After finding the awesome book Ruby Blue by Julie Cassar I took a shot of geting an interview from it’s author! Julie has been really kind and accepted my interview! She replied really fast so now you can read more about her book, her life and hobbies.

PS: More info about this book will be available soon!

1. Hi Julie! Thank you for accepting this interview! I’m really excited to share your work with all romanian readers! Please tell us a few words about yourself!

 

Hi! Thank you for your interest in me and my book! Well, my background is in fine art and I’ve worked as a graphic designer and freelance painter. I’m a mother of three beautiful children and in addition to working part-time, I love photography, music and dancing. I recently began running and just completed my first half-marathon in October, 2011. I love fancy coffee drinks, ice cream, wine, chocolate and really good pizza! I absolutely love feedback from readers and happy endings, and I really do believe in fairy tales.

2. What is the story of “Ruby Blue” ? How did the plot come to your mind?

Ruby Blue is a YA Fantasy/Romance book about your average (kind of dorky) ice-cream eating, garden-loving teenager who is constantly being annoyed by her little brother, is best friends with the only Goth kid in town and she has a big secret… she can see fairies. After her big crush finally asks her out, she can barely manage a two-word sentence when bizarre incidents begin to strike their lakeside town. As an ancient myth unfolds, Ruby and her friends find themselves tackling some very extraordinary circumstances with her very ordinary abilities in this modern day fairy tale. 

 

3. Was “Ruby Blue” a series from the start or did you picture it a single book?

 

I knew “Ruby Blue” was going to be a series before I even started writing it. I had some very specific ideas about where the story would go and I knew it would take place over several books. 

 

4. How did the name of the main character come to your mind? 

 

The name came to me a really long time ago. I don’t even remember how… I just knew when I started thinking of the story that the name popped into my head. 

 

5. The cover of the first book is really enchanting! A little bird told me that you worked on it for some time! Tell us how you ended up with this version.

 

Thank you! I’m glad you like it. Yes, I worked on the cover for a very long time. I actually started out with a completely different concept. Initially, I was working with several images of a path through a forest… the title design and color was completely different too. I worked on about 30 different drafts, narrowing it down to about 3. Then, I took some photographs of driftwood at the beach and was inspired to revamp the cover completely. I scrapped the initial versions and ended up with this one instead. I’m really happy with the final result. 

 

6. I see that you have an interest in many kinds of art! How did photography and painting inspire your book series?

 

I think creativity inspires creativity. The more I wrote, the more I was inspired to paint and photograph… and vice versa. I would go out and take pictures and then I’d start thinking about my characters and what they saw and how they saw it. And, as I wrote, images of paintings I wanted to create would creep into my mind… It’s funny how that works! 

 

READ THE 1ST CHAPTER OF DEJA BLUE
7. The second book of this series has an interesting name: DEJA BLUE! A really great mix of words! Any spoilers of the last book’s name?

 

Well, there is a bit of a hint in the title. It’s definitely a play on words… First, It’s a play on the phrase deja vu…which does up in this book. Secondly, it relates to the fact that we are once again revisiting Ruby and perhaps some unresolved things that occurred in book one. 

 

8. What’s your favorite moment/quote/chapter from the book? Or maybe you have more than one..

 

Ahhh…I probably have several favorites… but I’m biased! I loved the adventure golf chapter…that was fun to write. I also enjoyed liked writing the chapter where Ruby finds out more detailed information about her fairy friends. It gave me a great opportunity to explain their world to her. And, I really enjoyed writing the last several chapters, which I can’t tell you about, because it would give away the ending! 

9. If you could meet Ruby in real life for a whole day, what would you be thrilled to do?

I think I would hang out with her at the beach, get some pizza and ice cream and try to get her to like coffee and high heels! Oh – and I’d have her teach me how to drive a stick-shift. 

10. Which are you favorite books? Any fairy related one’s you’d like to share with us?

I absolutely love the Twilight Saga. I really enjoy a lot of paranormal romance stuff… but it doesn’t have to be paranormal. I rarely read a book that I don’t love. If I don’t enjoy it after the first 60 or 70 pages, I usually stop reading it. Two non-paranormal books that I’ve really enjoyed are “Austenland” by Shannon Hale and “Carter Finally Gets It” by Brent Carter. I haven’t really found a fairy-related series that I love. I suppose that’s part of why Ruby was created. 

11. I’m really curious about this one.. Any song(s) that fits with your story? 

YES! I’m so excited you asked this question! I really listed to a lot of music by Joshua Radin when I was writing this book. A few songs in particular are:
“Brand New Day (Reprise)” by Joshua Radin (The Rock and the Tide Album)
“Streetlight” by Joshua Radin (The Rock and the Tide Album)
Those songs in particular really capture the vibe of Ruby Blue for me.
Also, I listened to Joshua Radin’s Simple Times Album.  I also listened to Lady Gaga’s The Fame album quite a bit, and Katy Perry’s song, “Teenage Dream.” 

 

12. Since you’re a garden lover like me I’d really love to know which flowers you find more magical?

 

Oh my goodness… It’s so hard to choose! I just love all kinds of flowers! I really like Alium…when you see them in bloom, they remind of flowers from a Dr. Suess story… like tall purple lollipops…very whimsical looking. I think Peonies are really beautiful too. For cutting, I love Roses, Daisies, Tulips and Hydrangeas and Hyacinth.

 

13. Is there a country in particular where you would like your book to be published? Maybe in your favorite country… 😀

 

ALL OF THEM! Hahaa! Actually, it is available for purchase through Amazon in Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain and the United Kingdom. And, I believe if you live in Romania, you  can purchase it through Amazon as well! 

14. Where can readers buy your book from at the moment?

It is available as an e-book for purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble and it’s available as a paperback through Amazon and Create Space. I also have it available for purchase at several local independent book stores in Michigan. I am hopeful it will be available through the book depository within two months. I’ve just opted for expanded International distribution with my Publisher,  so in about 8 weeks, I’m hoping you’ll  be able to request it from the book depository and I think they will be able to order it for you through Ingram or Baker & Taylor. Also, it should be  more accessible to Libraries. I just need readers to request it from their local institutions! 

15. A little words to all romanian current/future fans! Maybe a quote that could inspire them!

I love this quote: 

“The universe if full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.”  – Eden Phillpotts (1862-1960) 

 

16. Thank you for the time you’ve given me and for giving “birth” to a magical book series! If there’s anything you’d like to add, please do so. <3

 

Thank you so much for expressing an interest in my book! I’m excited for you all to read it and share it with your friends and I can’t wait for you to check out the second book coming soon!

 

 

Buy the book from:   Amazon  //  Julie Cassar’s Website

Synopsis:
Meet Ruby. She’s your average (somewhat dorky) ice-cream eating, garden-loving teenager, who is constantly being annoyed by her little brother, is best friends with possibly the only Goth kid in town and, oh yeah…she sees fairies. After Nick Martino (possibly the hottest guy she’s ever known) finally asks her out, she can barely manage a two-word sentence when a bizarre incident strikes their lakeside town.Stumbling bare-foot through some interesting dates, will she ever find love? And what does Ruby do when more strange events continue to occur? Will she keep her gift of Fairy Sight a secret? As an ancient myth unfolds and new mystic fairy tales come to life, Ruby and her menagerie of friends tackle some extraordinary circumstances with her very ordinary abilities in this modern day fairy tale. See what legends come to life in “Ruby Blue,” a young adult fantasy fiction novel and the first installment of the Ruby Blue series.