The 140 Interview is a new feature here at Books in 140!

Between January 5-9, I was lucky enough to interview YA author Mitali Perkins about her latest book, Secret Keeper! In order to stay true to the spirit of Twitter, the interview was conducted over Twitter’s Direct Message feature and both questions and answers were limited to 140 characters. (You’ll notice I cheated once or twice!)

Mitali Perkins has been a YA author for several years–her previous books include the First Daughter series and The Not-So-Star-Spangled Life of Sunita Sen. Born in Kolkata (Calcutta), India and moving all over the world as a child, thanks to her father’s job, Mitali felt she grew up very much “between cultures” and this is a space in which all her books exist.

A big thanks to Mitali for being my first victim interviewee! Be sure to check out her blog and follow her on Twitter @mitaliperkins!

In 140 characters, tell me about your book.

SECRET KEEPER (Random House) is a YA novel about sisters, secrets, and the power of sacrificial love. It’s set in Kolkata, India, 1974

Oooh, interesting! What inspired these themes? And why the unique setting? (Since it’s 2 questions, 2 DMs are allowed!)

When we left India and settled here, my sisters were allies in that strange place “between cultures.” We would go far to protect each other.

In Flushing, Queens, I’d sneak out on our fire escape to scribble stories and confessions in my “Secret Keeper,” a diary with lock and key.

Given your fire escape escape, when did you decide you wanted to be a writer and why?

I always wrote for the joy of it, but mustered the nerve to call myself a writer in 2004, when my agent sold Monsoon Summer to Random House.

You often write about strong female characters who are “between cultures.” What makes SECRET KEEPER different/special for you?

Family wept at my birth because I was a 3rd daughter. Would I be as strong a woman if we hadn’t left India? I answered yes in SECRET KEEPER.

You’re very active online. Has social media helped you as an author? How so?

Yes and … maybe. I’m not a big name, so they help me “brand” by sharing my voice and vision. But they squabble with the muse for my time.

What about with your fictional characters? I love Sparrowblog! Has that experiment been a success and would you do it again?

I launched it because my character in the FIRST DAUGHTER books blogs. I’m a campaign junkie so it was fun to track the first kid wannabes.

Would you consider doing it again? How you feel about fictional characters participating in social media?

It worked well during the campaign, but do I want to tweet Legolas or Frodo? Not really. But a little DM-ing with Aragorn might interest me.

Tell me about Asha from SECRET KEEPER.

Asha is 16, loves tennis, reading, and writing in her journal. She has a gift of making people feel safe enough to tell her their secrets

What’s her relationship with her sister Reet like? How does it change throughout the book? (Without giving away any major plot points!)

They adore each other. They promise their father to protect each other, but keeping that promise grows harder than they could have dreamed.

As a busy mom, how do you find time for writing? What’s your regular writing schedule like?

Everything’s crazy now as I’m launching the book and mini-tour. I usually write (#Peets) or do author visits while the boys are in school.

I can imagine! When things are calmer, do you have any hobbies/interests you enjoy?

Tennis. I play competitive singles and like beating twenty-somethings . Movies. I love movies. Food. I eat for fun. Travel. Take me away.

I love it! Do you have any new books/ideas in the works?

BAMBOO PEOPLE is coming from Charlesbridge in 2010. It’s my first novel with a guy on the cover, and is set along the Thai-Burma border.

That’s exciting! How did you find writing about a male character, seeing as your previous books have a female protagonist?

It was fun because of my sons, who have been busy teaching me the basics of TEEN GUYS FOR DUMMIES.

Is there anything about writing/SECRET KEEPER you want to add?

Thanks so much, this was a blast. I want to do all my interviews via Twitter now.

Me too!

Secret Keeper is published by Random House and will be available on January 13, 2009. You can pre-order your copy at Amazon, currently on sale for $11.55.

Second Note: The 140 Interviews are *hopefully* going to be a weekly series! If you’re an author, literary agent, editor or anyone in the book industry and want to be interviewed this way, DM me or contact me here!