Cassandra Clare Biography

Birthday: July 27, 1973
Birthplace: Teheran, Iran
Zodiac Sign: Leo

You may or may not know the name Cassandra Clare, but you've probably heard of some her best-selling books, such as The Mortal Instruments series. Clare's writing has propelled her to become one of the most popular young adult fiction writers of the past decade.

Life

• Cassandra Clare, whose real name is Judith Rumelt, was born in Iran to American parents. 
• Clare and her family traveled frequently when she was a child, and she has spent time in England, France, and Switzerland. She spent her high school years in Los Angeles, California. 
• Post-college, Clare split her time between Los Angeles and New York, while working as a writer for various entertainment magazines and tabloids. She reported primarily on celebrity news. 
• Clare has said that, even as a child, she always loved reading and writing, and found much comfort in books throughout her many travels. 

Books

• Cassandra Clare's first really popular book was City of Bones, the first in The Mortal Instruments series, which was published in 2007. City of Bones was #8 on the New York Times best-seller list! The novel centers around themes of religious and world mythology. 
• Other books in The Mortal Instruments series include City of Ashes, City of Glass, and City of Heavenly Fire. 
• The Mortal Instruments series is actually meant to be the second set of novels in a larger series, called The Shadowhunter Chronicles. Cassandra Clare has been hard at work on the other sets in the series, including The Infernal Devices and The Dark Artifices.
• City of Bones was made into a movie released in 2013, and a Shadowhunters TV show recently began in January 2016. 
• Cassandra Clare's writing has been compared to well-known and acclaimed authors such as Neil Gaiman. 

Fun Facts

• As a toddler, during one of her many childhood travels, Cassandra Clare actually spent a month living in her father's backpack as they trekked through the Himalayas!
• Clare is good friends with young adult author Holly Black, and sometimes they even overlap a little in their writing!
• When Clare first started writing City of Bones, she didn't particularly intend it to be a young adult novel. Though the main characters were always teens, she thought of it simply as a fantasy novel. 
• Clare loves fan art and often posts it on her website!

Have Your Say!

Have you ever read any books in The Mortal Instruments series? Let our Kidzworld readers know what you thought in the comments section!