Carla Jablonski is an actress and has performed in New York, Philadelphia, Nasvhille, San Francisco and Edinburgh, Scotland, as well as a director, playwright and trapeze artist. Living in New York City, she has edited and written several best-selling books for children and young adults. She has been the editor of such series as The Hardy Boys Mysteries, RL Stine's Give Yourself Goosebumps, RL Stine's Ghosts of Fear Street and Choose Your Own Adventure. Carla also authored five books in the Adventures of Wishbone series, and three of the Linda Ellerbee's Get Real series, for children. For young adults, she wrote Charmed: The Gypsy Enchantment, Shadow of the Sphinx and Clueless: Southern Fried Makeover. Also the soon-to-be-released, DC Comics/Vertigo's Books of Magic series, based on the Neil Gaiman's classic graphic novels. Also, Carla is the co-developer of the groundbreaking interactive series Digital Detective Mysteries, "The Case of the Killer Bugs", "When Nightmares Come True" and "The Scent of Crime". Digital Detectives Mysteries combine books and the Internet, allowing kids to use the latest technology to investigate crime scenes, interrogate witnesses, and make notes in a journal with the help of a free online Crime Lab. Carla is also the co-creator of The Zombie Squad, a middle-grade series for Scholastic Books.  

Carla Jablonski Interview 
by Andrea Haag © TheCharmedOnes.com January 24, 2003

I recently had the pleasure in interviewing 'Charmed' author, Carla Jablonski. Carla's book "Shadow of the Sphinx" was recently released this January. In this book, Paige Matthews has a minor identity crisis in which she tries to out do, and out distance her long lost sister, Prue, when it comes to magic. Paige casts a spell in which she is transformed into a cat, but once a cat Paige has a problem changing or reversing the spell. When her sisters inadvertently deposit her at an animal shelter, in which she finds herself with Tyler, who mysteriously transports both of them back into ancient Egypt.

Carla, Thank you for your time out of your schedule for this opportunity to interview you and for Charmed fans to know more about the authors that write their favorite book series. 

Carla, you've written several books in the young readers genre, such as "Wishbone" and "Get Real." What inspired you to become a writer, and to write for young readers? You've also written for teenage readers, with Charmed and Clueless: Southern Fried Makeover. What got you interested in writing books for the teenage readers? 

I was very fortunate when I first graduated from college to have landed a job as a "reader" for several children's book publishers. I was given a stack of hardcover books to read and I wrote book reports, with my recommendations on whether they should be offered as book club selections (in one case) or for paperback reissues (in another). This gave me an enormous overview of children's publishing, which led to editing work, and ultimately to being a writer. I've always been drawn to books for both middle grades and young adult readers; I think because there is such a range in subjects to write about and also because I respond to the emotional situations of young people. At ten years old, very simple things (to adults) can seem like life-and-death problems, and for the teen readers, there are very powerful struggles and discoveries taking place and I'm inspired by the intensity of that. Some would say it's because I actually haven't matured past the age of 17, but that's another story…  

Also, you are adapting DC comics/VERTIGO comic book series, The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman, as a series of novels for young adults. Can you tell us a little more on what this project is about?

I'd love to! Neil Gaiman created an enormously popular series of comic books called "The Books of Magic," and I'm proud to say I have been selected to adapt them as novels for young adults. The main character, Timothy Hunter, is a thirteen-year-old boy in London who has just discovered that he has the potential to become the most powerful magician of the ages. What I enjoy so much about this particular project is not only the rich, imaginative material to draw from, but that I can also address Timothy's struggles with identity, with his feelings for his best friend Molly, and what it's like to have the rug pulled out from under you. I think this series would definitely appeal to the Charmed readers as well. Books One and Two will be published in April by Eos, an imprint of HarperCollins.

How did you first traverse the world of 'Charmed' and what got you interested in writing for the book series? Since writing two 'Charmed' titles can I ask if you are a big fan of the show?

I was already a fan, so when the editor of the series, who I knew from writing Clueless, asked if I'd be interested in writing for the Charmed book series I didn't even have to think twice.  

Along with watching the TV show 'Charmed', many fans read the 'Charmed' book series and make comparisons. Do make comparisons between the show and what you write about, such as borrow a few of the character's personality traits and characteristics from it? What kind of research went into the description of characters and story?

The most important thing for the book author to do, obviously, is watch the show. I was also given scripts of future episodes so I could get a sense of Paige, because she'd only been in a few episodes when I started "Shadow of the Sphinx." We are meant to completely match the personalities of the characters on the show, and our plot idea must be approved of by Spelling before we are even given a contract. As for the story -- as long as we stay within certain guidelines, we have absolute freedom, which is great.  

In your latest book, "Shadow of the Sphinx", I noticed, as well as many fans, that you list Phoebe's boyfriend last name as "Cole Porter", whereas in the television show he is known as "Cole Turner". Is this a typo or was this something given to you in the 'Charmed' guidelines? Also, in the book, Piper and Phoebe are fighting off demons, Phoebe has the power to form an energy ball. Is this one of the freedoms authors have to evolve, or expand the Halliwell sister's characteristics?

