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Kirsten Miller

Books:

• Inside the Shadow City (Kiki Strike #1)
• The Empress's Tomb (Kiki Strike #2)
• The Eternal Ones

Buy The Eternal Ones!

Haven Moore can’t control her visions of a past with a boy called Ethan, and a life in New York that ended in fiery tragedy. In our present, she designs beautiful dresses for her classmates with her best friend Beau. Dressmaking keeps her sane, since she lives with her widowed and heartbroken mother in her tyrannical grandmother’s house in Snope City, a tiny town in Tennessee. Then an impossible group of coincidences conspire to force her to flee to New York, to discover who she is, and who she was.

In New York, Haven meets Iain Morrow and is swept into an epic love affair that feels both deeply fated and terribly dangerous. Iain is suspected of murdering a rock star and Haven wonders, could he have murdered her in a past life? She visits the Ouroboros Society and discovers a murky world of reincarnation that stretches across millennia. Haven must discover the secrets hidden in her past lives, and loves¸ before all is lost and the cycle begins again.

I wanted to challenge myself. As strange as the Kiki Strike books may be, they reflect my own personal view of the world, and the narrator's voice is quite similar to my own. I knew I needed to take a break between Kiki #2 (The Empress's Tomb) and Kiki #3 (The Darkness Dwellers) to keep the series feeling fresh.

The Eternal Ones (and its currently untitled sequel) forced me to enter a totally new and unfamiliar world. It was much more difficult to write than either of the Kiki books, but I'm extremely happy with the results.

Describe The Eternal Ones in three words.

Sinister Sexy Strange

Have you noticed your writing voice change throughout your writing career?

I think my voice has remained consistent, despite the fact that my two series are so different. But I'm much more confident now, and 'íve learned a few tricks along the way that have made the process much easier. (Outline, outline, outline!)

Do you have a specific place that you write, or any must have while you are writing?

Lately I've been writing wherever I can find peace, quiet, and air conditioning. (At this moment, I've forsaken my office for the dining room table.) I could never, ever write at a cafe as so many of my fellow New Yorkers choose to do. I need absolute quiet and copious amounts of caffeine to function properly. (My two necessities: Earplugs and Manhattan Special espresso soda.)

What was the most challenging aspect of writing The Eternal One?

I love writing in first person because it allows me to adopt a more conversational tone. And make lots of poo jokes. (Seriously, the Kiki books are full of them.) Writing in the third person was a challenge. I know it will sound a bit strange, but when I started The Eternal Ones, I didn't enjoy the sensation of spying on my characters. I got over it after a couple of chapters and let my characters' dialogue be the outlet for my unusual sense of humor.

What is the most rewarding aspect of writing for young adults?

I've found that people who read, review, and sell young adult books tend to be extremely passionate about the novels they love. Writing can be incredibly difficult, and it's wonderful to have an audience that isn't too jaded to let you know that your hard work is appreciated.

Are there any other genres you'd like to write? (contemporary fiction, high fantasy... etc.)

I don't often think in terms of genres, and I haven't decided which project I'll pursue after I finish Kiki Strike #3 later this year. But I have a couple of ideas. I'm considering a funny, ribald revenge fantasy for adults or a ghost/horror story for teens. Whatever seems like it will be the most fun.

What kind of research if any did you do for The Eternal Ones?

I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and moved to New York City when I was seventeen, so much of my main character's journey is a reflection of my own. But in general, I tend to write about things (underground cities, reincarnation, sinister secret societies) that have always fascinated me. I rarely need additional research since I'm already quite familiar with most of the weird and wonderful subjects I choose for my books.

What is a typical writing day like for you?

Is a deadline looming? If so, I will sit down and write for eight (or more) hours straight. It can be pretty grueling and lonely at times. When deadlines aren't looming, however, I'll try to spend as much time filling my brain as I spend pouring its contents out onto paper. I'll write for a few hours and then either read or get out of the house and explore the city.

If you could ask yourself any interview question, what would you ask, and how would you answer it?

Q: Which of your villains are based on real people who tortured you when you were younger?

A: I plead the fifth. Heh heh.

What were you like as a teen? Did it have any influence over your characters in The Eternal Ones?

I was a little wild to say the least. (But a very good girl on the inside.) Haven's childhood was tougher than my own, but much like her, I always felt a bit claustrophobic growing up in a tiny Southern town. It's hard to be yourself when everyone's watching your every move. And my decision to leave for New York was every bit as impulsive as Haven's. One day I came to the conclusion that New York was where I needed to be and soon after that I was gone! Looking back, I can't believe I wasn't terrified.

Learn more about the five books that will leave you BREATHLESS!

Books included in the Big 5:

The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer
Matched by Ally Condie
Sapphique by Catherine Fisher

There is also a follow the Big Five Tour where all the authors of the Big Five... review, interview, and guest post on each others blogs! You can follow the Big Five tour on the Penguin 5 Tumblr!

Official Contest information:

• to enter, please fill out the form below
• entrants must be 13 years of age or older
• contest deadline is August 20, 2010
• contest open to US residents only!*
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