Tallstar's Revenge COVER

Here is the cover for Tallstar's Revenge, which comes out July 2, 2013! Here is a short blurb about the book from Kate's blog, it's short, but that's because Vicky has not yet completed the book.

"As a young WindClan warrior, Talltail’s life is marred by a tragedy that fills his heart with bitterness. He sets off on a dangerous path in search of revenge—far outside the bounds of the warrior code."

New Cover

Sadly, we have to wait until 2013 to read another Warriors book. But the good news is, there is a new cover for The Sun Trail. (cover on the right.) All images of the cover on the left have been replaced with the new one, and it is unknown why the cover changed. (Personally, I liked the old one better.) No matter what, we have to wait until March to read it.

Yellowfang's Secret Summary

• Yellowfang becomes a warrior, but after a battle with WindClan, she accepts her fate as a medicine cat
• Yellowfang cannot battle because she feels the pain of other cats, so once one cat gets hurt, she gets hurt as well.
• Once she becomes a medicine cat, Yellowfang learns to control her power to feel the pain of other cats.
• Throughout the story, you see Yellowfang grow closer to Raggedpelt, and they plan to become leader and deputy together.
• Yellowfang realizes she is going to have kits after she becomes a medicine cat. She receives a dream from StarClan saying that one of her kits, who should never have been born, will destroy the clan.
• Yellowfang gives birth in the forest, and two of her kits die, leaving her with one son, Brokenkit.
• Yellowfang takes on an apprentice, Runningpaw (who later becomes Runningnose).
• Brokenkit quickly receives his warrior name, Brokentail, from his father, Raggedstar, and eventually the clan begins to respect him more than their leader after he becomes deputy.
• Brokentail claims that Raggedstar was killed in a battle with WindClan which took all nine of his lives, making Brokentail leader of ShadowClan.
• Before Raggedstar is killed, he and Yellowfang have the same dream of kits fighting one another and dying.
• Yellowfang travels to the moonstone with Brokentail, and StarClan reluctantly gives him nine lives, giving him a warning with each one.
• Brokenstar begins apprenticing kits when they are 3 moons old instead of 6, and most of them die in battle or in training.
• Cats begin to visit Yellowfang every day due to wounds from hard training, and Brokenstar stops all hunting patrols, saying cats can hunt in their free time.
• Brokenstar tells the elders they have to leave camp because they take up too much space and the clan "doesn't have time to feed them".
• Yellowfang finds her sister's kits dead in the forest, killed by a fox, and Brokenstar blames her for their deaths, wanting her to be banished from the clan.
• Yellowfang leaves, and the story ends with her finding Firepaw in ThunderClan.
• There is a short manga excerpt in the end showing Yellowfang killing Brokenstar, her son, and then training Cinderpelt.

Yellowfang's Secret plot

***SPOILER FOR YELLOWFANG'S SECRET***

It is rumored that Yellowfang's secret is that she can feel the pain of cats, which is why she gave up the life of a warrior in order to be a medicine cat. That leaves one question: was she given this power by StarClan? And if so, was there a reason?

Yellowfang's destiny is most likely to become a medicine cat, but another source says she tries to avoid it, wanting to remain a warrior, maybe so she can be with Raggedstar?

Part of the book revolves around Boulder (a soon-to-be BloodClan member). He goes to live with ShadowClan, and the rouges he was living with confront ShadowClan about it. One of the cats, Hal, reveals he is Raggedpelt's (Raggedstar) father. They then get into a fight and Raggedpelt kills him.

Dawn of the Clans BOOK TWO

The title of the second book in the Dawn of the Clans series has been released, it will be called Thunder Rising and will be coming out December 3, 2013. There is no blurb or page amount yet, as Vicky is most likely still coming up with the final story line.

It is rumored to have something to do with TunderClan, as "Thunder" is in the title. More theories will be made after the first Dawn of the Clans book is released.

Yellowfang's Beginning

The one major thing that came out of Mistystar's Omen was that the first chapter of Yellowfang's Secret was included at the end of the book. It starts out with Yellowfang as a kit, Yellowkit, in the ShadowClan nursery, playing with her siblings, Rowankit and Nutkit. They're bullied by the older kits in the nursery, Raggedkit and Scorchkit. The kits get into a fight when Yellowkit accuses them of being kittypets, as their father was a kittypet. Rowankit and Nutkit, as well as Scorchkit, have not been mentioned in any other books, so it may be assumed that they die sometime during Yellowfang's Secret.

