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AUTHOR INFORMATION
 Eoin Colfer is a former elementary school teacher and the author of the internationally bestselling Artemis Fowl series as well as several other books including his most recent novel, THE SUPERNATURALIST. His first book, BENNY AND OMAR, was published in the UK in 1999 and he wrote four additional books prior to achieving international acclaim with the publication of ARTEMIS FOWL in 2001. He lives with his wife Jackie, also a former teacher, and their two children in Wexford, Ireland, the same town where he grew up.
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INTERVIEW
 March 16, 2005
Kidsreads.com reviewer Joni Rendon interviewed Eoin Colfer,
author of the enormously popular Artemis
Fowl novels. Colfer, a former elementary school teacher, explains
how the idea for this series came about, the ways in which his students have influenced
his writing, and what he would like young people to take away from reading these
books.
Kidsreads.com: On your website, you mention that your idea for the Artemis Fowl series came from a combination of things in real life and Irish mythology. Can you tell us more about your "Eureka!" moment when these forces came together and formed into a firm concept for a book?
Eoin Colfer: I initially had ideas for two books. One about a criminal mastermind boy who was based loosely on my own brothers added to Professor Moriarty, and a second book about technologically advanced fairies. I think my subconscious knew all the time that these two ideas belonged together. When I began to plan the fairy book, and I needed a villain, it suddenly struck me that my pint-sized criminal would be perfect. As soon as the notion came to me, I knew that I had something different.
KRC: Each book in the series ends with an allusion to the adventures that lie ahead in the next book. When you started the series, did you have a detailed outline for the direction each installment was going to take?
EC: When I began, I had the first three books planned fairly comprehensively. Now I leave vague hints that I have to follow up on. I try to make it as difficult for myself as possible, so it gets my old imagination sparked up.
KRC: How do you go about brainstorming your ideas for the surreal characters, gadgets and descriptions of the fairy underworld that make the series so intriguing?
EC: I write a lot of notes and draw a lot of pictures without necessarily knowing what they are for. Sometimes these gadgets are used, sometimes not, but I always have a store to choose from.
KRC: A lot of writers incorporate autobiographical elements into their books. Are there aspects of any of the characters, particularly Artemis, that remind you of yourself or people close to you?
EC: Artemis definitely reminds me of my brothers. Not the criminal part, but the sarcastic scheming side. I suppose there is a little of me in there too.
KRC: Of the Artemis Fowl books you've written so far, do you have a favorite? And if so, why?
EC: I don't have a real standout favorite. To me, they are all parts of the same story. I would like to see them released in a box set some day, so that people could read them all together.
KRC: In addition to the fantastically engaging action scenes, the Artemis Fowl series displays a great sense of humor. Are you that funny in real life?
EC: I try to give a comic performance during my presentations, but in daily life I am not so relentlessly comical. I think it would become irritating after a while. Also, I have friends who are far funnier than me, so best not to compete.
KRC: The concepts of right and wrong come into play in all of the Artemis Fowl books. Artemis himself sometimes wavers between the two as he struggles with his conscience. Despite the fantastic setting and premise of the series, are there real-life moral lessons that you want readers to take away?
EC: I would like the reader to see what the consequences are if you make the wrong choice. When Artemis decided to embark on a criminal course, someone always pays the price, generally someone close to him.
KRC: Your website mentions that it took a year and a half to write your first book, BENNY AND OMAR, several years ago. Has the writing process become faster for you?
EC: I do write faster now. This is due to experience and the fact that I am a full-time writer now and so have more time to dedicate to the job.
KRC: Your first foray into the fantasy genre, THE WISH LIST, was quite a departure from the type of books you'd written before that. What made you decide to try your hand at fantasy?
EC: I have always been a fan of fantasy writing, but I wanted to hone my skills in the real world before inventing one of my own. THE WISH LIST was a bridge to fantasy for me. Half in the real world, half in the afterlife.
KRC: You've stated that your favorite hobby is reading (and that you even "read the labels on jars"!). So what are you reading right now (besides jar labels) and are there any writers, either as a child or as an adult, whose work has particularly influenced you?
EC: At the moment I am reading SCARAMOUCHE by Rafael Sabatini, a fantastic swashbuckling tale set in revolutionary France. This is so well-written that it makes me want to write a swashbuckler myself. I am continually amazed and influenced by other writers. Some of my favourites are Mark Twain, Dashiell Hammett, Ken Bruen, and Peter Carey.
KRC: Your dad has written history books and your mom has written stage plays. Is there a "writing gene" in your family, and do your two children want to become writers?
EC: We were definitely encouraged to create from an early age. It was not seen as unusual to be writing a book in our house, everybody was doing it. I hope my sons will be creative too, in some field, though they are a little young to start writing books yet. Maybe a short story.
KRC: You were a teacher before you left the profession to write full-time. Which do you find more demanding --- writing or teaching? What are some of the ways your former students have inspired you or informed your writing?
EC: Teaching is a much harder day-to-day job. Now as a writer, people are generally happy to see me when I visit a school. My own pupils were a fantastic help to me when I began writing. They gave me general ideas and specific one-liners every day. Some even made it into the books.
KRC: What's next for you? Will there be a Book 5 in the series after THE OPAL
DECEPTION (which releases on April 20, 2005), and is there any update on the Artemis
Fowl movie that's in the works?
EC: I am working on book 5 at the moment. It is tentatively called THE LOST COLONY. As for the movie, the studio is hoping to get a director and cast this year, so fingers crossed.
KRC: And finally, what advice would you give to anyone who came across evidence of the fairy underworld?
EC: Don't tell anyone and write your own trilogy.
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