Here, KA talks about her new series, REMNANTS...

You've finally finished ANIMORPHS after more than sixty books, and EVERWORLD after a dozen books. What made you want to start this new series, REMNANTS?
I don't know. I'm starting to think I have a psychological problem of some sort. I think I'm so used to getting up and writing every day that I don't know how to stop. Clearly I need help.

What can you tell us about REMNANTS?
Well, it's different. Both in terms of subject matter and style. It's a story of what happens to the survivors of a desperate mission to save a handful of human beings after an asteroid collides with Earth. Eighty people are placed aboard a converted space shuttle using untested hibernation technology and fired blindly into space hours before all life on Earth is obliterated.

All life on Earth is obliterated?
Except for cockroaches and certain members of boy bands.

You mentioned that REMNANTS is written in a different style.
Yes. Rather than being built entirely around a core group of characters I opened it up a bit more. I guarantee that the characters Jobs and Mo'Steel will survive, but that's my only guarantee. Beyond that, characters may live or die, play a larger or smaller role. And new characters will be added. I'm trying to avoid any clear formula. I want to surprise readers.

More from this interview.

arrived on earth... 1956 in Michigan

sightings... Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota

last seen... North Carolina

growing up... "I was a perfect child who never caused any trouble. I was beloved by my teachers and respected by my classmates, all of whom became lifelong friends. I always did my homework, always got straight A's and did the dishes without being asked twice. Also, I loved animals -- well, at least the part about loving animals is true!"

childhood dream... "I grew up with a menagerie -- dogs, cats, gerbils -- not to mention three younger siblings. I was sure I wanted to grow up to be either a veterinarian or a writer. In fact, I worked for a vet during high school, doing everything from cleaning cages to assisting in surgery. Eventually, I realized that, as a writer, I could spend time not only with cats and dogs and the occasional ferret, but with any animal under the sun -- and perhaps a few from a galaxy down the road."

early jobs... "I went through a series of jobs -- typing (badly), waiting tables (also badly), and taking care of plants (many of which did actually survive). I'd always known I'd be a writer someday. Or at least I hoped I would be. It was just a question of finally getting serious about it. It turns out that in order to become a writer, you actually have to start writing."

on writing... "I really love writing, but I am very easily distracted: my two cats fighting, a rainbow, a TV show...I have to use every trick to keep myself at the computer. Then, I just look at the world and ask, 'What if...?' The hard part about writing is finding out the right way to make an idea come to life. But it is also -- by the way -- the best part of writing."

on ANIMORPHS... "I want to give readers as accurate an idea as possible of what it would be like to become a completely different species. When Tobias becomes a hawk, I want the reader to see the world as a hawk might see it -- to soar on the warm breezes and hurtle toward the ground to make a kill. When Marco becomes an ant, I want to convey the ant's lack of individuality, his blind world of scent and touch. When Cassie becomes a dolphin, I want the reader to feel the water rushing past, to experience what it must be like to leap from cold ocean into warm sky."

on researching the animals... "I have a huge library. But I also talk to zoologists and zoo curators. The zoo guys are the best, because they observe the animals all day long. And sometimes I go out into the field. When I was writing about Tobias becoming a hawk, I went to a raptor center where they rehabilitate injured birds. I spent time with the birds, and with a falconer, and a vet. But after a certain point, it's just guessing. Climbing into the head of an animal is like climbing into the head of another human being. It becomes pure imagination."

on morphing... "I would like to morph into a dolphin. I've spent time with dolphins and their trainers. I love their beauty and their sense of freedom. Of course, I'd also like to try a bird so I could fly. And a dog, just because they're so silly. And maybe a housefly. I'm working on a housefly morph. They're gross, but they're great fliers -- right side up, upside down..."

about the future of ANIMORPHS... "Hah, like I'm going to tell you? No way. You have to keep reading the books. But I'll tell you this: the adventure has just begun. And any time you think you know how it will turn out, guess again, because I am going to do my best to surprise you, scare you, and amaze you."

other books... Applegate is an award-winning author who has written books on a wide range of subjects and in a variety of formats, from pop-up books to adult romances.

other life forms... "I want to believe there's intelligent life on other planets. It's fun to think there's something out there."

on pets... "I live in a high-rise apartment building, so I just have two cats. They're both pound kitties. One of them, Dick, is an evil, foot-biting cat. When I write a tiger morph, I'm always imagining Dick."

on music... Applegate is an amateur cellist who lives, fortunately, in a well-soundproofed building.

other interests... traveling, reading, gardening.

to ANIMORPHS readers... "Two things. I hope my books help give you respect and awe for the natural world. Animals are at least as incredible and amazing as any alien species. The other thing is that in the books, it's up to kids to save the world. In life, that's true as well."