Beyond the Book: Background information when reading Kiki Strike

Beyond the Book

This article relates to Kiki Strike

Kirsten Miller works in advertising in New York. She says that the idea for Kiki Strike did not come to her all at once, but that Kiki was the first character to arrive, because she loved the idea of a young, female mastermind who lived by her own set of rules (not all of them good). Then, in 2001, she heard about the front lawn of a nursing home in Manhattan that had collapsed revealing the forgotten basement of a building that had been torn down eighty years before; the room was complete with tables, chairs and even wall decorations. This was one of the events that triggered Miller's fascination with the many other tunnels and hidden rooms under New York, which inspired her to create the Shadow City.

"I wanted to create female characters whose strength comes from what's inside their heads, not what's inside their bras. I'm no prude, believe me, but I don't care much for those who think 'girl power' means the freedom to wear revealing clothes and dominate guys. Those things can be fun, of course, but 'girl power' should be so much more than that." - Kirsten Miller.

Interesting links:

• The Kiki Strike website with introductions to the characters, and maps of New York and the world that show the locations of real subterranean structures.
• A video interview with Kirsten Miller at firstbook.org.

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This article relates to Kiki Strike. It first ran in the June 25, 2007 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.