Author Uncovered: Kiersten White (Author Interview)

Hey guys! Today, we have Kiersten White, author of Paranormalcy with us today! If you've been living under a rock and haven't heard of her or Paranormalcy yet, here's your chance! I loved Paranromalcy! Check my review out!

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Who is your favorite character from Paranormalcy?

I love Evie, the main character and narrator. Her voice is so fun to live in, and the way she thinks always surprises me. (Umm, does that make me sound crazy?) She's such a fun combination of world-weary and naive.

Then, of course, there are the boys. I hesitate to say too much about my boys, but Reth--a faerie whom I would not like to know in real life--was always delicious to write. Jerks are the most fun to create, I've found.

Why did you choose to incorporate International Paranormal Containment Agency into Paranormalcy?

That's actually what the entire idea stemmed from. If you had a vampire, and you didn't want to kill it, but you wanted to make it incapable of hurting people--who would do that? How would that work? Cue Tasers and the International Paranormal Containment Agency. It all spun out from there!

Evie seems like a very unique character in Paranormalcy. Is she based on any real-life person?

Not really. She has a good dose of my sense of humor (just because I don't know any other ways to be funny), but she's definitely her own person. That's part of why I love writing, though. My characters and their voices kind of create themselves, and make choices and think things that I never would. It's a happy kind of crazy.

Theoretically, do you think our world would be better with a more paranormal environment like in Paranormalcy, or do you think normality is better? Why?

That's kind of the question of the series: Is the world better off with these things, or not? Evie in particular struggles with it, since she straddles both worlds and sees the very worst that the paranormal world has to offer. Fortunately there's someone special to show her that a little magic in the world isn't always a bad thing.

Which character do you resonate most with, in Paranormalcy?

Probably the gremlin that runs, snarling and rabid, down the hall trying to bite things.

Okay, not so much. I resonate with Evie--and hope that my readers do, too--because I think in spite of everything she's a very typical teenager, struggling with the usual questions of where she fits in, who she is, and what she wants her life to be.

What was the message that you tried to get across to your readers with Paranormalcy?

I really didn't write with a message in mind, but I think a lot of the book boils down to choice: what we do with the situations we are given. If you find any other messages, feel free to let me know!

What would you have done if you were in Evie's place?

Curled up in a ball and cried. She's a bit more emotionally resilient than I am...

But really, she's living in such a fantastic world and trying to make it as normal as possible. I think I'd do the same thing--try to normalize things just to stay sane.

The cover is very beautiful. Did you have any input in it?

OH MY GOSH I LOVE MY COVER SO MUCH.

Whew. Sorry. Nope! They sent me the concept, which I loved, the model's portfolio, which I loved, and the final product, which I LOVED. I knew I wouldn't have much say, but the design team at HarperTeen is so good I kind of didn't want to have a say. I write books--let someone else figure out how to represent them on a cover! And they did such an amazing job.

How does it feel to be a 10'er?

I got in on the Tenners kind of late, but it's been so nice networking with other debut authors and hearing their input and their experiences. In general one of the nicest things in the last few months has been getting to know other authors online. It's a great community.

What's the most interesting thing a reader has ever said to you?

Of a previous book, my sister-in-law said, "I feel kind of creepy for liking Will, since he's so much like my brother." Which was true. Sorry for making you feel creepy, Emma.

What’s up next for you book-wise?

I've turned in the sequel to PARANORMALCY and am waiting for edits. There's an anthology on the television series The Vampire Diaries that I'm contributing an essay to, and I've also got another project (a ghost story) that needs one more round of edits before it's ready for submission. Plus a new series I'm working on with the hopes of selling it next year. And of course the final book in the PARANORMALCY trilogy, which I'll try to write this fall and winter.

My head aches...

Book you've faked reading:
To Kill a Mockingbird

Book you've bought for the cover:
Shiver

Book you're an evangelist for:
The Book Thief