'Paranormalcy' author won't be bringing Tasey to Comic-Con

Kiersten White, the New York Times best-selling author of the popular PARANORMALCY series, isn’t just going to be speaking on a panel and signing books at Comic-Con. She’ll be bouncing around the floor  as HarperTeen’s official Comic-Con correspondent.

Kiersten White

And why not. She’s a natural. Anyone who has read White’s YA flirty, action-packed PARANORMALCY and SUPERNATURALLY knows she’s got a quick wit and great imagination. After all, she dreamed up Evie, the teen-age girl who can see through the glamours of paranormal creatures. That makes her a valuable asset of the IPCA — the International Paranormal Containment Agency — where she uses her pink “rhinestone-studded Tasey” to bag and tag paranormals, who are later made into useful members of society. (Apparently Evie, is the only human on the planet who can see through paranormal glamours.)

Here’s an interview I did for my news org — U-T San Diego — with White, who lives in San Diego. She talks about the convention we tried to get her to leak any deets  on the final book in the trilogy — ENDLESSLY – due out July 24.

Q. First impression of Comic-Con?

A: It’s funny because I had never wanted to attend Comic-Con. My husband described it as 100,000 people in the same building plus costumes, which is startling similar to a recurring nightmare of mine. But in reality, I adored it. There’s a certain joyful type of energy at the con. It’s so much less about comics than it is about fandom — about being willing to say you LOVE something and aren’t afraid to look a little silly celebrating just how much you enjoy it. Being around that many people geeking out at the same time was a blast.

Q. Fave Comic-Con moment?
A. I had just been complaining that I hadn’t seen a single celebrity when none other than Ultimate Nerd Deity himself, Nathan Fillion, walked right past me. Ask and ye shall receive. Other than that, any event where I get to chat and hang out with fans (of my books and others) is always a blast.

Q. What will you be doing at Comic-Con? (Showing off Tasey?)
A.  I’m going to be running around embarrassing myself on camera, mostly. My publisher, HarperTeen, has made me their official Comic-Con correspondent. They claim it’s because I’m quick-witted or some nonsense like that, but really it’s because they know I have no problem making an idiot of myself for internet consumption. I’ll be interviewing other authors, making a guest appearance at HarperTeen’s preview panel on Saturday night, and speaking on a panel of other urban fantasy authors Sunday afternoon, after which I’ll be signing. Sadly, I will be leaving my pink Taser at home because I have a strict policy of not getting arrested at public events.

Q. On a “can’t miss” for you at this year’s Comic-Con?
A. It KILLS me, but my authorial duties conflict with The Hobbit panel. Hopefully my husband can get in. I think he’s never been prouder of my career than these two summers when it has netted him free passes to Comic-Con. Cruelly dashed Martin Freeman and Peter Jackson hopes aside, I’m really looking forward to meeting author and reader friends new and old. Plus I get to introduce my HarperTeen team to carne asada French fries. They’ll never want to go back to New York!

Q. What can you tell us about ENDLESSLY — just a hint for us Evie fans?
A. In spite of adorably hopeful emails from teen fans, ENDLESSLY is my last book with Evie as a narrator. There are surly dragons, trippy unicorns, surprise tasings, Faerie Realm misadventures, old friends, new enemies, and possibly the destruction of the whole world. You know, the standard teen experience.