You caught us! That was a mistake, pure and simple, and I am relieved to be able to say it wasn't mine!! I checked my final draft and discovered I had never even mentioned Cole's last name. So somewhere along the line, after I handed in the manuscript, that name was inserted. Oooops! As for magic, we are meant to stick close to the TV show, (for example, I wouldn't suddenly give Phoebe the ability to orb on her own), but as the characters are constantly improving their magical fighting skills, we are given a little leeway.

Do you grimace when fans take apart or nit-pick details in the Charmed books and compare it to what they see on the television screen? Have you received any feedback from fans?

Yeah, I do wince, but I also understand it. What fans should realize, though, is that very often the book authors don't have any idea of what's coming up in future shows, and because writing and publishing a book is such a long process, by the time a book comes out things on the show may have changed dramatically. As an example, when I first proposed "Shadow of the Sphinx," the girls were going to be worried that the evil Egyptian goddess was going to be in cahoots with the Source. When I started writing the book, we found out that Cole was going to become The Source. And then, by the time the book was published, Cole wasn't the Source anymore! So you see how easy it would be to not match up. The way I think about it is that the stories in the books exist in a kind of parallel universe -- if you love the characters you want to see them in other situations. Kind of as if these are the adventures they had while the TV was off.
As for fan feedback, I've never actually received any from Charmed fans. I hear more from the fans of the books aimed at younger readers.

I really enjoyed the latest release, "Shadow of the Sphinx", maybe because I'm a cat-lover, but mostly because I have wondered myself what it would be like to be a cat. I thought that Paige was the perfect sister to use for the transformation as a cat, as well as the inclusion of ancient Egypt and the cat-goddess Bastet. In "The Gypsy Enchantment " you utilized the mysterious world of the small circus. I have noticed in your biography that you spent a summer working for the Big Apple Circus, helping directors ready the show for the new season and also trained as a trapeze artist. Do you use your real life experiences for the background of your stories? How do you come up with plots for future books?

Thanks, I had a lot of fun writing both books! And yes, very often something in my own life gives me an idea for a plot. As you guessed, working with the circus gave me the idea for "Gypsy Enchantment." When I was coming up with the idea for "Shadow of the Sphinx" Paige was still really new to her powers and still quite insecure about her position in the family, so that gave me the emotional issue I wanted to hang the plot on. Accidentally turning herself into a cat seemed like a really fun way to have her mess up, (I could TOTALLY picture myself doing something like that!) and could lead to all sorts of great complications.

What difficulties or limits are created by the publishers, creators, or Spelling Television, etc., in the storylines and the character backgrounds that limits what you can write? Are you given freedom to change or include items, such as powers, recurring characters and characters already killed off in the television show?

Spelling Television has approval of everything because they do want to be sure that we don't deviate from what has been established on the show -- which makes total sense. We can't change the facts of anyone's lives -- Paige can't suddenly discover in one of the books that her parents are actually alive or something -- and we do need to pay attention to the powers they have and the rules of magic that have been established. But we do have a lot of freedom within that structure, so I have never felt at all frustrated or limited by any of the work I've done on Charmed.

In an earlier interview, with another Charmed author, Diana Gallagher, she discussed a formula that she uses for writing the book series. Her stories are a result of a question "what if,". Do you a similar method in creating a plot or storyline? I guess what I'm asking is what challenges you to formulate a storyline?

It actually depends on what I'm writing. If I'm starting from scratch on something original, I start with a character. I ask myself "who is this person and what is the situation they are in?" For Charmed, and other series fiction where I'm already given characters I start with a world to put them in -- one that I know, like the circus for "Gypsy Enchantment," or one I'd enjoy researching, like Ancient Egypt for "Shadow of the Sphinx. " Once I know their context, the magic and obstacles (and demons!) they deal with comes from researching the specifics of that world. You'll notice I dedicated "Shadow of the Sphinx" to the Brooklyn Museum and the Brooklyn Library because I spent so much time in both places researching the book. I find that research, even for non-magical stories, is a great starting point to me. My creative brain is definitely triggered when I load it up with visuals and information -- even if it seems random at first.

Do you have a special time or a favorite place in your home that you like to do your writing? On your off time from writing, what books from other authors do enjoy reading?

I probably shouldn't confess this, but I write at my desk (on a laptop) with the TV blaring. My friends think it's the oddest thing that I can be completely concentrated on my work while I have the TV going the whole time. And I always print out lots of drafts so that I can edit my work on paper -- the old-fashioned way -- usually at a coffeeshop. 
I've recently been reading Philip Pullman ("His Dark Materials" trilogy and the Sally Lockhart mysteries) who is a British author of books for young readers. I'm also reading a lot of historical fiction - books set in the 19th century primarily.

What advice can you give to the many aspiring writers on the 'Charmed' message boards and websites, that post their own 'Charmed' stories and fan fictions, trying to get stories published? 

The best thing a writer can do is write -- don't just think up stories or imagine characters but do the truly hard work of sitting down and putting words on a page. I think fan fiction and posting stories is a GREAT way to hone writing skills.

Lastly, will you author any more 'Charmed' book releases in the futures? If so, can you give the readers a clue or synopsis of the title?

Probably -- I enjoy the series and the editors I work with very much, but I don't have anything specific signed up at the moment.

Thank you Carla, for taking time for this interview. I look forward in seeing more of your titles on the bookshelves. 

Interviewed by Andrea V. Haag
January 2003

  HOME