Seeing how they interact with each other is really my favorite part of the series. They don't always get along all the time. Some of my biggest influences are Firefly and Sailor Moon, and in both of those, you have these ensemble casts in which the relationships between the characters are so important - and, in many ways, more important than what's happening plotwise. Q: Are you using existing folks as a way to introduce Cress and bounce her off people fans already know?Ī: There's a lot of that. Those iconic moments are still there, but then it does take on a life of its own in the world as she meets up with Cinder and Scarlet and the other characters. Rapunzel still has long, flowing locks of hair. You still have the tower symbolism and this witch who's keeping her there. As with all of the books, I've taken the iconic moments of the fairy tale and then gone off on my own after that. Q: Does Cress borrow from the original fairy tale more or less than Cinder and Scarlet did?Ī: I'd say it's pretty comparable. She has this fantasy life going on in her head that played off the original tale and how Rapunzel liked to sing. When she is in danger or in an uncomfortable situation, she goes into this imaginary world where she pretends she's an opera singer or an actress or a dancer. I've taken that and given Cress this very overactive imagination that's a result of being stuck in this satellite solitary for so long.

Q: How is Cress similar to the Rapunzel we all know and love?Ī: In the fairy tale, the prince finds Rapunzel because he hears her singing. It still stays pretty focused on the characters and the different human things that they're facing as opposed to the technology. There is more time spent on the spaceship that we were introduced to in Book 2, and of course the satellite and the computer hacking. Q: Will Cress be more sci-fi than Scarlet or Cinder?Ī: We are moving into more sci-fi elements.

Meyer talks to USA TODAY about what's to come in Cress and when fans will meet the fourth heroine of her saga, and scroll to the bottom for an exclusive excerpt: 'I know what elements of the early books are foreshadowing bigger things to come, so I would assume that for them, having all the material in front of them could help them make decisions for the movies as well.' While the studio involved is still a secret, 'I believe they're looking for a director at this point,' says the author, who's halfway through the second draft of her final novel. Meyer will wrap up the series in early 2015 with Winter - her take on the Snow White legend - and already, her Lunar Chronicles novels have been optioned for a movie series.

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