Tomorrow is the big day....
Fablehaven 4, The Secrets of theDragon Sanctuary is out and ready to be devoured by hungry Fablehaven fans everywhere! If you're lucky enough to be at the big release party in Salt Lake, I'M JEALOUS!! Please share your experiences in the comments section.
Cool Kids Read: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Brandon Mull: For as long as I can remember, when I got bored, I made up stories in my head. And I got bored a lot. As I got older, the stories got cooler, and I eventually realized that if I wanted to share them, I needed to get good at writing them down.
CKR: What inspired the Fablehaven story?
MULL: The Chronicles of Narnia created in me not only a love of reading, but a deep and abiding interest in magical creatures and fantasy adventure stories. I used to live in Connecticut, and sometimes I would daydream about creatures inhabiting the woods around my house. As I tried to come up with excuses for magical creatures to exist in our world, I came up with the idea of secret wildlife parks for endangered mythical beings. The idea of secret wildlife refuges for magical creatures became a playground in my mind, and the Fablehaven series grew out of that concept.
CKR: We are all eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth Fablehaven Book: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. Which book of the series has been your favorite to write so far?
MULL: I think book 4 is my favorite so far. It might be because I’m a big fan of dragons. To me, they are the coolest, most iconic magical creature. We’ve only seen one dragon in the Fablehaven series so far, briefly, in book 3. Book 4 has lots of dragons, some fun twists and turns, and a bunch of great action. I think readers who are having fun with the series will only be more into it after Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary.
CKR: When is Book 5 due out?
MULL: Book 5 should hit stores in the spring of 2010. I’m already working on it.
CKR: If you could visit the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe (from The Candy Shop War), and you could chose only one sweet, which would you chose?
MULL: Probably ironhides. Since those jawbreakers would make my skin invulnerable and my bones unbreakable, I could then discover what it would feel like to do crazy things like drive cars off cliffs.
CKR: What were your favorite books to read while you were growing up? What about now?
MULL: I mentioned that the Narnia books ignited my love of reading. Some other favorites include Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Holes, and Dune.
CKR: What’s a book that you’ve read recently and did you like it?
MULL: I recently read the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix (Sabriel is the first) and found them fun.
CKR: If there was a movie of Fablehaven, who would you cast as Kendra and Seth? What about any other characters?
MULL: Avi Arad, the guy who produced Ironman, X-Men, and Spiderman, optioned the movie rights to Fablehaven, and the project is in the early phases of development. I’m horrible at casting, so I’m not sure who I would see as Kendra and Seth. I sort of have the characters in my head, and rarely can spot who match up perfectly.
CKR: IMDB lists CSW as in development. Any news there?
MULL: Candy Shop War was optioned by a company called New Regency, who has produced movies like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The project remains in the early stages of development.
CKR: What's next after you complete the Fablehaven series? A sequel to CSW perhaps?
MULL: My first picture book comes out in August. It is called Pingo, and deals with a kid whose imaginary friend becomes his imaginary enemy when he tries to stop believing in him. That might sound a little psychotic, but it is actually a sweet story about friendship and imagination. It will be illustrated by Brandon Dorman, who has illustrated all of my books so far. After Fablehaven 5, I plan to write a three-book series about a kid who crosses over to another world, as well as a sequel to The Candy Shop War.
CKR: Anything else you'd like to share?
My goal with my books is to produce family-friendly fantasy. When I say that, I mean I’m trying to write books that kids, teens, and parents can all read and enjoy. I get a lot of entire families who have all read my books, and that makes me happy. I try to write books I would love as a reader, while keeping them accessible for kids.
If you live in the Dallas area, a reminder that Mr. Mull himself will be at a book signing extravaganza put on by Radio Disney at the Plano Barnes & Noble. I'll be there, with all books ready for a signature from the master...
Who, by the way, was nice enough to take some time from his busy schedule and answer a few questions for Cool Kids Read.
Cool Kids Read: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?Brandon Mull: For as long as I can remember, when I got bored, I made up stories in my head. And I got bored a lot. As I got older, the stories got cooler, and I eventually realized that if I wanted to share them, I needed to get good at writing them down.
