Author Interview with Elizabeth Kiem!

This week we had the pleasure of interviewing YA spy novelist Elizabeth Kiem! Her Bolshoi Series, which follows ballerinas caught up in the secret world of espionage, has been described as a mix between John Le Carré and “The Americans.” Check out what she has to say about what it takes to write a great spy novel!

When did you first decide that you wanted to be a writer?

I don’t think I ever did. Every job I’ve ever had (except for that short-order cook gig and a carnival game operator for a summer) paid me to write. Journalism. Marketing. Book reviews, press releases, profiles … but one day, late into my third career, I realized I had a lot of book projects, including a contract to write a novel or two. So while I never consciously decided to be a writer, there was a day – probably in February of 2012 – when I decided to quit being a writer with a stable salary and to start being a writer with a great story.

You are a world traveler, having lived in Moscow, New York, Alaska, and now London. Do you find that having lived in different parts of the world and having experienced different cultures has helped inspire your stories?

I feel like everyone is a world traveller these days – I know teenagers who have seen a good deal more of the world than I have. To a certain extent, being so exposed to diversity is fantastic for readers and writers alike, who have to really rise to the reality of the world we live in. On the other hand, I wonder if the sense of the exotic, the foreign, that so captivated me as a young person outside of my homecourt is as strong today, particularly among really sophisticated multi-cultural readers. I wrote my first book about a place and time that struck me as impenetrable and therefore exotic; the particular culture of Russians of my generation growing up in the late stages of a communist, authoritarian regime – that culture was my heroine as much as Marina, a dancer fleeing that society.

The Bolshoi Saga is a series you wrote following three generations of ballerinas starting during Soviet era Russia. There is plenty of intrigue, spies, love, and dance. Can you tell us a little bit about what inspired you to combine the ballet with espionage?

Um. It’s the greatest combination ever?

What kind of research did you have to do in order to bring to life the Cold War era for your readers?

I tucked into my journals of when I lived in Moscow in 1992. The Soviet Union had just collapsed and pundits declared the Cold War was over … but life on the ground, entrenched life, daily life, doesn’t change that quickly. So many things that struck me in those early days after Russia was no longer Soviet were still deeply Soviet. And I loved all that ephemera – the specifics of the music, social lives, video games, soda machines, trams, trains, bookstores – all of it was like candy to me. As for the Cold War itself, I struggled to convince myself that teenagers of the 21st century might take interest in the ideological contest or in the idea of a police state. Luckily, Ed Snowden, Wikileaks, Pussy Riot and “The Americans” helped me out on that front.

Now, of course, we’ve entered Cold War 2.0 and a whole new era of Russophobia. The big difference this time around is that the us versus them is much less clear than it was in the 20th century. To quote Trump himself “you think our country’s so innocent?” Well no, I never did and I don’t now. But I know that the present administration is taking absolutely no action to rectify that and instead seems hell-bent on proving it to the world.

What do you think is the most important element of a great spy novel?

A likeable spy.

How was the publishing process for you? Did you go it alone or with a publishing company?

It was a dream. My relationship with Soho Teen began as a collaboration. My editor asked me to write a novel about a crime-boss’s daughter, who has psychic powers. It took some twists and turns, but ultimately became a trilogy about ballerinas who may or may not be spies and who may or may not be psychic but who all have alluring characters and completely plausible adventures. I stuck to my guns on the plausibility. There is enough unbelievable stuff in the historical record of Cold War espionage and mind games that you really don’t have to invent. (Though inventing is good fun.)

You have also developed a writing model called Trapeze Writing. Can you tell us a little more about this method?

Trapeze writing is writing that is full of neat tricks but rooted in practice, form, timing and trust. A trapeze writer grabs an idea and jumps, sometimes to alight across a gap and sometimes to end back where she started. In trapeze writing I encourage doing something again and again, not just for the skill but for the thrill.

In short, it’s an extended metaphor.

What’s next for you?

I’m just trying to keep a step ahead of global politics, which every day seems to take a page from my fiction. After the final book of The Bolshoi Saga came out (Orphan, Agent, Prima Pawn,) I told everyone that I was taking a break from Russian intrigue. I moved to England and found myself writing obsessively about a particular cathedral town that I am very connected to – maybe you’ve heard of it, it’s called Salisbury.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

I’d love to hear from you! Hit me up!


To learn more about Elizabeth, check out her website, https://www.elizabethkiem.com, or find her on Twitter @eclarekiem! And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Orphan Agent Prima Pawn on Amazon now!