About
Hey, I’m Kiersten Lillis! I write books and stories for teens and young adults. I spent many years storytelling through audio and video while trying to bribe the muse. I love sweet tea, libraries, and the Oxford comma.
My parents claim I started reading alone at age three. That’s likely exaggerated, but I have loved reading and writing as long as I can remember. Around second grade I started journaling, pondering the deep questions of life, like “Is Santa real?” In middle school, a computer replaced the spiral bound. And, in high school, I succumbed to the phenomenon of online journaling. My Xanga is still floating out in cyberspace, chock full of neon, bold, and italicized Jimmy Eat World lyrics. I actually tried to find it, but alas, Xanga died and it took my blog with it. Can’t say I’m sorry.
Music is my other love. If Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness is in town, I’m dancing and singing in the crowd. Other favorites include Jimmy Eat World—some things never change—Bon Iver, Death Cab for Cutie, Ed Sheeran, and City and Colour.
What I Write
I write books and stories for teens and young adults to interrogate the strong, sometimes visceral, memories of that time in life and to understand the wonderful and terrible ways we change, grow, adapt, learn, and love during adolescence.
Right now I write no-spice fantasy, but I have plans to expand into other genres. Ideas abound, but time is finite. The stories will come as soon as I can write them.
Professional Background
I earned my BA from the University of Dayton (Gooooo Dayton Flyers!) with majors in Electronic Media and French and Minors in Psychology and Film Studies. After graduation, I pursued a career in video editing and dabbled in digital marketing for startups before becoming a mom. Now, I’m a stay-at-home mom sharing my love of reading with my book-loving children and writing my own work in the cracks of life.
Official Short Bio for Media Use
Kiersten Lillis writes fast-paced, no spice, mythology-inspired fantasy for teens and young adults. A pinch of mystery and something ghost-shaped always seem to work their way into her stories, whether or not she plans for them. Before publishing books, Kiersten edited wedding and event videos, spending hours crying alone at her computer while trying to bribe the author muse. When not writing, she can be found improvising silly songs and bedtime stories for her kids, singing off-key to Taylor Swift, and sipping sweet tea while hiding from the Colorado sunshine.