Interview with Kiera Cass

What if Cinderella didn't actually want to be a princess? Or what if Esther was actually in love with the boy next door when she was sent off to marry the Persian king? These were among the questions that inspired Kiera Cass's bestselling the Selection series, her captivating dystopian fairy tale-meets-futuristic fantasy in which 35 ordinary citizens compete to win the heart of a prince or princess. Now the five-part series reaches its climactic conclusion with The Crown, the romance-packed finale that sees Princess Eadlyn struggling to find true love among her own group of 35 suitors. Here Kiera answers your questions about finally saying good-bye to her beloved series and how her characters have surprised her.



Stephanie: You're the best! I got all my friends to read your books, and now we can't wait for The Crown. How do you feel about ending the Selection series? What part of that world will you miss the most?

Kiera Cass: I was doing pretty good with the series ending until recently. I'm actually starting to feel really sad about it. And even though the characters stay in my head, it is strange that as far as everything in print goes, things are final. So, yeah, I'll come home from tour and stay on the couch for a week. I've earned it.

Patricia: Whose love story do you relate to more—America's or Eadlyn's? Why?

KC: Hard to say! My love life was never as complicated as either of theirs, so neither. But pieces of my husband end up in the boys I write, so in that way I can kind of relate to both. That is a terrible answer!

Tiffany: How do you celebrate when you finish writing a book?

KC: Wait, like when I turn in the drafts or when it comes out? I mean, I don't think I have anything particular either way, but tour feels like a week-long party to celebrate that the book exists. It's exhausting to be on the road! But it's fun to get to see the excitement in all the readers, so maybe that.

Guila: Did you know who Eadlyn would choose when you started writing The Heir? And if so, did any of the characters surprise you and affect the ending you had planned?

KC: I rarely know anything. I have the most obnoxious writing process, which is me holding on for dear life until my characters tell me something. I will tell you I was surprised early on when one character walked in, and that pretty much set everything in motion, and I certainly wasn't expecting it.

Sophie Kebret: What's the best place you've gotten to travel to because of your writing? Why was it so special?

KC: The first time I ever stepped out of the United States was my trip to the Philippines, and that will probably stick in my memory forever. It was the first time there were people screaming and crying and just plain old stupid excited to see me. It was unforgettable, but I'm glad that's not the day-to-day reaction. Most people are pretty chill.

Baylynn: If you were in America's or Eadlyn's place, would you have picked the same suitors?

KC: My personality and desires are very different from theirs, so it's hard to say. But I would suck at being any sort of leader, so I probably would avoid anything that landed me with a crown on my head. That would be priority number one. THEN we can worry about boys!

Sukayna: Your books are absolutely amazing! Thank you for being such a brilliant author! I've started writing a book, too, but I'm not sure if I can actually write one. What motivated and inspired you to keep writing when you were first starting out?

KC: Oh, babe, it should be fun. That was all I was doing. My stories made me happy, so I kept going. I hope you're doing something you enjoy!

Claire: Who are your literary role models?

KC: Stylewise, I'm not sure I have one. But I always say I need to give Stephenie Meyer a high five because she made it sound SO EASY to get published. Homegirl totally lied, but I still owe her one.

Cindi: Was it difficult to switch between America and Maxon's dialogue as teenagers in the early Selection books compared with their dialogue as adults in The Heir and The Crown? Did you feel like you watched those characters grow up in a way? (P.S. I met you in person, and I would just like to tell you that both Chicago and Anderson's Bookshop miss you!)

KC: It didn't feel hard for me, but I do think that was harder for readers to take in. I can see how pressures and obligations changed Maxon and America's priorities, or how they simply grew up. But the 20 years between the end of The One and the start of The Heir being left off the page has been a challenge for some, I think. I totally get the better end of the deal, because so many things are in my head. Sorry I can't just let you all in.

Michelle: If you could be a character in the Selection series for one day, who would you be?

KC: May. One, we're already pretty similar in our general giddiness, and two, she probably gets one of the best outcomes. Yes, I shall take the clothes and the favorite aunt award and live my life, thank you.