Tha's Miller, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, has just published her first book and has already begun work on her second.
She said she told her parents when she was four years old that she knew she would be a writer. It has been her passion ever since.
"I love writing," Miller said. "I love the way it feels, the way it uncovers your own unconsciousness and the way you explore your mental knowledge by writing."
She said she got the idea for her first novel during a game of Trivial Pursuit.
"There was this question that asked which scientist invented a machine that turns slugs into energy," Miller said. "I immediately thought, when such a machine exists, there could also be a machine that turns human beings into energy."
This idea became the book's main premise. It drew a dark vision of a world in which old, ill or unused people are fed to a machine that recycles their bodies to produce energy. After a while, people even start to volunteer to give away their life for energy, she said.
"First, my friends couldn't believe that I wrote this book because it is so dark what I am definitely not," Miller said.
She said wanted to use this dark style of writing to wake people up. Her book is highly political and a social commentary as a result, she said.
"It asks the reader to take a new perspective about how humans treat each other," she said. "I want to encourage people to change their attitude about the value of life."
Randon Noble, a College of Arts and Sciences professor who is one of Miller's mentors, said her style is bold and striking, and full of sensory details.
"Tha's has always struck me as a dedicated student who is willing to take risks, to work hard and to hone her writing talent into something more than a natural ability," Noble said. "She is open to new ideas and always thinking about how to incorporate them into her own work."
Eastern Market, a place that Miller said is one of her favorite places to go in D.C., has also influenced her writing. One of the scenes in "Our Machinery" takes place at similar place.
Michael Mass, director of AU's honors program, said he thinks Miller is very creative.
"She is a self-starter and highly motivated," he said.
Miller said she is currently applying for graduate studies in creative writing and searching for an agent.
The Department of Literature, the Department of Justice, Law and Society and the Honors Program will sponsor a book signing and reading event in the Battelle-Tompkins Atrium on Sept. 23.
The book was ranked no. 571,313 on the Amazon.com bestseller list as of Sunday afternoon.
You can reach this writer at news@theeagleonline.com.
