Authors Are Rockstars: Elizabeth Miles

I am so happy today to be part of the Authors Are Rockstars tour and to be hosting the wonderful Elizabeth Miles! Two days in a row that she's on my blog... clearly I consider her a rockstar!

Why do I consider Elizabeth Miles a rockstar?
Well, for starters, she is a wonderful person - funny, kind, and so much fun to interact with. She sent me lots of Twitter love when I missed her in Toronto and has been wonderful to chat with online ever since. Not to mention how much fun she was for the PLL Eternity blog tour! But of course, being an author rockstar, she also has an exciting trilogy that is coming to an end next month: The Fury Series. This series has your regular high school drama, sure, but Elizabeth takes it to a whole other level by bringing in the Furies. Yes, those Furies. From mythology. Talk about crazy. These books are dramatic, exciting, and gave me a ship to root for to the end (I'm watching you, Elizabeth... it better work out)! If you're looking for crazy and addictive books about what happens when you add a little otherworldly evil to your typical high school teens' lives, you should definitely check out Fury, Envy, and Eternity!

Now for the interview:

Welcome, Elizabeth! I'm so excited to have you as my rockstar for the Authors Are Rockstars tour! I have to start off by asking who your favourite rockstars are, be they author rockstars or musician rockstars.

E: My favorite musician rockstars are Tegan and Sara, Bon Iver, and Beyonce. My favorite author rockstars are Stephen King, Lauren Oliver, and Judy Blume. And I would be remiss not to mention the fabulous community of YA book bloggers, who are all rockstars in their own right!

You clearly have fabulous taste! And a big thank you on behalf of YA bloggers. :)
How does it feel for the Fury trilogy to be coming to an end in September?

E: It feels satisfying and scary. Satisfying in that I am proud of the third and final book, and I think fans of the series will enjoy it. Scary in that this has been my world for the past three years and it’s going to be odd to put closure on the whole experience.

What can readers expect from the trilogy's final installment, Eternity? Can you share a favourite quote?

E: Readers can expect more intensity, thrills, and darkness as Em struggles with the evil inside her and JD pieces together what’s been happening all around him.

I think this quote, from the prologue, gives a good sense of the novel: “Crow gasped, the vision leaving him in a final flood of heat. As he stood shakily, brushing the gravel off of his hands, one crystal thought emerged from the smoke and chaos in his head: I must protect her.”

Oh boy. I don't know what to think of that yet... don't you hurt me, Elizabeth!
Are there any pieces or hints of you in any of your characters?

E: Sure. Certainly Em and I share certain characteristics -- we are only children, we love to read and write, and we sometimes try overly hard to please and protect the people we love. I don’t think I’m as capricious or selfish as Em can be sometimes. As for the rest of the characters in the Fury series, all of them have been influenced by my friends and family. I’m constantly noting people’s weird quirks and personality traits and then trying to incorporate them into my stories to make the characters feel more realistic.

What would you say was your biggest learning experience over the course of writing and publishing the trilogy? How have you grown as a writer?

E: I think I’ve grown leaps and bounds as a writer. Fury was my first foray into fiction, and when I reread it, I can tell. I think my voice has really developed and deepened over the past three years; I’ve learned to stay in each moment and find ways to engage the reader on every page. (I hope.)

Being able to see your growth over the series must be so satisfying! You've certainly managed to keep me engaged, so point for you, Elizabeth!
Can you talk about your experience with Paper Lantern Lit a bit and what it was like working with their team?

E: Working with Paper Lantern Lit is and was a joy. The PLL editors are thoughtful, energetic, and respectful, and they’ve taught me a lot about the craft of fiction-writing. I feel that I’ve come away from this partnership with a full toolbox to use for my next book(s). Between the “spark” of their ideas and everything I fed into the fire, I think we made a great and uber-flammable team. :)

Do you think you'll write something else mythology-inspired in the future?

E: I wouldn’t be surprised, but it won’t be my first project. Right now, I’m interested in writing something a little more grounded in reality.

Do you have any upcoming projects we can get excited about?

E: Nothing that I can talk about just yet...but stay tuned!

Ooh, exciting! I'll definitely be looking out for news! 
And a rapid-fire round...
Last book you read: Paris Was the Place by Susan Conley.
Last cover you lusted after: Andrea Cremer’s The Inventor’s Secret and No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale.
Top bookish couple you "ship": Lyra and Will from the His Dark Materials series.
One thing on your bucket list: Go to Russia.
One genre you want to write one day: Historical. 
Favourite snack while writing: Is pizza considered a snack? I also love tortilla chips dipped in hummus.
A song that you associate with the Fury trilogy: “What Goes Around Comes Around” by Justin Timberlake.
Next book on your to-read pile: Code Name Verity.

Thank you, Elizabeth! I'm so glad we got matched up for the tour!

E: Me too! YOU are a total rockstar!

Aww! *blush*

A huge thank you goes out to Elizabeth, and also to the tour hosts, Rachel, Jaime, and Mindy, for choosing me for the tour! There are lots of other awesome posts, so check out the rest of the tour by clicking on the tour logo at the top of the post.