2013 Debut Author Interview: Kimberly Ann Miller

Every Friday here at The Book Goddess blog, I will be featuring one 2013 debut author and interview them about their upcoming book. If you want to take a look at the past interviews, go HERE.

 

About the author of TRIANGLES!

Kimberly Ann Miller received Bachelor's degrees from Georgian Court University and Rutgers University and a Master's degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys true crime and young adult novels. She grew up in New Jersey and currently resides in Monmouth County with her husband and three cats. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel to sunny islands where she snorkels by day and stargazes by night. She always takes her Nook with her.

 

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TRIANGLES by Kimberly Ann Miller - debuting June 18th 2013 from Spencer Hill Press

ABOUT THE BOOK:

A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

ADD TO GOODREADS

AUTHOR INTERVIEW with KIMBERLY ANN MILLER!

 

 

1. Describe your book in 5 words.

Romantic. Mysterious. Intriguing. Intense. Flirtatious.
 

2. Your book TRIANGLES is slated for release in 2013. Is there anything more you can tell us about the story or the characters? And what kind, if any, research did you have to do?

Here is the blurb from Spencer Hill Press’s website:

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

I didn’t have to do any research! I’ve been on several cruises and I’ve been to Bermuda several times. And since the Bermuda Triangle remains a mystery, I made up the alternate realities as one of the many possible things that could happen while traveling through the Bermuda Triangle.
 

3. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started? What was your publishing journey like?

Actually, writing was not something I considered when I was younger. I always enjoyed reading, but in November 2008, my sister made me read the Twilight saga. Prior to that, I had never read anything YA, even as a teen myself. But I loved the story and the characters so much, I decided that I would like to write a book that others could enjoy as much as I enjoyed Twilight. I bought a few how-to books, picked up a netbook, and started writing! As for publishing Triangles, I queried agents and pitched the book on contests and got some requests, but no offers. Then, I entered a query contest on Kate Kaynak’s blog (the Lead Editor at Spencer Hill Press). She liked my query and asked that I query Spencer Hill Press when they opened to submissions last December. I queried them December 1, got the manuscript request Dec 4, and got the offer to publish on Feb 21, 2012! They are an amazing company to write for. I love them all! So, my journey has been great!
 

4. How did your main character Autumn Taylor come to life? What was the inspiration behind her and do you have any quirks or hobbies similar to hers?

 

I got the idea for her name from a Christening I was at and jotted it down. Her story started out as something different, but when the theme of the Bermuda Triangle and alternate realities hit me, I reworked that into the story. Once I knew where Autumn was going, she took over the story! What inspired me to write about the Bermuda Triangle is my love for Bermuda. It's one of the safest, cleanest, nicest islands I've travelled to. The people are amazing, the sights rock, and the weather is perfect. Plus, they have the Bermuda Triangle!

 

Regarding similarities between Autumn and myself, hmmm…we both love reading, traveling, cats, chai, and Jersey pizza. Other than that, we are both individuals!

 

5. I'm really into books with strong romantic elements, is there anything you can tell us about the romance in your book?

There’s a lot of it! And not only one, but two hot guys, Joey and Marcus! Let’s just say Autumn gets a ‘taste’ of each of them, and has different experiences with each of them. It was really fun to write those scenes, too!

 

6. What made you decide to write a Young Adult book? And why the Bermuda Triangle?

I love YA because the teen years are the most emotional times of our lives. Everything is so new and raw, and we experience so many ‘firsts’ that we can never get back—first kiss, first love, first job, first taste of independence. I would never want to go through it again, but the memories last a lifetime and are some of the best! See above about the Bermuda Triangle!

 

7. As a reader, what is most important to you, the characters or the plot? And as a writer, is it different?

As both a reader and a writer, I have to like the characters and care about their journey to get invested in the story. But an interesting plot is a must, also. So, both!

 

8. Aside from TRIANGLES coming out June 18, what else can we expect from you? New books, new projects?

I have already submitted the first companion novel to Triangles to Spencer Hill Press. It’s currently being evaluated. The plan is to have a different set of characters go through the Bermuda Triangle and their own alternate realities with each book. I also have a middle grade novel on submission about three young teens discovering stranded aliens on an island, and I’m working on a YA contemporary.

 

9. What other books are you really looking forward to read in 2013?

Wow, there are so many! One of my favorite authors is Jennifer Armentrout, and I’m dying for the next books in both her Covenant and Lux series. Spencer Hill Press has several interesting titles coming out, and I’m dying for Book Expo America in June to get my hands on some great ARCs. I found a lot of new authors to admire through the books I got at Book Expo in 2012 and I’m sure 2013 won’t be any different.

 

10. OMG! I love JLA too, as you all know! And SHP does have amazing interesting titles coming out this year :) And finally, what message would you want readers of TRIANGLES to take away from the story?

 

First and foremost, I want them to enjoy the story as a fun escape from reality! But throughout the book, Autumn discovers a lot about herself. Her journey of self-discovery is a major theme in Triangles, and she learns that by facing her fears, she becomes a stronger person.

Me: Eeeep. I don't know about you guys but this book just sounds so amazeballs! I'm dying for this book and hopefully we'll get the arcs soon! :)

Check back next Friday for our next author interview, Laura Lam (author of PANTOMIME, Jan. 2013!)