DHW: How do you describe yourself?

K: I am Kim Harrison, author of the New York Times #1 best selling "Hollows" series. I was born in Detroit and lived most of my life within an easy drive of it.  After gaining my bachelors in the sciences, I moved from Michigan to South Carolina, where I remained until recently returning to Michigan because I missed the snow.  I'm currently working on the "Peri Reed Chronicles", a futuristic espionage thriller, and when not at her desk, I'm most likely to be found landscaping my new/old Victorian home, in the garden, or out on the golf course.

DHW: The "Madison Avery" Series starts with "Once Dead, Twice Shy" (at least in our country), but you wrote a pre-series book "Prom Nights From Hell". Tell us more about it. It is optional to read or the readers can start with "Once Dead, Twice Shy"?

K: "Prom Nights from Hell" is an anthology of several authors works, and in it there is a novella called The Dim Reaper. That's the one that I wrote, and it is indeed a Madison story. It tells of how she died and then became a reaper, so I think it's pretty important. You don't have to read it to enjoy the rest of the books, but it does answer a lot of questions.

DHW:  What inspired you to write "Madison Avery" Series? How did it all begin - the ideas, the characters...?

K: I don't really remember what inspired me to write Madison. I fell in love with reading when I was a young adult, and I guess the magic is still there after all this time. It felt good to go back and write something my younger self would like.

DHW: Are you working on a new book right now? 

K: I'm working on a new series called the "Peri Reed Chronicles", which is aimed more for the adult market. I've not done anything for Young Adult in a while, and I miss it.

DHW: What are you doing in your free time?

K: I spend a lot of my free time in my garden or fixing things around the house. In the winter, when I can't get out, I bake a lot and knit small stuffed animals like dragons and gargoyles.

DHW: Did you want to be a writer since you were a kid?

K: I didn't go to school to be a writer, but I read a whole lot of books when I was growing up. I actually went to school to be a biologist, and I use that degree in the sciences every day in my writing. I guess what I'm saying is that you don't have to have a literary degree to write books. Sometimes, that literary degree gets in the way.

DHW: What is the most exciting thing about being an author?

K: I can't say what the most exciting thing about being an author is, but one of the best things is being able to plan my day and time. As long as I meet my deadlines, I can arrange my day as I see fit. I can take some time off when I want and not worry about coming back and finding my job gone, and that's a great feeling.

DHW: If you could be any supernatural creature what would you be and why? 

K: Actually, I can't just pick one. Something with wings, though, something solitary.

DHW: What do you think about Romania? Have you visited it or are you planning to?

K: I've never visited Romania, but I'd love to someday.