CKR: What inspired the Fablehaven story?
MULL: The Chronicles of Narnia created in me not only a love of reading, but a deep and abiding interest in magical creatures and fantasy adventure stories. I used to live in Connecticut, and sometimes I would daydream about creatures inhabiting the woods around my house. As I tried to come up with excuses for magical creatures to exist in our world, I came up with the idea of secret wildlife parks for endangered mythical beings. The idea of secret wildlife refuges for magical creatures became a playground in my mind, and the Fablehaven series grew out of that concept.
CKR: We are all eagerly awaiting the release of the fourth Fablehaven Book: Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. Which book of the series has been your favorite to write so far?
MULL: I think book 4 is my favorite so far. It might be because I’m a big fan of dragons. To me, they are the coolest, most iconic magical creature. We’ve only seen one dragon in the Fablehaven series so far, briefly, in book 3. Book 4 has lots of dragons, some fun twists and turns, and a bunch of great action. I think readers who are having fun with the series will only be more into it after Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary.
CKR: When is Book 5 due out?
MULL: Book 5 should hit stores in the spring of 2010. I’m already working on it.
CKR: If you could visit the Sweet Tooth Ice Cream and Candy Shoppe (from The Candy Shop War), and you could chose only one sweet, which would you chose?
MULL: Probably ironhides. Since those jawbreakers would make my skin invulnerable and my bones unbreakable, I could then discover what it would feel like to do crazy things like drive cars off cliffs.
CKR: What were your favorite books to read while you were growing up? What about now?
MULL: I mentioned that the Narnia books ignited my love of reading. Some other favorites include Ender’s Game, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Holes, and Dune.
CKR: What’s a book that you’ve read recently and did you like it?
MULL: I recently read the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix (Sabriel is the first) and found them fun.
CKR: If there was a movie of Fablehaven, who would you cast as Kendra and Seth? What about any other characters?
MULL: Avi Arad, the guy who produced Ironman, X-Men, and Spiderman, optioned the movie rights to Fablehaven, and the project is in the early phases of development. I’m horrible at casting, so I’m not sure who I would see as Kendra and Seth. I sort of have the characters in my head, and rarely can spot who match up perfectly.
CKR: IMDB lists CSW as in development. Any news there?
MULL: Candy Shop War was optioned by a company called New Regency, who has produced movies like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. The project remains in the early stages of development.
CKR: What's next after you complete the Fablehaven series? A sequel to CSW perhaps?
MULL: My first picture book comes out in August. It is called Pingo, and deals with a kid whose imaginary friend becomes his imaginary enemy when he tries to stop believing in him. That might sound a little psychotic, but it is actually a sweet story about friendship and imagination. It will be illustrated by Brandon Dorman, who has illustrated all of my books so far. After Fablehaven 5, I plan to write a three-book series about a kid who crosses over to another world, as well as a sequel to The Candy Shop War.
CKR: Anything else you'd like to share?
My goal with my books is to produce family-friendly fantasy. When I say that, I mean I’m trying to write books that kids, teens, and parents can all read and enjoy. I get a lot of entire families who have all read my books, and that makes me happy. I try to write books I would love as a reader, while keeping them accessible for kids.
5 comments:
Love the series of Fablehaven and CSW is my fav book ever!
I totally agree!
Candy shop wars rules!!!!
can't wait for the sequel!!!!
i love fablehaven cant wait for the last book to come out!!!!havent read the Candy Shop War yet though i am planing on to!!!i also love the pictures by brandon dorman!! fablehaven i my favorite series ever!!!!!!!!!!
LOL!
When is the casting for the Fablehaven movie? I've heard rumors that it is in Salt Lake City, but I'd like to know details!
Hi guys, thanks for all the great comments. Lilyfablefan, looks like Keys to the Dragon Sanctuary will come out in March, so not much longer!
Rebekah, I don't have an answer for you on the Fablehaven movie, but I've asked Brandon Mull so we'll see if he can give us some deets!
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