Erin McKean is the debut author of The Secret Lives of Dresses. Today, Erin joins us to answer our 20 Questions. Enjoy!

Kindle or Nook? I use Nook, Kindle, Kobo, Goodreader, ibis reader, and the Bluefire reader ... all on my iPad!

iPhone or BlackBerry? Palm Pre. Can't say enough good things about it. I love the keyboard!

Coke or Pepsi? Coke. Diet Coke. I'm also a big fan of Cheerwine (a Southern thing).

Coffee or tea? I drink gallons of ice tea a day. Not sweet tea any longer, though. Just plain ol' unsweetened English Breakfast with lots of ice.

Ice cream or frozen yogurt? I'm going to pretend you didn't mention frozen yogurt. (Shudder.)

Flats or heels? Either, as long as they're penny loafers. But honestly, mostly flats.

Facebook or Twitter? Don't make me choose ... Facebook to be nice to friends and Twitter to
be funny for strangers.

Call or text message? I prfr to txt msg.

Favorite song right now? "Animal" by Miike Snow ... I'm usually a year behind, music-wise.

Celebrity crush? Still Lord Byron. I mean, he was obviously a total jerkface, but still.

Movie you saw recently? Huh. I don't remember! That's sad.

Favorite television show right now? A tie between "House" and "Eureka." I like me the science.

Favorite snack food? The still-beating hearts of my enemies. :-)

Your most overused word or phrase? Well, I write a biweekly column for the Boston Globe, and in a recent column I used the word "multiple" ... multiple times.

Your hidden talent? If I told you it would no longer be hidden.

Your biggest pet peeve? Noisy gum-chewing and people who throw lit cigarettes out of car windows.

Favorite activity when you’re not writing? Sewing! And then writing about sewing.

Favorite authors? Too many to count, but I am marking the days until Sarra Manning's next book comes out! Ditto John Scalzi. Whenever I need to feel better I read Georgette Heyer, Dick Francis, Clifford Simak, Dorothy Dunnett, or (especially) Lois McMaster Bujold. I've also loved recent books by Scott Lynch, Scott Westerfeld, Patrick Rothfuss and Marisa de los Santos.

Favorite books? The dictionary and the thesaurus. :-) Okay, that's not true, but I am
very fond of those two.

Comment heard most often from your readers? That I make them want to buy vintage dresses!

About Erin McKean

Erin McKean is the founder of Wordnik.com and writes a biweekly column for the Boston Globe. Previously, she was the editor in chief for American Dictionaries at Oxford University Press and the editor of the New Oxford American Dictionary, 2E. The Secret Lives of Dresses is her first novel. For more information, please visit http://www.thesecretlivesofdresses.com and http://www.dressaday.com.

About The Secret Lives of Dresses

Dora has always taken the path of least resistance. She went to the college that offered her a scholarship, is majoring in "vagueness studies," and wears whatever shows the least dirt. She falls into a job at the college coffee shop, and a crush on her flirty boss, Gary. Just when she's about to test Gary's feelings, Mimi, the grandmother who raised her, suffers a stroke. Dora rushes back home to Forsyth, NC, and finds herself running her grandmother's vintage clothing store. The store has always been a fixture in Dora's life, even though she grew up more of a jeans-and-sweatshirt kind of girl. Before she even knew how to write, Mimi taught her that a vintage 1920s dress could lift a woman's spirit. While working there, Dora befriends Mimi's adorable contractor, Conrad. Is he after Dora, or is he working from a different blueprint? And why did Mimi start writing down—and giving away—stories of the dresses in her shop? When Mimi dies, Dora can't get out of town fast enough and cedes control of the store to her money-hungry aunt who wants to turn it into a t-shirt shop for tourists. But ultimately, she returns to Forsyth, willing to battle whatever may stand in the way of her staying there. Dora can trade her boring clothes for vintage glamour, but can she trade her boring life for one she actually wants?

What do you think of our interview with Erin McKean? Have you read her novel? Do you plan to read it? Leave a comment to let us know. Thanks!