Journalist turned writer draws crowds at book fair

'Mortal Instruments' author Cassandra Clare was well received during the Sharjah International Book Fair

A famous American author of young adult fiction - known for her bestselling series 'The Mortal Instruments' - drew a huge crowd during her session at the 35th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) at Sharjah Expo Centre.
Judith Rumelt, better known by her pen name Cassandra Clare, turned her journalism career into writing young adult fiction that led to the TV Series 'The City of Bones'. She earned the Goodreads Choice Awards Best Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction.
The "Mortal Instruments" became New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today's best sellers, as did the companion series, The Infernal Devices. It was followed by the Dark Artifices.
A celebrity writer in New York who became bored of the usual daily Hollywood reporting routine, she decided to embark on young adult fantasy series with the 'City of Bones', the first of the Mortal Instruments Series that catapulted her to fame. She then explored more by writing the City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire.
Fondly called Cassey by her hundreds of readers at the Intellectual Hall, this 43-year-old fantasy novelist began writing her first novel in 2004 inspired by the urban landscape of Manhattan in New York, her favourite city.
Her family books are based on real-life setting of New York City and woven into all her six series of fantasy novels are her raw experiences during her family's constant travel and city-hopping to London, India, France, Switzerland. "I was born to an American professor of International Business in the University of Tehran. My dad kept on moving from one country to another, leaving my birthplace in Iran at a young age of 3," she recalled.
She created the "Shadowhunters Chronicles" in three series. "I am very much fascinated with stories of the cities that I created my characters for Infernal Devices in the 1878 London setting. The Dark Artifices went back in time to the Los Angeles in 150 years," she explained."I chose Shadowhunters because I believe that they exist not just in America but everywhere across the globe."
Her husband, Joshua Lewis, said he is "too engrossed" in the story writing career of his wife. "She is now working on the two upcoming series, 'The Last Hours' and 'The Wicked Powers'."
When asked if she would write a novel woven in a Middle East landscape and culture after her UAE trip, Cassey said that 'The Last Hour' she is currently working on includes a Middle Eastern mom.
To many writers, shifting from journalism to creative writing could be difficult, yet to Cassey the process is not hard for her novels are anchored on universal themes of love and seeking peace and making the right character. "I have used my journalistic training of meticulously checking on the facts and in doing so much research before I write."
Arriving at the airport, she felt the heat though people told her it is about winter time in the UAE. "But I feel wonderful to be here in Sharjah. People are warm and kind. The SIBF gave me the great opportunity of meeting lots of publishers and other famous authors. Even years back, I looked forward to coming here, but I did not want to come as a tourist but as part of the literary world. The invitation to join the SIBF is just the right time for me."
She also desires to visit Iran at the right time in the future. "I could no longer remember speaking Farsi. But, I recall that ladies in the market used to pull my hair, which was deep red when I was young. They told my mom seeing my hair reminded them of the time Alexander the Great went to Persia."
- afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Sharjah