Cassandra Clare talks new wave of readers – ‘It’s like I’ve time traveled back to 2007’ (Exclusive)
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones has officially hit stores and the web today in the U.S. (Buy it now!) With the film’s release there’s been hundreds of thousands of new readers that have fallen in love with Cassandra Clare’s epic world.
Cassandra Clare (with special guest Lily Collins) at a signing for ‘Clockwork Princess’ in March 2013.
Last week, we spoke to Clare about the new readership gained from the film adaptation, which includes interacting with new fans discovering and dealing with the infamous plot twist at the end of City of Bones.
“It makes me feel like I time traveled back to 2007, when City of Bones was released and I just got email after email after email from people being like, ‘They can’t be related, they can’t be related, they can’t.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, here we go again,'” Clare laughed. “There’s just a whole new wave of people reading City of Bones and having the exact same reaction. And nothing in the movie is really unlike the plot so I’m like, ‘You’re just going to have to read the second book or wait to see — hopefully see — the second movie.'”
Clare said that the movie has been great publicity for her books as it has attracted a wider audience that might not have found her series. There’s also been a wide range of audiences, which has been the norm for her fandom.
“It’s a whole wave of new readers that are slightly outside the realm of my previous readers,” Clare said. “I’ve gotten a lot more emails from younger kids and from older readers. That’s one of the things about having a movie is it kind of expands out from your initial fan base because books are shelved in sections, and a lot of books are in Young Adult. But movies aren’t like that. You get younger people and older people because the movie isn’t particularly targeted to a specific age group.”
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones is now available to purchase on Blu-Ray combo pack and DVD.
TMI Source 
This is awesome
Yeah, I know, right?! This is great!
Ok here is what i have been wanting to say about tmi for so long although maybe i have mentioned them more than once. But I’ll say them anyway, because if i ever had the chance to meet Casandra or write to her in a letter this is what i would say: when it comes to tmi I have a very special, personal connection to it because i love my supernatural and fantasy stuff and the fact that it takes place in new york so it strikes a chord with me there since i am a new yorker myself. And the fact that its very multi layered in terms of themes. Its not just another fantasy story with strange creatures or a little compicated love story between two characters but this is really a story about life, it’s about society because the shadowhunter world is so diverse and theres issues between them and downworlders (they are supposed to hate each other.) its a little politcal in a way because of the clave, it’s also about justice and doing what is right, and then you have multiple coming of age stories between the young characters. Its not just Clary’s story but its also JAce’s and Simon’s (i mean come on going from a normal human boy to a vampire is a massive turn around and transition) and also isabelle and alec go through their growing pains and self-discovery journey too. although with Alec he deals with something more profound that resonates with how alot of young people like us struggle with espeically with his sexual orientation and how hard it is for him to fit in because of that and even having his own family mostly his father disown him. Hell even Magnus has his own shit going on as well, god i love him. Even the love stories are layed out different instead of having just a one sided romance pratically almost everyone has their own romantic thing going on including our beloved malec, Sizzy heck even luke and jocelyn’s love story is cute and full of feels. Ok I think im getting carried awy here. 🙂 And last but not least you have the basic classic themes of family and friendship and good vs evil all of that. Ok I can go on forever with this but seriously that’s what i love about tmi and if this is how i feel about it imagine how im goiing to feel when i read infernal devices. I am aware that it has a bit of a love story going on and that it is very similiar to mortal instruments but i know i am going to be in for a real treat.
I couldn’t agree more, Miranda. I couldn’t agree more. You’ve said all I’d want to and more. I love the TMI themes! Just to name a few others I’ve found in the series (not mentioned above): the saga also deals with strong and layered female characters, the fact that we’re all the same deep down, and the idea that we can all come together for a common good, etc. I also love the dark humor involved, and just how real and well-rounded everything feels, you know?
Anyway, I’m sure you’ll love TID! Though TMI will always be my favorite because of nostalgia, TID is honestly written better. And I still stand by the fact that CP2 is the best book Clare’s ever written. You’re in for a real treat, with that well thought out and well-paced series. And I hope you enjoy it as much as I did:) Honestly… the older time period makes these books feel even more surreal, and the characters are less petty in them (which is nice). Also… Jem is my hero. Seriously. He’s my favorite character in that series, and I can’t even-
Welp, I’m off to go buy my TMI DVDs. See you later, fellow fans:) (P.S. I’m so glad to hear that CC thinks they didn’t change too much of the plot in the film, and that people could just go to the next book/movie–without having read the first one–and not have a lot of problems in doing so. I also love how she says the movie’s been a positive experience for her. Perhaps this will lead some of the haters to try and give the movie the benefit of the doubt, and to try to go into it with an open mind again?) Yeah…
Although I will confess that the other day I watched catching fire which was awesome but it’s been on constant replay in my mind distracting me but I’m still anxious to get my DVD
I totally agree with everything you’ve said shanna, seriously:’) but especially about the part for haters giving the movie the benefit of the doubt, coz i think they act did a really good job, yes they were changes but it did stick to the plot of the book, and we act got to see our favorite and loveble charecters going thro everything we have read and only been able to imagine:’)
I loved the film, and i cant wait for the second!:D
I’m totaly agree with all that you two just said, tmi is a wonderful serie and i thought i was the best book CC(and the hole worlds author) ever would write but then i’ve just been finnish Clockwork-prince and I’m totaly confused like Tessa!!! I do really dont know about i like Jem more than Will ore Will more than Jem….?!
I concur Miranda 😀
Really happy for Cassie! But I can’t get my DVD yet…:(
I just got mine at Target. Blue ray $22.00 on sale. Not for long.
Target blue ray and DVD combo
Congrats Cassie!