Just for you guys, an interview for the Brownsville Herald, unedited and reaching your eyes a week in advance. It was an article about the next JK Rowling, which isn’t usually a good match for me since I tend to groan at the mention of Ms Rowling’s name in comparison to me, but hey… it was a good interview, I hope the answer’s don’t get too badly ruined in editing, haha. I feel bad about having to voice my dislike for Paolini, though. I have this fear he will find out and hunt me down, at which point I will discover he’s actually a pretty cool person apart from the intent to kill me. :P
And even though it’s no interest to you, this interview is reaching you at 7.15am and I haven’t slept. Sleep is for sane people, after all.
When did you decided to start writing?
I’ve been writing stories ever since I learned how, early on in school. It had always been short stories I’d worked on, though – it was only around 2001 that I started seriously considering writing a novel.
When did you decided to start writing?
I never really ‘decided’ to write at any point, it was just something I’d always done and deeply enjoyed doing. I’d spend so much free time on it, racing through classwork just to find free time to write in. I know why I write, though – since I was very young, I’ve had books affect my life, keeping me smiling. When I started writing, my aim was simply to make people smile through what I wrote… though nowadays, I’m a much darker person, and my aims when writing aren’t only to make people happy, but to affect the reader’s emotions in any way I can.
How did you come up with your idea?
If I knew where my ideas came from, they’d probably be a lot less fun to be struck by. They just come at me out of nowhere – there will be ideas hinted at in movies, comics, songs or random conversations that I’ll like and run with, like virtual reality. Or I’ll just find a starting point and go anywhere from there. I don’t even try to figure out how it all works now, I’ve sort of accepted there are parts of my head I’m never going to understand.
If you were talking to someone who never heard of Dragon Tamers, how would you describe the book?
Usually, if I’m asked about Dragon Tamers, I blush and force the questioner to change the topic – but this is an interview, so I guess I can’t pull that one off. I’d want it to sound as cool as possible, so I’d probably tell them something really dramatic and exciting, like… “It’s about a universe evolving out of control, and the lost souls who get caught up in the collapse of reality and thrown into a fantasy world. They new purpose in life is to escape this video-game based world with their lives intact, fighting against monsters of all kinds in a messed up new world – but on the bright side, they’ve got dragons on their side.”
When did you publish each book? How old were you at the time?
The first book was released in 2004, when I was thirteen, and before long demand required over 50,000 copies of it to be printed; the second came along six months later and a year older. It meant growing up far too fast, and the pressures of it almost killed me, but it was worth it.
What do you think about people calling you “the next JK Rowling” or calling your book “the next Harry Potter”? Do you like that idea, or does it bother you? Why?
God, I loathe that title. Writing is about originality, not how many big names you get compared to. Aside from that, the book’s nothing close to Harry Potter in content, and my style is in no way influenced by Rowling. I respect her work, and the fame it’s gathered is amazing – but the comparison paints the writing career under as one of fame and riches, and that couldn’t be further from the harsh reality of the field. But I’m still going to be buying the last book the day it’s out, and hiding in my room so nobody can spoil the ending before I finish it.
What do you think about being compared to Eragon?
Nobody’s actually compared me to Eragon to my face, which is probably for the best. I’d never heard about the series and the author until I was given the book at a singing, so comparisons get shot down on the spot – and I’ve heard too many tales about Paolini’s attitude towards readers to be comfortable being compared to him. That said, I’ll probably end up meeting him at some point and having all my reservations about him proven false, but I’ll keep ahold of them until that time comes.
What do you hope to do next?
Right now, I’m working on a wide variety of novels, to prove to my fanbase that I deserved all the support they’ve given me and showcase the my vastly improved writing skills. After I’ve left school, I’m planning to get out and explore the world. Ideally, I’d like to do that traveling in support of my books – for instance, I’d love a chance to prove myself in America, I’ve never been there in my life and the scope of my plans would work well over there. All I know is, the future is going to be fantastic – I’ll be doing what I’ve always done: fighting to bring my ideas to life and introduce some insane, exciting things to this world, and enjoying life.