Claflin. It was good. Now he is in Terminal. I feel like his coming is slow but steady.
I think Emma said that the only reason she didn't have a pixie anymore was because it was easier to get roles when having long hair (don't know why she didn't say how sexist that is), so to me the fact that her hair was long enough when she cut it, to be able to be considered long a year later means that she's interesting in getting more roles. Also, I'm sure she knows that without acting, she won't be able to bring light to feminism as much as she can now.
Hair-style is a matter of taste. I like her nape length, full hair. She is 26, and maybe that bushy long hair is no longer appropriate. Otherwise, I think she looks in whatever style she chooses.
She would be great playing Tom Hooper's upcoming CATS.
She had short hair for wallflower not sure the comments about her pixie cut are true besides she was 20 at the time and just after potter was not yet a commited feminist at that time. Becoming feminist is a process for most of us.
She is now of course and respected at the highest levels no matter what she choses to do in the future. As to comments she has been busy and reporting on her acting and activists for months maybe she just wanted a private holidays this year.
She's the one who said it was easier to get roles when having long hair, not me.
And we know she's been reporting about her activism for months, that's basically all she tweets about. I don't want her to stop, I just want her to balance things out.
She may well have but was not a feminist at that time she may not have felt confident enough. Its a big commitment standing for activism I know and online people can be brutal. She has been busy and maybe she has decided to have some downtime.
I also miss her conversational tone online but can understand why she does not do it has often now. She may come back to it but can't see criticism doing much to encourage that. All we can do is give the benfit of the doubt and wait.
She was already calling herself a feminist in 2011.
I was calling myself one 2015 did not really know what I was doing. You have accused me of thinking she is too perfect in the past. Why do you expect it of her now. She has admitted to bring unsure of herself during the early days. We all are Eden activism is a process and not without challenges I know that for certain myself.
I expect her to be perfect? Please tell me you're joking. And I don't accuse you of anything, I just state facts. You are literally unable not to go after someone who would say something that doesn't go along the lines of "Emma's great, Emma's grand, all hail Emma!"
And this is my last comment about this because you're making such a big deal out of the most little things, I don't know why I bother.
I did not mean to offend you. I am just offering alternative view of these facts. Which mean nothing in themselves without some context which I am, using my own experiences, attempting to provide.
#For wWallflower, according to the book, she should have had long brown hair. The short hair was for a change and she auditioned supposedly for Dragon Tatoo with the short hair.
I would have liked to have seen her in Dragon Tatoo she would have brought something very different to that.
I really think she needs to look at THE GREEN RIDER series. I think that would be a better story to make into a movie with her in the lead!
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