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.

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.

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.

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!

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…"

Vicky Chat

Vicky will be chatting on the Warriors Message Board tomorrow, July 27th! She said:

“I will be appearing LIVE AND REALLY TRULY ME tomorrow (Wednesday 27th) for some chat in the forums! Please be there if you can! Details about timing to follow… Vicky x”

Wayne McLoughlin

You might be asking, "who is this, and what does he have to do with Warriors?" Well, McLoughlin is the illustrator for the Warrior Cats books and field guides as well as the Seekers series. Ironically, he is also a hunter. His official web page can be found here. These are a few more of his drawings:

Erin Hunter Chat

The Erin Hunters were online in a chat on August 8th, and the transcript is online!

Part I

Part II

Here are some of the best questions:

Clearfur(Q): To Vicky: Will Cinderheart ever realize her true identity? And will she end up together with Lionblaze?
VickyHolmes(A): Hmmm, can I give this much away? I think I can safely reveal that yes, Cinderheart will discover her former identity. And that’s all, folks!

insaneular(Q): Will there ever be a possibility of Leafpool taking another mate, now that she's not a medicine cat?

-maybe she would start meeting Crowfeather again?-

Rockstar(Q): Will we ever see a drawing of SkyClan terriotry?

VickyHolmes(A): There are maps for SkyClan in Firestar's Quest and SkyClan's Destiny, plus you'll see the manga version in the trilogy next year.

Daisypaw(Q): All: A fifth series?? Are any of you worried that that might be dragging it out too long, to the point where you'll completely run out of good ideas halfway through?

VickyHolmes(A): Oh, I think we have enough ideas for AT LEAST another six books!