Hallo from Warriors (Guest Blogger: Erin Hunter)
Hallo!
Welcome to the first in a series of four special blogs from Erin Hunter - yep, all of us! We’re thrilled to have been invited here as a guest blogger, especially because this is such a hugely exciting time in history. Have you been following the election as closely as we have? It’s been a rollercoaster ride of triumph, soaring expectation and crashing disappointment, from the preliminary rounds through each stage of voting until now, the day when the result will finally be revealed. Obama vs. McCain? Well, obviously that’s pretty important, but what I’m talking about is the race to become Warriors’ ULTIMATE CLAN LEADER.
Eight cats lined up at the start, leaders past and present of the four main Clans, and each stage of voting left just half standing for the next round. The shock finalist was Crookedstar, former leader of RiverClan, who bravely took on Firestar of ThunderClan. Who won? Check out www.warriorcats.com for the final result - and don’t forget to check the website in January for a free, exclusive short story about what happened when the brand new Ultimate Clan Leader took control...
Thank you to everyone who voted, and huge congratulations to those who supported their candidates right to the end. Every vote counted, and every voice, however small, was heard loud and clear.
A successful election is about wearing your heart on your sleeve, believing passionately enough about something to want to make a difference, and joining up with other people who feel the same. It’s a celebration of individual voices as well as perfect teamwork, and having faith in getting the right result if you all pull together. Which is not a million miles away from how the four Erins work together on Warriors and now, super-excitingly, Seekers. What we share is a huge love of animals, which means we’re all rather obsessed about our fabulous pets. So let us introduce ourselves, and our current four-legged companions, and reveal a few of the mysteries about how we create the stories. (Actually, it’s not very mysterious, but it is a lot of FUN.)
It all starts with me, Vicky Holmes. I come up with the storylines and characters, and then work with the others on each script to make sure it sounds exactly “Erin”, and fits in with the rest of the series. So I’m part-editor, part-storyteller, part-co-author, and totally Evil Controller of Hapless Cats! Yes, I’m the one responsible for killing all the young, pretty cats. And for making it just a little bit difficult to hate the villains - is anyone going to dispute that Tigerstar was the bravest of all the warriors? Or that Scourge of BloodClan had some pretty impressive leadership skills? It probably won’t come as a surprise that I’m not really a “cat” person; I think they’re gorgeous to look at and fabulous to write about, but if I were on a desert island, I’d rather have a dog to keep me company. Luckily for me, I don’t have to wait to be shipwrecked, as I have an adorable Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Missy who makes a great canine cheerleader in the dark hours when I’m struggling to pull stories out of my head.
At the start of each series of six books, I come up with a “story arc”, an idea for what needs to happen in the overall sequence of books, and who the central characters will be. Once this has been approved by the publisher, I create a very detailed storyline for each book. I figure out what needs to happen in each chapter, how the characters will develop, and most importantly of all, which cats must DIE. <<evil laugh>> Then I pass the storyline (which is about one-third of the length of the finished book) to one of the other Erins, who will expand it into a full-length script. Often my co-Erin will suggest handling a scene differently, or making a character do something else in response to a dramatic event. We have some very intense telephone conversations and e-mail exchanges then, as we figure out exactly what a certain cat would do, and how they would do it! That’s the best part of being an Erin, for me: getting into the most detailed discussions with another Erin about a world that feels completely real to us, even though it only exists in our imaginations…
That script, known as the first draft, comes back to me and I go through it very carefully to check that the story unfolds as I imagined it would, the characters say what I hoped they would, and it all sounds suitably “Erin”. It’s a bit like speaking a different language that all four Erins share! Sometimes I ask my co-Erin to make some changes to scenes or characters at this stage. Once the script is polished and shining and reading well, I send it to our editor at HarperCollins. She usually asks for a few more changes, which either I or my co-Erin take care of. One more read-through, and that’s it! Another book is ready for your delectation and delight - although it takes several months, and even up to a year, for the book to appear in bookstores after this point. It needs a gorgeous cover, blurb on the back to hint at what happens in the story, and lots of marketing so that everyone knows to expect another episode in the history of the Clans.
Kate Cary was the first of the Erins to work on Warriors. She wrote Into the Wild and Fire and Ice, Books One and Two in the first series. That seems like a long time ago now! Kate has two (rather floppy, cuddly) warriors of her own: Miu-Miu (who is a HE, in spite of his name!) and Flower (pictured here). They were part of a litter of four kittens who were rescued by an animal welfare in Scotland, where Kate used to live.
