INTERVIEW with KRISTEN SIMMONS

Congratulations to our very own Kristen Simmons on her new release, Breaking Point, the second novel in her Article 5 series!

After faking their deaths to escape from prison, Ember Miller and Chase Jennings have only one goal: to lay low until the Federal Bureau of Reformation forgets they ever existed.

Near-celebrities now for the increasingly sensationalized tales of their struggles with the government, Ember and Chase are recognized and taken in by the Resistance—an underground organization working to systematically take down the government. At headquarters, all eyes are on the sniper, an anonymous assassin taking out FBR soldiers one by one. Rumors are flying about the sniper’s true identity, and Ember and Chase welcome the diversion….

Until the government posts its most-wanted list, and their number one suspect is Ember herself.

Orders are shoot to kill, and soldiers are cleared to fire on suspicion alone. Suddenly Ember can’t even step onto the street without fear of being recognized, and “laying low” is a joke. Even members of the Resistance are starting to look at her sideways.

With Chase urging her to run, Ember must decide: Go into hiding…or fight back?

It's been one year since your debut, Article 5 came out. Looking back, do you have any advice for those finding their way through that first year?

Enjoy the ride. It's so easy to get caught up in deadlines and painful reviews, and how scary this kind of exposure can be. The truth is, it's a heck of a rush to see your dreams come to life.

What's your favorite scene?

I like any scene where there's kissing. :)

Do you have a favorite line?

Here's my favorite section from Breaking Point. It's when Ember is recalling how she met Chase when they were children:

I’d never been brave enough to go into that old house

alone, but when Chase had shown up, intent to see beyond

the splintering white columns and broken shutters, I couldn’t

say no. I hadn’t known that the sour smell was asbestos and

the raised veins in the wallpaper were termite highways. You

didn’t think of those things at six. You only thought about

how fear could be split down the middle like an orange, so

both of you could eat half.

Can you tell us when the third and final book in the Article Five series is expected and if it has a name yet? Anything you want to tell us about it?

I can tell you it comes out next year in Winter 2014...and the title has yet to be finalized (though it's chosen, it's just a matter of how it will be written...). I can also tell you that things are going to get both more dangerous, and a little steamier for our heroes.

What's next?

It will be hard for me to say goodbye to Chase and Ember, but their story is wrapping up. After that I have three more books coming out with Tor Teen (stand alone titles). The first is called Glass Arrow, and is about a girl who is sold for breeding rights in a world where women are endangered. The second, Metaltown, follows young sweat shop workers as they form a union, and the third...well, that's my little secret!

Can you name a couple of your favorite YA books of all time? What's your recent favorite?

I LOVE the Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness. Oh my gosh, it's so good. And I have become a recent fan of Laini Taylor - I'm currently reading Days of Blood and Starlight, and it's absolutely beautiful. But I have to say my recent fave is Dare You To by Katie McGarry! I have been dying to hear Beth's story, and it was so worth the wait!

Thanks for the interview, Colette!