There was also a sneak peek in Enter the Clans that talks about a prophecy predicting that a ShadowClan medicine cat will destroy ThunderClan.

Here is a map of Yellowfang's family tree:

Mistystar's Omen Spoilers

***For those of you who are still reading Mistystar's Omen or do not want to know what happens in the book, do NOT read any further!***

Not much happened in this book. There was no part of the battle with the Dark Forest in it, it mostly revolved around Mistystar accepting Mothwing as a medicine cat.

• The book starts a day before Leopardstar dies. There was a drought, and most of RiverClan has gone hungry. The fish are now starting to return.
• Mistystar appoints her only surviving son, Reedwhisker, as deputy.
• After Mistystar receives her nine lives, she learns that Mothwing does not believe in StarClan, and tells Mothwing that she will no longer be a medicine cat.
• Reedwhisker is attacked by a dog, and is brought back to camp for Willowshine to help him, as Mothwing has been moved to the Elder's Den.
• Stonefur (Mistystar's brother) visits Mistystar and basically says that if she does not accept Mothwing as a medicine cat, Reedwhisker will die.
• Mistystar allows Mothwing to continue her work as a medicine cat and Reedwhisker is saved.

The book was mostly about acceptance and gave a look into the RiverClan lifestyle. It was nice to read a story about the clans again, but there were no majorly important parts.

Kate's New Book

Below is a excerpt from Kate Cary's blog, she reveals that she will be writing Tallstar's Revenge. This means that Tallstar's Revenge spoilers and theories will be posted here in the next month or so, and the book will most likely be released in a year.

In this book we will definitely learn more about WindClan--and who will be receiving Tallstar's revenge and why. Out of all the clans, WindClan has received the least amount of spotlight, most of their story being told in the first arc of Warrior Cats. Since then, they have always been predicative weak, but Kate states that she hopes to change that with the next super edition.

Minor Updates

Happy September everyone, good luck to those going back to school and to those who have already started. Mistystar's Omen is released in nine days.

Updates: There are no new spoilers for Tallstar's Revenge at this time; Vicky is still writing story lines for it.
Also, if you do not have an eReader (Nook, Kindle, etc.) you can download the nook app on your iphone or android. Another option is you can download the Kindle settings to you computer here through amazon.com.

Sorry there's no HUGE update today, but a descriptive summary of Mistystar's Omen will be posted soon!

Tallstar's Revenge

Tallstar's Revenge is the title for the 2013 Warrior Cats super edition! The book was confirmed by Kate Cary on her blog, but it is not yet listed on amazon.com or harpercollins. Vicky confirmed the title on her facebook page (below) and it will be written by Kate. There is no exact release date yet.

Cloudstar's Journey COVER

Here it is, the cover for Cloudstar's Journey!  This is the blurb from amazon.com: 

"In this original Warriors novella, Cloudstar, leader of SkyClan, has watched over his Clanmates at the edge of the forest for many long seasons. But Twolegs are encroaching on SkyClan's land and SkyClan is in danger of being driven away. Cloudstar is forced to turn to the other Clans for help—but will they be willing to come to SkyClan's rescue?"

This means we will be able to see SkyClan in the forest, and, because of the title, we might get to read about SkyClan making the journey to their new home. This also most likely means that we will not see SkyClan leave the clans in Dawn of the Clans as the story is already being told here.

Q&A With Kate

These are questions I've found from fans on Kate's blog and her facebook page, all answered by her! If you haven't read The Last Hope, there are some major spoilers here. Enjoy!

Question: I just want to ask that did YOU cry when you wrote Firestar's death scene?

Kate: No, but our editor at HarperCollins did and she's tough ;) (I did well up when Ferncloud and Mousefur died)

Question: WHY KATE DO YOU HAVE TO MAKE SPOTTEDLEAF DIE?

Kate: so that Firestar doesn't have to choose between her and Sandstorm in StarClan

Question:Did the Three lose their power after they defeated the Dark Forest?

Kate: No.

Question: Did Squirrelflight and Bramblestar get back together?

