The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern hits stores on September 13th, but it’s already generating a lot of buzz amongst readers — and for good reason. The book is spectacular! It’s not YA, but readers of YA will definitely love this book about a magical circus at the turn of the 20th century.
The Night Circus is also in development to become a major motion picture with Summit Entertainment! Erin stopped by San Diego Comic Con last week to chat about her upcoming novel, and the movie adaptation. While there, she took some time to chat with us about all of it:
So you just had your first SDCC press conference … how’d that go?
That was a little bit surreal. It was by far the most people in a room I’ve talked to and there were flashbulbs and microphones … and it was all a bit overwhelming.
They seemed very interested in both the book, the style of it, and what it’s about. I talked about how the book was developed. And people were of course curious about the movie, too. But people seemed very enthusiast about it.
Does all this pre-pub hype make you nervous at all?
It’s kind of overwhelming. It’s wonderful, and the reception the book has gotten from everyone, especially book people and book bloggers and book sellers and people who know books are really into it. And that means a lot to me, being a long time book lover, to have written a story that connects with people. That’s what’s elevated it, that so many people have connected with it.
How do you plan to celebrate your pub day?
I haven’t decided yet. I’m kind of planning like a week at a time. I am immediately going on tour the following weekend, so I’ll probably be packing. But I’ll find some way to celebrate and commemorate.
What’s the latest status on the movie? (Obviously, Summit must be pretty serious about it, if they’re bringing you to Comic Con)
I believe they’re trying to assemble the right team of people at this point, find the people who are going to organize and lead the people who will be involved. They’re looking for like team captain people at this point. They’re putting in the right effort to find the right people to translate it into film. I know it’s in very good hands with Summit.
Obviously it’s too early to discuss actual casting, but do you have any thoughts? Fantasy casting picks?
I’m bad at this fantasy casting game, because I think so many actors could so many different things.
I don’t really picture actors when I write. The only character that I ever had any actor in mind for was Hector. He was always sort of Geoffrey Rush-esque in my head. He had that Geoffrey Rush vibe. But there weren’t really any other actors I associated with characters in my head.
But I think they’ll have fun finding the right people to play these roles.
When you’re done reveling in all of this, what’s next for you? What are you working on now?
I am working on something else. I have tens of thousands of something that’s not book shaped yet. I’m looking forward to having the time to get back to it. It’s very different, but … I need to explore a world for a while before I have a story. I’m still in expoloration phase on that one.
What are you reading now?
Right now, I just started The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan, and I’m loving and looking forward to getting back to it.
Anything else you want to tell people?
The Night Circus is not YA, and it’s not a series. I think it kind of gets, gives the impression of being YA. I think it will have a lot of appeal to a YA audience, but it is written for an adult audience. And it is a standalone.
Thanks to Erin for chatting with us, and Summit Entertainment for setting up the interview.
Novel Novice 