This week we chat with Kirsten Miller, author of the Kiki Strike series of books: Inside the Shadow City and The Empress’s Tomb and most recently, The Eternal Ones.

This Week In Books #17

Guest: Author Kirsten Miller

I am thrilled to have a fellow Young Adult author on for the first time.  Kirsten Miller is the author of the Kiki Strike series of books: Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City and Kiki Strike: The Empress’s Tomb.  More recently, she published The Eternal Ones, which was just released on August 24th.  It’s a twisted story of reincarnation, true love, and sinister secret societies.

“Miller delivers a smart and sinister tale of romance and destiny that…elevates the supernatural romance well beyond typical fare.”
–Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Miller is adept at humorous description. Her keen eye for detail and Haven’s bold maneuvers keep the tale humming along.”
–Kirkus
“If you are looking for a novel filled with mystery, suspense, intrigue, and romance, look no further.”
–VOYA

SEGMENT ONE: Interview

1) First tell us about the Kiki Strike books.
- The Irregular is a Sherlock Holmes nod, yes?
- The chapters end with little vignettes like ‘How To Take advantage of being a girl’ and ‘how to create the perfect disguise’ … tell us about that
- where did the book idea come from?
2) Now, The Eternal Ones.
3) I had heard that it zoomed up the NY Times Bestseller’s List and you’ve been compared to Rowling and Meyer .. ? True?
4) Is the Eternal Ones actually a YA novel?  It seems pretty advanced.  The Ouroboros Society, etc….?  Murder, most foul?
5) It was 10 bucks for the Kindle version … most books are 6 or 7 bucks … any idea why that was?
5) Is it harder to write YA?
6) Why are you a YA author?
7) Is YA harder to get published?
8) Why girl-heroes?  Was *that* harder to get published?
9) How DID you get published?  Tell us your story.
10) How did you get an agent?
11) Do you use a Kindle? iPad? Sony? or are you an Ink-Stained Wretch?  :)
12) What is your ‘writing rig’?  Mac or PC?  Do you use Word or Scrivener?
13.) What is your Twitter?  Website? etc.?
14.) Do you promote your books on Twitter and Facebook?  How do you separate your normal life from your author-presence? (or do you?)
15) Do you do book tours?  How many cities?  Do you think it makes a real difference?
16.) What do you think of online ‘Book Trailers’?  Stupid?  Cool?

SEGMENT TWO:
Hey!  What CHOO readin’?

SEGMENT THREE:
BOOK NEWS:

Story 1:  Scribd Redesign Is An Attempt To Become A “Social Network For Reading”
Document-sharing site Scribd wants to become the place on the Web where a million reading clubs flourish . With a redesign rolling later today, it will now start calling itself a “Social Network For Reading.”

QUESTION: Do sites like this and Goodreads.com matter a lot to authors?  as compared to Amazon or Facebook based communities?

Story 2: Star Wars Sounds Star in Literal Audio Book
Chronicle Books’ new title, The Sounds of Star Wars, celebrates unmistakable sound effects from the science fiction series.
In the video above, the Underwire blog explored some of the book’s 250 sounds and 300 photographs. The $60 book features a sound module that works with both headphones and an built-in speaker. What other subjects do you think deserve this unique book and audio treatment?

QUESTION:  Cool?  Stupid?  Is this where ebooks are heading?  Is this a good thing?

Story 3: Here’s a New Yorker Story: The “One Story, One Borough” campaign hit the streets yesterday, as volunteers handed out thousands of free short stories.
The literary journal One Story outlined the special event: “From 7:30-9 am on Wednesday, September 8th, volunteers [handed out] out free copies of One Story at subway stations throughout Brooklyn, as part of the ‘One Story, One Borough’ campaign, in our ongoing effort to save the short story. Each issue will include an invite to a One Story reading by Brooklyn OS authors James Hannaham, Reif Larsen and Caedra Scott-Flaherty at noon at The Brooklyn Book Festival on Sunday, September 12th.”
The literary journal also recorded how fast the supply of free short stories ran out at each stop. The Carroll Street stop depleted their handouts first, followed by Clinton-Washington and Bedford Avenue. Eastern Parkway came in last. Everybody from cops to lawyers to bail bondsmen reportedly enjoyed the giveaway. (Image via)

QUESTION: Good way to promote you work as an author?

Story 4: Today Google unveiled Google Instant and Google Scribe, two auto-type functions that will change the way we write and search online. Google Instant automatically fills in search text as you type–the particular author, publisher, or publishing news site you seek will magically appear before you even press enter.
Google Scribe utilizes the same predictive text technology as a typing tool. You can write your next novel or email, allowing Google to guess what you will write next.
Google-savvy writer Robin Sloan tweeted a Google Scribe-written story: “‘The knight rode to their website and buy this product again and again and again.’ First 3 words by me; rest by [Google Scribe].” He concluded: “Google Scribe is like, the first Surrealist web-app.” What do you think?

QUESTION: Useful for a novelist?  Or will this result in McNovels?

Story 5: Amish romance has become an increasingly popular trend. Currently, there are 12 million copies of Beverly Lewis’ Seasons of Grace series in print, a romance set in Amish country.
For the Amish, old school courtship dictates romantic bonding and many marriages stay within the religious group. With clubs, bars, and Internet dating unavailable to them, young boys and girls meet, mingle and interact in Sunday singing groups. Pre-marital sex is explicitly forbidden.
USA Today observed: “For many readers today, it’s all about the bonnet. In our sex-soaked society, nothing seems to inflame the imagination quite like the chaste …’It’s a huge, huge, huge trend,’ says romance blogger Sarah Wendell, co-author of Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches’ Guide to Romance Novels.”

QUESTION:  Isn’t this also the appeal of Twilight — that ‘nothing ever happens’? Is this a clever new twist on the same thing?