Cherith Baldry joined the team for Book Three, Forest of Secrets. She owns the only two warriors that feature as themselves in the books: Brambleclaw and Sorreltail. The real Sorreltail is as playful and loving as her literary counterpart, but it has to be said that the real Brambleclaw is probably a bit more straightforward and openly affectionate than the current ThunderClan deputy. Sorreltail’s favourite trick is to lie on Cherith’s keyboard when she’s trying to write!
Last year, we welcomed a fourth Erin to the ranks: Tui Sutherland, the only Erin who lives in America. Tui wrote the Warriors Field Guide: Secrets of the Clans, and then took on the challenge of starting off the brand new series about bears, with Seekers Book One: The Quest Begins. In fact, Tui has been involved with us right from the beginning, because she was the very first editor of Warriors when she worked for our publisher, HarperCollins. I was very glad when Tui officially became an Erin because now I’m not the only “dog” person! Tui owns an adorable bundle of fluff, part-Yorkshire Terrier, part-poodle, called Sunshine (seen here).
So that’s the team: four writers, four cats and two dogs. The advantages of having four Erins are that we can produce more books than one person working on their own, and that there’s always someone to talk to if you get stuck on an idea. There are NO disadvantages: We’re a team, each of our voices counts as much as the others, and we all have a limitless amounts of passion for the worlds, cat and bear, that we have created.
Until next time, all best wishes
Vicky, Kate, Cherith and Tui x
Hazelleaf on November 07, 2008 at 02:03 PM
How long does it usually take you to write up the first draft, Vicky? Also, Is there a picture of Missy posted anywhere? I may have missed it, my school's computers have image processing issues sometimes :)
~Hazelleaf of RiverClan
A light ginger tabby with blue eyes
Hawkflower on November 07, 2008 at 06:03 PM
Hi! I just wanted to let you know that you are my FAVORITE author! I also have some questions:
When does Sunrise come out and why can't I get any information on it?
Is the forth apprentice in the fourth series someone we've already met?
Why hasn't Tigerstar spoken with Hollyleaf?
Thanks for your time!!! =)
~Hawkflower
Hazelleaf on November 12, 2008 at 02:39 PM
good question, hawkflower! Why indeed...? *speculates madly*
Noodleheart on November 12, 2008 at 05:30 PM
Hi. Let me tell you that this series is definitely one of my favorites. But besides the fan commentary, I too have some questions.
1. Is it true that there will be exactly four series of warriors and no more?
2. Won't reproducing become hard after a while? I mean, Ferncloud's kits are just filling up the clan.
3. It seems like Whitewing might become mates with Thornclaw since she always hangs out with him. But isn't he her uncle?
4. Is Firestar going to last through the entire 4 series? If so, I'd love to see him do more than he normally does.
5. Are you going to introduce another major villain soon? (Like besides Tigerstar)
You don't have to answer all of these questions, because I know some of them would give spoilers. But thanks for taking time to read this.
Maplefrost on November 13, 2008 at 07:02 PM
How long does it usually take to write one Warriors book?
BTW, Warriors is my favorite series ever!!!
Diamondheart on November 18, 2008 at 02:14 PM
I love love love warriors but lately since I (and my friends) have been getting older, the series begins to look a bit young to me. Don't get me wrong, warriors is still way up there in the top two but I was wondering if you could put out a series for older kids (like 13 & up). Thanks.
Mossdream on November 19, 2008 at 10:50 PM
Hi Erin! Let me just say that I'm a BIG fan of you! I've read ALL of your books! And you just inspire me to become a great writer!
brandessa on December 19, 2008 at 01:11 PM
me and my best friend is writing a book thats based on warriors we are great fans and we are only in the 6th grade
Stealthwind on January 08, 2009 at 05:35 PM
I love Warriors so much, and i am beyond excited about Sunrise. When I dug up some info on it, I was like pulling my hair out with excitement. Can't wait! And I am REALLY excited about Omen Of The Stars! Cool name BTW.
Hawkflower of RiverClan on May 04, 2009 at 01:15 PM
You guys did a GREAT job on Sunrise!!! There were so many shockers, I nearly fell out of my chair! >.<
And now I'm DOUBLY excited, because I heard that Omen of the Stars was due to come out on my birthday this year! (Yay for turning 16!)
Keep up the good writings, or I'll claw your ears off!