Kate: Yep

Question: What happens with the whole Dovewing, Bumblestripe and Tigerheart thing? Does Dovewing pick Bumblestripe or Tigerheart?

Kate: She chooses Bumble

Question: Did Hollyleaf and Fallen Leaves get together in the afterlife? And is Fallen Leaves free from the tunnels now?

Kate: Of course.

More to Yellowfang's Secret

Here is the blurb for Yellowfang's Secret from HarperCollins:

"One secret could destroy them all. . . .

Yellowkit is a ShadowClan cat through and through and she can't wait to become a fearless warrior. Then Yellowkit trains as an apprentice and finally receives her warrior name, Yellowfang—and much to her surprise, she realizes that her paws weren't meant to shed blood. Her true destiny lies as a healer, and she takes her place as ShadowClan's medicine cat apprentice.

But Yellowfang's dreams are haunted by a dark prophecy, and every paw step she takes seems drenched in heartache. As she struggles to separate herself from her warrior past, she realizes that the future she faces is bleak and dim—colored by a devastating secret that could destroy the warrior Clans."

Most people call this book Yellowfang's KNOWN Secret, as she kept the birth of her kits (Brokenstar and two unnamed she-kits who died shortly around the time of their birth.)

But I'm not too sure.

Maybe there's more to Yellowfang's secret than what we already know. For instance, why would StarClan send her a prophecy about her kits dying? Wouldn't it be something that would affect ShadowClan and/or all of the clans? The fact that she went against the Medicine Cat Code cannot "destroy the warrior Clans", as quoted in the blurb.

What do you think the rest of Yellowfang's secret is?

Mistystar's Spoilers

Maybe the book will have part of the battle with the Dark Forest in it? After all, Mistystar becomes leader not long before the fight, and Erin really only talked about ShadowClan and ThunderClan during the battle. Many believe the secret has to do with Mothwing not believing in StarClan, but Mistystar already knows that. It will most likely have to do with something that happened in the past,aybe around the time Crookedstar was alive?

Here is the blurb for Mistystar's Omen:

"A devastating challenge for the new leader of RiverClan . . .
In this original Warriors novella, when Leopardstar loses her ninth life, her longtime deputy, Mistyfoot, steps up to receive her new name—Mistystar—and lead her Clan through a troublesome time. But Mistystar is about to discover a shocking secret about RiverClan, and her leadership is plunged into crisis as soon as it begins."

 Show More

Who is Cloudstar?

Harpercollins will be releasing the third Warrior Cats ebook, Cloudstar's Journey, February 5 2013.

Who is Cloudstar?

• He is the leader of SkyClan when they are exiled from the forest.
• The only time we hear from Cloudstar is during Firestar's Quest

Why was SkyClan exiled from the Clans?

• Cloudstar asked the other clans for a small part of land because twolegs had taken over much of their territory.
• The four leaders deny his request, saying that there are four trees in the forest so there should only be four clans.
• He takes his clan away from the forest, vowing to never look to StarClan for help again.
• His mate, Birdflight, stays with ThunderClan because her kits are too young to make the journey.

It is believed that Birdflight's two kits, Gorseclaw and Spottedpelt, are the ancestors of Spottedleaf and Tigerstar.

Description for The Sun Trail

"Before Rusty left his kittypet home… 

Before Bluestar ruled ThunderClan… 

Before Crookedstar made his fateful promise… 

The warrior Clans were born. 

Find out how it all came to be in this brand-new arc that reveals the origins of the four Clans. Featuring a new cast of characters, a richly developed world, and a never-before-seen look at the history of the warrior cats, this prologue arc is perfect for existing fans and for those new to the Warriors world. With over thirteen million copies sold and each new title hitting the New York Times bestseller list, the Warriors series is a true phenomenon that will continue to take readers by storm."

More covers!

Here is the cover for the next super edition, Mistystar's Omen. The picture looks a bit too much like Stormfur, but I still can't wait to read it. It will be released September 11, 2012. It is rumored that it will take place after The Last Hope.

***UPDATE: the ebook that is scheduled to be released in February of next year will be called Cloudstar's Journey.

The Sun Trail: COVER!

Here it is, the first book of Dawn of the Clans!

Another ebook

Erin Hunter is releasing another ebook on February 13, 2013. There is currently no title, cover, or description, but it is listed in the books section of amazon.com. It has not yet been written, because the page number is not listed in the Product Details section.

