Author Interview: Elizabeth Miles

Please welcome Elizabeth Miles to For Those About to Read... for an interview. Elizabeth Miles' debut novel Fury will be released on August 30, 2011 from Simon & Schuster. It is a dark, but exciting tale— defintley one of my favorites this year. 

What inspired you to write about the Furies?

A combination of interest in myth, folklore, and fairytale, a fascination with horror movies, an abiding love for YA literature, and a best-friendship with Lauren Oliver, who was instrumental in this process.

Were you influenced by Wuthering Heights at all? I felt there were similar themes in your book?

That is so interesting! I definitely loved Wuthering Heights as a teenager (and my mom loved it too)...It’s hard for me to resist the concept of obsessive love and the wild, dark atmosphere that Bronte created. That said, there was no direct inspiration.

Who is your favorite character from Fury and why?
I have lots of favorites. Em and I share some traits in common. Chase was a blast to write - I’ve never explored the male perspective so intimately. JD and Drea are cozy characters and people I might be friends with in real life. And of course, it is great fun to read and write characters as deliciously evil as the Furies.  

How do the Furies choose who to torment?

I think the Furies zero in on people whose mistakes are more complicated than simple black-and-white, wrong or right. Or people who feel, for whatever reason, tormented by their own misdeed. It’s not “fun” (as in, evil Fury-fun) to torment people who have no moral compass, or whose actions are clearly “bad” or who know their actions are wrong and do them anyway. The Furies enjoy witnessing (and causing) the anguish of someone who may truly be sorry. All that said, as non-humans, the Furies are impossible to predict. They are hell-bent on revenge, yes, but their targets often seem arbitrary.   

Was the sequel harder to write than the first book?

No, nor was it easier. I certainly felt more “flow” while writing the second book. But the story is getting more complicated, and I have to maintain continuity of tone and plot, and I am sometimes distracted by what’s going on with Fury...etc. Both experiences were challenging in a positive way.

Em and Chase did some bad things, but I still thought that they were very sympathetic characters. Do you think that the Furies are sympathetic as well or just plain evil?

I appreciate that you felt that way about Em and Chase. I think they are flawed, just like we are all flawed. As for the Furies, I don’t find them particularly sympathetic. They are not human, and their sense of justice/fairness/retribution is skewed.

Your writing kept my attention from the beginning of the novel all the way through the end—I loved it! What do you think are the key elements for a captivating beginning?

Thank you! I think the key is mystery and emotion. The mystery doesn’t have to be of a “whodunnit” nature - but I have to wonder what’s going to happen next, where the characters came from and where they’re going. And that doesn’t happen unless their emotion seems real or relateable to me.

What are your favorite books?

Here are just a few: The End of the Affair by Graham Greene; Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery; Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson; The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi, and Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers. There’s a wide variety for you!

What will you be doing on release day?

Squealing a lot! Other than that, well, it’s a Tuesday, which means I’ll be at work, putting out the paper (my day job is at a weekly newspaper and we go to press on Tuesday evenings). After work, I will force my boyfriend to take me out for champagne and lobster. Or at least the champagne (and I won’t have to force him, he wants you all to know that). I’ll also ask my friends (and blog friends?) to go to their local bookstores all over the Northeast and send me cell phone pictures of Fury on the shelves.

Do you have any plans for future series?

Fury is the first of a trilogy, of course, so readers can expect two more books from this series. We’ll follow old characters and meet new ones, learn more about the origin of the Furies, and discover whether or not anything can be done to stop them.

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

This is my debut novel and my first experience with the book publishing world. I’ve learned a lot. But one of the most important and significant things about this experience for me has been getting to know the YA/book blog universe - which is expansive, impressive, and exciting! I’m so grateful for people’s enthusiasm and support, not just for my book, but for reading in general, and for all the other authors who pour their hearts and souls into this profession. So, thank you.