Harvard Book Store; WGBH Forum Network; Kristin Cashore: Fire

And now it's my pleasure to welcome Kristen can sure. Kristin is a graduate of Williams College and the Center for the study of children's literature at Simmons College and she pursued her writing career she has held jobs as a dog runner a packer in a candy factory. An editorial assistant and a legal assistant as well as a freelance writer. And in 2008 she felt poet published her first book Grace sling which is a New York Times bestseller and has won her awards including the American Library Association best books for young adults and it has also appeared on several lists of the best books of 2008. Kristen's new book Fire is a prequel of sorts to Grace Lange. It is set in the same world 30 years earlier in a spot in the mountains called the Dells. It tells the story of a girl named fire the last remaining human shaped monster of the dolls who is impossibly beautiful and control can control the minds of humans. As I was reading up on the book this morning I was and I was I found one of my favorite ever I think reviews on good reads which after expressing some trepidation about reading a prequel to Graceland which the reviewer

had really loved. She went on to write ha. Oh ye of little faith. Kristen can shore is an absolute gift to our world. Fire is even better. All in caps and Graceland. After the reading tonight we will have time for plenty of questions followed by a signing here at the front. As always I'd like to thank anyone who purchases a copy of either for books this evening both of which we have over at the registers. By doing so you're supporting both an independent bookstore as well as this author series. And now please join me in welcoming Chris and Chris shore. Bright red isn't my usual skin. That was very sweet thank you. So what I thought I would do first tonight is just say thank you because the two days before Thanksgiving maybe isn't the nicest night to ask people to come out to event but there are so

many people here and that's just so nice. Are there Simmons people here. Welcome Simmons people. And there I since it's a local event I also see some some friends in the audience which is really really nice. So anyway I just want to say thanks and well I'm going to do is I'm going to read a little bit from fire and then I'm going to. Rather a little bit about my process and then if anyone has any questions I'll answer them. So a little bit of intro just so that the scene that I read makes sense. Rachel explained a little bit about what fire is about. If you've read gray sling fire is a standalone. Prequel ish companion it takes place in the same universe. It's the same planet event but it's in a different world entirely in Graceland if you've read it you'll remember that it's a very occasionally people are born with bizarre special powers and you can

recognise these people by the fact that they have two different color eyes in fire. Fire takes place in a canoe called the Dells and there are no grace things in the dells. But as Rachel said there are creatures called Monsters and monsters have the shape of normal animals so horses fish dragon flies birds whatever but they're bizarrely gorgeously colored and they have the power to control minds. And so a brown horse in the dells is a horse. But. Iridescent green horse with the gold mane is a monster and some of them are very dangerous. The mountain lion monsters or the Raptor monsters or the bear or wolf monsters are predators and they mesmerize you and then they attack. So my main character fire is 17 years old at the opening of the book and she is the last remaining human shaped monster in the dell she has wild crazy hair.

She has the power to control people's minds. And because of that mind reading mind control thing she's pretty much hated by everyone and mistrusted but she has a human appreciation of right and wrong and she avoids using her powers whenever she can. I'm going to tell you the names of a few people just as background for the scene I'm reading which incidentally if you're a person who's worried about spoilers it's very early in the book and nothing I'm telling you is going to be something you won't know very soon quickly so don't worry too much about remembering all the names. As I read it should be clear. But just to give you a little you know the background you need fire's father was named cancel and he was not a nice guy. He he in the previous king of the Dells King Nax pretty much lived for their own pleasure. Drinking doing drugs sleeping with people while the kingdom fell into ruin around them and.

Cancer was a monster I don't know if a monster as well I don't remember if I said that. But anyway both Nax and cancer are dead now but the mess that they left behind still remains. And there are some people who are kind of trying to get things back into order. King Nash is the young leader of the Dells. His brother brigand is the commander of the army and spends most of his time in the mountains putting down uprisings and Nash and bringing his mother roan lives in a fortress in the north of the Dells and she dispenses supplies to anyone in the kingdom who's on the side of peace so if you need spies or soldiers or weapons she dispenses those. Like I said Don't worry if you've already forgotten all those names in the scene I'm going to read to you fire is visiting Roan in her northern fortress and unfortunately both of her own sons King Nash and Commander Bergen have shown up kind of randomly with a quarter of the army and fires basically spending her entire visit trying to

avoid them because it would be fair to say that the girl monster who can read minds and control minds is just about their least favorite person. So that's where we are when I start reading. Oh and the one name that you might want to remember is small. Who is fires horse. OK. She didn't want trouble. She only wanted the stars to tire her so that later she could sleep without dreams. She knew she would have to find her way to an outer window to see them. She decided to try the stables because she was unlikely to run into any kings or princes there at this time of night and at least if she found no sky facing windows there she would be with small. She covered her hair before she left and wore dark clothing. She passed guards and servants and of course some of them stared but as always in this fortress no one bothered her. Roan saw to it that the people under her roofs learned how to guard their

