1. In Prophecy, your main characters are pulled out of our world and sent into a fantasy world. Can you tell us a bit about it?
That’s right! At first you think it’s a pretty traditional Portal Fantasy – kids get sucked into a fantasy world. Kids follow Chosen One trope. Kids return to their world better people. But it’s not JUST that. Every fantasy-esque trope has been turned on its head. Elves who fear magic. A matriarchal Dwarvik society. And our characters aren’t just out there killing the bad guys like they’re nameless orcs. Each death means something and affects the characters and their individual arcs.
It was important to me to make even this fantasy world as believable as possible.
2. Prophesy has elves and dwarves…which would you rather be?I adore the Elven palace, but frankly, the Dwarves have their society figured out pretty well. They work like a well-oiled machine, despite a certain rogue organization (Spoilers!). There isn’t much of a lower class. So, even though I’d have to live in a mountain, I think I’d prefer to know my life was secure. Plus, I’d get to wear pretty gems all the time!
3. If you had to fight against the Elven Princess trying to take over Chartile, would you be clever enough to beat her or would she find out your plan immediately?I trust too easily. I have a feeling I’d trust the wrong person, and they’d report back to her. It’s one thing to trust someone to be your friend and it doesn’t work out. It’s quite another matter entirely when you trust someone with information about defeating/killing someone and THAT doesn’t work out.
4. The characters in your book have outlawed magic. If you were outlawed for something, what would it be? (it’s your cats, isn’t it? lol)
Haha! Yes, it would probably be for having too many cats! I work with several rescues in my area and I hand raise orphaned bottle-baby kittens. I have 5 cats of my own, one of which I show with The International Cat Association.
If anyone tried to hurt any of my fur-babies, they would definitely have the magical wrath of Cassie brought upon them!
5. Jayson, Jack, and Leo have to learn to wield their newfound magic in your story. Do you feel like writing is a newfound magic to you or a well-known-and-practiced magic?
I come from a family of writers, English majors, journalists and other authors. Writing is in my blood! One of my earliest memories is when I was about 3-years-old. I slammed out some gobbledy-gook on my uncle’s typewriter, then stormed into the other room and made the adults listen to the story I had just “written.” I’m lucky that my family is very supportive of my writing career, even if the genres I write in aren’t their typical style and taste.
6. The boys are believed to be ancient kings in Prophecy. Have you ever wanted to be royalty, and if so, what would is one funny rule you’d make with the power of a queen?No whistling! It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. I absolutely cannot STAND whistling! My sister was the one who told everyone during her pre-school graduation that she wanted to be a Princess when she grew up, but if I had the power to outlaw whistling, I would gladly deal with the burden of that crown!
7. If you were to receive a prophecy proclaiming you as something,
what would you new title be? (I vote something about cats lol)
I’m inclined to say something like The Champion of Felines, but in all reality, it would probably be something like The Clutz of the Mountain or something. I am TERRIBLY clumsy! I used to spend my summers in Kentucky with my aunt and uncle. I remember I tripped, or ran into something, and I got so upset! I yelled, “I can’t wait until I grow up! I’m so tired of being a clumsy teenager!” My aunt looked at me with all seriousness, and in her sweet Southern accent said, “Oh, honey. It’s a family trait!”
This last year, and my grandfather’s funeral, I heard countless stories about my grandfather’s clumsiness that I never knew! My aunt was right!
While I am honored that I seem to be like my late-grandfather in many ways, I could do without the clumsiness.
8. If Leo were to give a piece of advise to the readers, what do you
think it would be?
Leo likes to analyze a situation to death. He has backup plans to his backup plans (Hmmm… sounds like a particular author I know…). He would probably tell my readers that there are usually multiple solutions to a single problem – you just have to take the time to look.
9. The story starts out in the woodlands of Ohio. What’s the
strangest fact about Ohio that you know?
It’s not so much a fact as it a specific sentence that seems to sum us up.
Many years ago, there was a show on TV called Ghost Hunters. The team came to Mansfield, Ohio to investigate one of the most haunted prisons in the US. The team is driving along, and one of the members says, “Geez! What’s with all this corn! There is nothing in Ohio except corn and this prison!”
Ironically, I have developed an adult allergy to corn…
10. Would it be easier or harder to write with an elf looking over
your shoulder?
The elves are a paranoid kind of people. You’ll learn more about that in Book 2. I imagine it would be incredibly difficult! They would question every little thing, concerned it would offend the wrong person, or break a law. The elves’ creative outlets are limited to the jobs that they choose to do, so I don’t see them being able to let go of their fears long enough to let any kind of creativity flow.
Prophecy can be found here! Want to learn more about Cassandra Morgan?
Have an author you want to see put through their paces with one of my quirky interviews and/or live broadcast interviews? Let me know in the comments below AND be sure to tell me which of these answers from Cassandra was your favorite!
Stay inspired,
-K.M. Robinson