Today we have an interview with Kirsten Miller, author of THE ETERNAL ONES which is now out in stores!
1. When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
I always knew I wanted to write, but I never set out to write for a living. Having spent much of my life in New York, I’d heard all the horror stories about publishing, and I knew plenty of talented people who were fabulous writers but hadn’t gotten lucky. So while I always knew I’d pen crazy stories, I never expected them to get published.
2. Publishing is a hard business and everyone has their story of getting published. How was yours? Hard? Easy?
Sheer, dumb luck is the only way I can describe my first experience with the publishing industry. I’d started writing Kiki Strike to entertain myself. A friend of mine got me to spill the beans about the “book” and offered to share my incomplete manuscript with someone he knew at Bloomsbury. A few weeks later, we had a deal.
I honestly believe that the ease with which I got my novel published is no reflection on my talents. (I know people far more gifted than I whose first books were rejected by dozens of publishers.) It was just the universe smiling down on me. (And Chris and Stephen, who made the whole thing possible. Thanks, guys.)
3. How did you come up with the idea of THE ETERNAL ONES?
I’ve always been fascinated by the subject of reincarnation, but the plot of the book didn’t come to me all at once. I first thought of a very young child who begins remembering a previous existence—and I wondered what the reaction of her friends and family might be to the things she said. Then I imagined the Ouroboros Society, a sinister private club for people who are certain they’ve been reincarnated. Later, I had a vision of my heroine seeing a young man on television—and somehow knowing he’s the one she was meant to find.
So the book really came to me in bits and pieces, which is how it usually works in my experience. It can take quite a bit of patience.
4. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? What makes that place so special?
I desperately need a vacation, but I can honestly say that the only place I ever want to live is New York City. It was my first love and remains my greatest source of inspiration. There’s always something to discover here. Always a new food to try or a new experience to have. And if you keep your eyes open, you’ll never be bored.
5. Are you planning on writing more after THE ETERNAL ONES? What can we expect?
Well the sequel to The Eternal Ones will be out fairly soon. I’m finishing the third book in my Kiki Strike series as we speak. Once that is out the door, I have no idea what I’ll do next. I have a million ideas, but I haven’t landed on one yet.
6. What are 5 things no one knows about you?
I’m a big believer in karma, and I truly believe all of our actions will come back to help—or haunt—us.
My daughter, Georgia, isn’t named after the state but after the font I used when writing the Kiki Strike books.
I never throw away the handwritten letters I receive from young readers.
I have only recently managed to end a terrible addiction to celebrity gossip.
I will watch any show about aliens or UFOs that comes on TV.
1. When did you first know you wanted to be an author?
I always knew I wanted to write, but I never set out to write for a living. Having spent much of my life in New York, I’d heard all the horror stories about publishing, and I knew plenty of talented people who were fabulous writers but hadn’t gotten lucky. So while I always knew I’d pen crazy stories, I never expected them to get published.
2. Publishing is a hard business and everyone has their story of getting published. How was yours? Hard? Easy?
Sheer, dumb luck is the only way I can describe my first experience with the publishing industry. I’d started writing Kiki Strike to entertain myself. A friend of mine got me to spill the beans about the “book” and offered to share my incomplete manuscript with someone he knew at Bloomsbury. A few weeks later, we had a deal.
I honestly believe that the ease with which I got my novel published is no reflection on my talents. (I know people far more gifted than I whose first books were rejected by dozens of publishers.) It was just the universe smiling down on me. (And Chris and Stephen, who made the whole thing possible. Thanks, guys.)
3. How did you come up with the idea of THE ETERNAL ONES?
I’ve always been fascinated by the subject of reincarnation, but the plot of the book didn’t come to me all at once. I first thought of a very young child who begins remembering a previous existence—and I wondered what the reaction of her friends and family might be to the things she said. Then I imagined the Ouroboros Society, a sinister private club for people who are certain they’ve been reincarnated. Later, I had a vision of my heroine seeing a young man on television—and somehow knowing he’s the one she was meant to find.
So the book really came to me in bits and pieces, which is how it usually works in my experience. It can take quite a bit of patience.
4. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you be? What makes that place so special?
I desperately need a vacation, but I can honestly say that the only place I ever want to live is New York City. It was my first love and remains my greatest source of inspiration. There’s always something to discover here. Always a new food to try or a new experience to have. And if you keep your eyes open, you’ll never be bored.
5. Are you planning on writing more after THE ETERNAL ONES? What can we expect?
Well the sequel to The Eternal Ones will be out fairly soon. I’m finishing the third book in my Kiki Strike series as we speak. Once that is out the door, I have no idea what I’ll do next. I have a million ideas, but I haven’t landed on one yet.
6. What are 5 things no one knows about you?
I’m a big believer in karma, and I truly believe all of our actions will come back to help—or haunt—us.
My daughter, Georgia, isn’t named after the state but after the font I used when writing the Kiki Strike books.
I never throw away the handwritten letters I receive from young readers.
I have only recently managed to end a terrible addiction to celebrity gossip.
I will watch any show about aliens or UFOs that comes on TV.
Thanks so much for the wonderful interview Kirsten!
-Ana
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