minds as best they could. Rowe knew the value of it. The roof passageway to the stables was empty and smelled comfortably of clean hay and horses. The stables were dark lit by a single lantern at the near end. They were asleep the horses most of them including her small. He stood as he dozed plane in quiet leaning sideways like a building about to talk. It might have worried her except that he often slept like that. Leaning one way or the other. There was a window to the sky at the far end of the building but when she went to it she saw no stars. A cloudy night she turned back down the long row of horses and stopped again before small smiling at his sleeping posture. She eased the door open and sidled her way into his stall. She would sit with him for a while as he slept and hum herself to tiredness. Even Archer couldn't object. No one would find her curled up as she was against Smalls doorway. No one who came into the stables would even see her. And if small a bloke it would not surprise him to find

his lady crooning at his feet. Small was accustomed to her nighttime behavior. She settled herself down and breathed a song about her leaning horse. A small nudge her awake and she knew instantly that she was not alone. She heard a male voice baritone very quiet very near. I fight these looters and smugglers because they oppose the king's rule said the voice. But what right to rule do we have really. You frighten me when you talk like this. A female voice responded roans voice fire pushed herself against Small's door. What has the king done in thirty years to deserve allegiance. Said the male voice. Bergen said roan warningly. I understand the motivations of some of my enemies better than I understand my own brigand said. Bergen said this is your fatigue speaking. Your brother is a fair minded king you know that. And with your influence he does good. He has some of father's

tendencies Bergen said. Well what will you do ask groan. Let the Raiders and smugglers have their way. Leave the kingdom to lord my dog and his thug of a sister or Lord gentian preserving Nash's kingship is the best hope for the Dells. And if you break with him you'll start a civil war for ways. You gnash my dog gentian I fear to think you would come out on top not you with the allegiance of the king's army split between yourself and your brother. This was a conversation fire should not be hearing not under any circumstances not in any world. She understood this now but there was no helping it for to reveal her presence would be disastrous. She didn't move barely breathed and listened hard despite herself because doubt in the heart of the king's brother and military commander was an astonishing thing. Mildly now and with a tone of concession broken said Mother you go too far. I could never break with my brother you know that. And you know I don't want the kingship. This again and

it's no comfort to me said roan. If Nash is killed you'll have to be king. The twins are older than I said Bergen. You're being deliberately obtuse tonight said roan. Karen is ill. Clara is female and both of them are illegitimate. The dolls will not get through this time without a king who is kingly. I'm not King Lee. Twenty two years old roan said commanding the king's army as well as broker did your soldiers would fall on their own swords for you. You are a kingly alright frikken said. But Rock's mother I hope will never be called King. He once hoped you'd never be a soldier roan said. Don't remind me he said his voice tired. My life is an apology for the life of my father. A long silence fire sat on breathing a life that was an apology for the life of his father. It was a notion she could understand beyond words and thought she understood it the way she understood music. Small stirred and poked his

head out of his stall to examine the low voiced visitors. Just tell me you'll do your duty brigand Rone said. Her use of Britain's royal name deliberate. A shift in his voice. Britain was laughing under his breath. I've become such an impressive warrior that you think I run around the mountains sticking swords into people because I enjoy it. When you talk like this Ron said you can't blame me for worrying. I'll do my duty mother Britton said as I have done every day. You and Nash will make the Dells into something worth defending she said. You'll re-establish the order in the justice that next uncancel destroyed with their carelessness. Suddenly and with no humor in his voice Reagan said I don't like this monster roans voice softened. Nash is not next. She said and fire is not her father. No he said she's worse. She's female. She's a thing I can't see Nash resisting. Reagan said Fire has no interest in Nash. She does not so deuced kings and

ensnare them. I hope you're right Mother Britain said because I don't care how highly you think of her. If she's like her father all snapped her neck. Fire pushed herself into the corner. She was accustomed to hatred but still it was a thing that made her cold and tired every time she was tired thinking of the defenses she would have to build against this man. And then above her and in Congress thing Reagan reached a hand to the muzzle of her horse. Poor fellow he said stroking Small's nose. We walk you go back to sleep. It's her horse roan said the Horse of the monster you threaten. Oh well you're a beauty brigand said to small his voice light. And your owner is not your fault. Small nuzzled the hand of his new friend. And when Roan and Regan left. Fire was gripping her skirts in both fists swallowing an infuriating fondness that she could not reconcile. At least if he decided to hurt her she could trust him not to hurt her horse.

So that sometime after I finish writing it. That's all I really can say it's kind of like for me it doesn't feel like I have any idea when it's going to end until I've written the last line and it's going to need a lot of revision so sorry I can't give you a more complete answer. So I read a certain amount of fantasy but I also try really hard to read things that are really different from what I'm writing so I'll read a lot of mysteries. The problem with that is that I read mysteries and I you know read more and more mysteries and I start to think I really need to write them and start tearing them apart too and I have become so ridiculously critical of books because I spend all day long tearing apart my own sentences. And it's really hard to open a book and not tear apart the sentences when you've

been spending all day doing that. So I'm always looking for things that are dramatically different from what I write.