Erin Hunter Team

Erin Hunter has created a new motto, sort of like, 'divide and conquer'. Team Erin now has five members. Gillian Philip is joining the Erin Team along with Kate, Cherith, Tui, and Vicky. (Although Tui mostly writes Seekers, she's only written one Warriors book.) Cillian Philip will only be working on Survivors, she will not be writing any part of Warriors, though. None of the other Erins will have any part in Survivors.

This blog will NOT be about Survivors, I just wanted to clarify the Erins' position. It will remain 100% Warriors!

Mistystar's Omen

Rumors:

• It takes place around the time she gets her 9 lives
• It takes place after the Last Hope
• It will take place during the battle with the Dark Forest, there wasn't much about RiverClan during The Last Hope

A word from Vicky:

Release Dates & Titles

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer so far, It's just been confirmed that The Sun Trail will be released March 5, 2013! There is no description yet, but it will be 352 pages, which is a good amount.
***
Erin's new ebook is called Mistystar's Omen, and as I said before, it will be released September 11, 2012.

More coming soon!

New ebook

"Warriors Digital Original Novella"

Kate Cary posted on her facebook page a link here. It's unknown what it is, it doesnt even have a title, but it is released September 11, 2012 and will cost $2.99 in the US. It is most likely another short story ebook like Hollyleaf's Story.

Theories about the title The Sun Trail

• Has to do with StarClan and "following the sun"
• Did StarClan come before the clans, or did the clans come before StarClan?
• Cats led to the forest by the setting sun

Rumors

• Midnight the badger originally starts out as a villain
• The book will start off right after the clans are created
• SkyClan will be featured in the series and the territory map will be different

Words from the Writers...

Here are a few this Kate and Vicky have said about The Sun Trail, enjoy!

To summarize:

• cats will NOT have special powers
• there will be POVs from cats other than ThunderClan
• It is NOT confirmed that the prologue will be about LionxCinder's kits

Yellowfang's Secret Plot

There's currently no new news about Dawn of the Clans, but I did find some new info on Erin's next super edition that is scheduled to be released this fall.

"Yellowfang has dedicated her life to ShadowClan. She is a loyal medicine cat, ready and willing to do anything to protect her Clanmates and keep them safe. But a dark secret haunts her, threatening her life and the lives of every cat around her..."


This is talking about her kits with Raggedstar and how she must keep it a secret, otherwise she will be banished. She gives birth to 3 kits-two unnamed she-kits that die, and Brokenkit (Brokenstar).

• Kate Cary has announced she will not be writing this super edition
• Vicky said on her facebook page that Yellowfang's secret will be "very emotional"

Random fact: All the main cats in the super editions have mothers who's name ends in "flower" Bluestar-Moonflower, Crookedstar-Moonflower, Yellowfan-Brightflower

DOTC Dates & More

I don't think these are all 100% confirmed, but it's better than nothing. Enjoy.

"Dawn of the Clans is the fifth arc of the popular Warrior Cats series, after the Omen of the Stars arc. Set to release in April 2013, it tells the tale of the beginnings of the Warrior Clans, when the Warrior Code was unmade, and the Clan founders still ruled.


The first book, titled The Sun Trail, has been announced to feature point of views outside of the main Clan, ThunderClan. Little is known about the series so far, but updates will be forthcoming.


A Day in the Limelight: This is the first time in the main series that the other Clans will have a role equal to ThunderClan.


Distant Prologue: Potentially inverted, if the authors go through with their idea for the prologue (see Framing Device): the prologue will be set more than fifty years after the events of the series.


Framing Device: The authors are considering having the prologue show the kits of Lionblaze and Cinderheart asking the elders for a story about the Dawn of the Clans.


Fully Absorbed Finale: The proposed prologue of The Sun Trail (and possibly other prologues/epilogues) will serve as the final send-off to the characters of the Omen Of The Stars time period."


To summarize:
DOTC is coming out spring 2013, and the first book may be titled The Sun Trail. Lion and Cinder's kits will be in the prologue, and the 5 clans will each have a POV.

Random Facts

The user I found these from says they were confirmed by Vicky-but I never believe that unless it comes from one of the Erins themselves.

1. Dovewing does end up with Bumblestripe instead of Tigerheart because Tiger was more dedicated to ShadowClan than anything else (Even though he wanted to run away with her?)
2. Cinderheart and Lionblaze have kits and the prologue of the first book in Dawn of the Clans will be about them
3. Vicky originally didn't want Brambleclaw to become the leader of ThunderClan but chose him because of his loyalty to ThunderClan

***Side note: Did you know Bramblestar and Tigerstar had the exact same name endings? Bramblekit-Tigerkit, Bramblepaw-Tigerpaw, Brambleclaw-Tigerclaw, Bramblestar-Tigerstar Just thought that was interesting.

There is no official title or cover for the first DOTC book yet, usually that would be released by now, it hasn't even been confirmed if Erin has finished writing the first book or not.

The Sun Trail

This is rumored to be the title of the first book in Dawn of the Clans, and that it will have point of views from all four clans, or at least Thunder, Wind, Shadow, and River (maybe Sky?). It is also rumored that the prologue will begin with Lionblaze and Cinderheart's kits being told a story about the beginning of the clans.

The Last Hope Spoilers part 1

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile, don't worry, it won't happen again! I'll post again in another couple days!

***SPOILER ALERT FOR THE LAST HOPE***

• Notable deaths: Hollyleaf, Firestar, Mousefur, Ferncloud, Spottedleaf, Tigerstar, Brokenstar, Hawkfrost
• The fourth cat in the prophecy is Firestar, he unites the clans for the battle
• Jayfeather eventually finds Flametail, with the help of Mothwing, and tells the medicine cats he was not responsible for the death of the ShadowClan medicine cat.
• The medicine cats bring StarClan back together, and they agree to help fight the Dark Forest
• Blackstar loses a life during the battle
• The clans all work together during the battle, they are helped by the ancient cats, StarClan, and Midnight
• Hollyleaf is killed defending Ivypool-she lost too much blood
• Firestar kills Tigerstar for the last time, then lightning strikes near him and he dies
• Spottedleaf is killed again (which was really depressing), she and Firestar say goodbye
• Brambleclaw becomes the leader of ThunderClan with Squirrelflight as his deputy.

Read The Last Hope NOW!

Here is a link that will allow you to read part of The Last Hope! Enjoy!

Survivors Further Revealed

The Survivors series book #1 comes out August 21, 2012. It's 288 pages, and there is no description yet. This series will be about dogs, and if you go to the official WC page, you can vote for the cover. Click here to view the covers now. I might put an occasional Survivors update here, but this blog will remain solely Warrior Cats (the best series ever) :)
***
Also, if you want to read Hollyleaf's story but you dont have an nook/kindle/other, you can download free software here (its an amazon.com site) which will allow you to read it on your computer.

Yellowfang's Secret COVER

Here is the cover of Yellowfang's Secret! For some reason, amazon.com says the release date is now October 9 2012 instead of the original date August 21. More info coming in the next post :)

Hollyleaf's Story Spoilers

Sorry I haven't posted in awhile! If you HAVENT READ Hollyleaf's Story, everything below here will ruin the surprise!!!

• It starts off recapping what happened after Hollyleaf killed Ashfur and ran away from the clans.
• She can't find her way out of the tunnels & passes out from exhaustion, but when she wakes up, she finds Fallen Leaves
• She doesn't know Fallen Leaves is dead!!
• He stays with Hollyleaf all the time (He's afraid she will leave him) and helps her learn the tunnels.
• She saves a lost fox cub that wondered into the tunnels
• Hollyleaf actually visits ThunderClan without them knowing it
• She leads Ivypool and Blossomfall out of the tunnels when they get lost (that was also included in the book series)
• It ends with Hollyleaf coming out of the tunnels and telling Ivypool and Dovewing that she is from ThunderClan.

MAJOR POINTS:

• She never knew Fallen Leaves was dead
• She visited Thunderclan many times without anyone knowing

Maybe new facts?

Here is the discription for Hollyleaf's Story from amazon.com it might be old news, but here it is anyway!

"When Hollyleaf disappeared in the tunnels by the Lake, ThunderClan believed she was gone forever. But her adventure was only beginning. . . .

Lost and lonely, Hollyleaf soon meets a mysterious cat named Fallen Leaves, who teaches her how to live in the tunnels. Hollyleaf tries to be happy, but she can't help wondering if leaving her Clanmates was the right choice. Hollyleaf knows she's a ThunderClan cat at heart, but can she ever truly go back?"

• Maybe she meets other ancient cats as well? We might learn more about the ancient cats in this too
• She might have talked to cats from other clans
• It is rumored that she helped lead Lionblaze (Lionpaw, at the time) out of the tunnels when they were flooding
• Erin dropped hints throughout the books about a strange cat in the tunnels, maybe those events will be described in the book

Hollyleaf in 9 Days

Happy March everyone! We get to learn about what happened to Hollyleaf in the tunnels in 9 days. It's an ebook, but I hope to post it on this blog, but if not, you will definitely get a summary! More info & spoilers coming later this week, sorry there wasnt much info in this post.

38 Days...

...until The Last Hope is released! This book was written by Kate Cary instead of Vicky Holmes, they take turns writing the books. This will be the last book about the clans at the lake, when the 5th arc starts, the books will return to the forest!

(click to enlarge)

Firestar is half-brothers with Scourge, I actually never knew that. Just posting this for anyone else that didn't know, apparently it's old news.

Nothing

Even Kate has said it on her blog, there is nothing new in the Warrior Cats world. Except for the production of the fifth WC arc, the release of the final book in Omen of the Stars, and a new super edition this summer, nothing new has been created. No new manga, no confirmed 2013 super edition.

But I bet that's not what you wanted to hear. I was hoping to stumble upon some cool new spoiler, but instead, I'll dedicate this post to theories on The Last Hope's book summary:

"The end of the stars draws near. Three must become four to battle the darkness that lasts forever. . . .

After countless moons of treachery, Tigerstar's Dark Forest apprentices are ready to lay siege upon the warrior Clans. As Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze prepare to lead their Clanmates into battle, they await the arrival of the mysterious fourth warrior who is prophesied to help lead the Clans to glory.

The darkest hour the Clans have ever faced has dawned. Hopes will be shattered and heroes will rise as the warriors fight for their very survival."-amazon.com

• Guesses as to who the 4th in the prophecy is: Leafpool, Cinderheart, Ivypool (It is believed to be confirmed that Hollyleaf will not be in any more prophecies)
• It is said the 4th cat will "help lead the Clans to glory" does that mean he/she will be the most important in the prophecy?
• Guesses as to who kills Firestar: Tigerstar, Hawkfrost, Mapleshade, or natural phenomenon (which would be horrible, he should die in battle!)

More coming soon!

SkyClan

SkyClan has appeared in every single Warrior Cats arc, except for the first one. That leads readers to wonder if they will be featured in any way in the fifth arc. As Erin told us, the fifth arc will go back to the beginning of the clans, so my guess is yes, they will probably be in all six books of the new arc. We might even get to see the forest map with the SkyClan borders included! SkyClan's old territory might be somewhere within these red lines, it is one of the higher tree-populated areas.

Nothing has been confirmed by yet by Erin though!

Firestar's Death

Here is a list of cats from the Dark Forest that have been mentioned so far. Not much new WC information has come out, it's mostly just the old spoilers about The Last Hope; people talking about the death of Firestar and Brambleclaw and whatnot. It is unknown how Firestar will die, since he will have to die twice in the last book, but it will most likely be in battle. He is getting old, he's now become a grandfather (to Holly, Lion, and Jay) and a great-granduncle (to Ivy and Dove).

Hollyleaf's Story COVER

This is the cover for Hollyleaf's Story, the ebook! It's on the HarperCollins website here.

• Firestar only has 2 lives at the beginning of The Last Hope
• Spottedleaf will play an important role in The Last Hope
• Midnight will reappear in the series (?)
• Vicky would love to do a WindClan super edition--especially about Tallstar!
• There will be survivors after the battle with the Dark Forest

News: The fifth arc will probably start around fall of 2012, and it might be called Dawn of the Clans. There is currently no plans for a new Warrior Cats manga series. 

Why is Jaypaw blind?

written by Victoria Holmes

"This is a question I get asked a lot and sometimes I'm tempted to reply, Because he was born that way! But I know what people really mean is, why did I choose to take away the sight of one of my central characters, when it might seem easier to keep all five senses intact for each hero? 

Well, why not? :) Being a hero doesn't depend on being able to see, or hear, or run extra fast; heroism comes from inside, from what sort of person (or cat) you are. I always knew Jaypaw would be one of the most important cats in Power of Three, so he needed to have the right sort of character even if he didn't have functioning eyes! He didn't need to be able to see in order to be bold, curious, and wiling to fight for what he believes in, which are all vital qualities for a hero. 

I also liked the challenge of writing from a blind cat's viewpoint. Jaypaw can't describe how a scene looks, but he has four other senses-scent, touch, taste, and hearing -- to fill in the gaps. I deliberately started Power of Three Book One: The Sight from his perspective because I wanted to fill the opening chapters with details that would trick the reader into not realizing the narrator was blind. We see busy scenes of Clan life and share the thrilling and perilous fox hunt with the three kits, and only learn that Jaypaw can't see when he complains to Leafpool that she's fussing over him too much. I wanted the readers to get to know Jaypaw, to share his sense of adventure and loyalty to his Clanmates, before they knew that he was blind, because that might have made him an object of pity. Jaypaw wants to be treated the same as all the apprentices -- and that means not being judged by readers, too! 

But even when you know that Jaypaw is blind, he's not the sort of character that you can pity easily. Frustration, disbelief, and sometimes downright anger, but never pity! It would have been too easy to make him a little blind saint, patiently tolerating his lack of sight while living a good and obedient life. But that would make for a very dull hero! Jaypaw is prickly and difficult, alternating between kicking against his blindness and insisting that it doesn't matter. He knows he has the same amount of courage and physical strength as any apprentice, and he hates the fact that he can't be the same sort of warrior as his denmates. When Leafpool invited him to be her apprentice, he saw it as a soft option, the only thing he could do because he couldn't see. In fact, Leafpool could tell that Jaypaw had huge talents as a medicine cat -- he memorized all the herbs and remedies without even trying --and when he started to talk about the future as if StarClan had revealed it to him, Leafpool knew that he had a special connection with their warrior ancestors as well. It was Jaypaw's destiny to be a medicine cat from the moment he was born --except, ironically, he couldn't see it for himself. 

On top of being blind, and bad-tempered, and ambitious, I wanted to make Jaypaw a cat with unique powers of sight. He can see in his dreams and in the dreams of other cats, which gives him access to their deepest thoughts and fears. He can also sense what cats are thinking -- something his brother and sister take for granted, but frequently get irritated by! -- and, as his powers mature, he is able to step into other cats' memories and live through events from their past. He has the most incredible gifts of sight, blind to superficial matters of appearance but able to see the truth of what is inside other cats. When we first meet Jaypaw, he is only a kit and he doesn't always know what to do with this knowledge, or how to use it for unselfish purposes. He is proud and stubborn, and thinks that being able to walk in other cats' dreams makes him stronger than them, able to take advantage, especially when he learns about trouble in other Clans. To fulfill his part in the prophecy -- There will be three, kin of your kin, with the power of the stars in their paws -- he must learn how to use his power for the good of more cats than just his Clanmates. So much more fun to watch him progress when his instincts were more selfish and even vengeful at the start! 

Jaypaw is a blind cat who can see in other cats' dreams, a hero who doesn't set out with the best intentions, a stubborn, difficult, prickly character who needs to win the respect of every cat in the Clans to live up to the prophecy cast many moons before he was born. The fact that he can't see is just one element of his personality -- and Jaypaw would be the first to tell you that he doesn't want to be judged on what he can't do! All these challenges and contradictions make him the most fun cat to write about and create stories for. And we haven't even reached the end of his apprenticeship…"

New Year Spoilers

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all have a great 2012. To start off the new year, here are some new spoilers for The Last Hope!

• Briarlight will die at some point
• Lionblaze will father kits (maybe Cinderhearts?)
• There is no "Forbidden Love" planned
• Jayfeather takes an apprentice
• Midnight (the badger) may make another appearance

Random Theories/Facts

• Hollyleaf was going to be part of the Three in the Prophecy until the book Outcast.
• Bluestar's name was supposed to be Moonstar while the first Warriors series was still in creation
• The original title for Sunrise was "Cruel Season" but the authors/editors thought it was too depressing/dark.---there were actually many arguments over many titles for the warrior cats books