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Interview - Brandon Mull
Brandon Mull is the New York Times best-selling author of the Fablehaven series and of The Candy Shop War.
The Fablehaven series is now number three on the New York Times best-selling series list, right behind Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series and Erin Hunter's Warrior Cat series. And both of his book series are becoming feature films.
This talented writer is definitely on his way up, and LLH was fortunate enough to recently sit down with Brandon and get to know him and his work better.
Do you have a lot of adult readers? Do you feel it crosses over into the adult market as well?
Yeah, it definitely is [crossing over to the adult market]. I can't do a signing without adults coming up to me because: first, the parents are always reading the books as well, and sometimes they are more enthusiastic than the kids. They ask the questions because sometimes the kids are too shy. And also, I will do a signing, and there will be just adults there — twenty-somethings or older. They are just there alone without kids, they just like the books. It's [an] amazing thing to me because I really am trying to write a book that I would like, and so I am glad when other adults are like, "Yeah, they were great." Because all I am trying to do is take people on a fun ride with quirky characters, lots of imagination, and a lot of fun. And I think anyone can go on a fun, fantasy ride, including adults.
How do you feel about the enormous success that you've had with the Fablehaven series? How has it changed your life?
It is a vast relief. The success Fablehaven has had is amazing. It was something that I was hoping for but wasn't foolish enough to expect. It is just a vast relief that these books have found an audience. And the way it has changed my life is that I have always wanted to be a full-time writer, and now I am, and it looks like I will be able to be a full-time writer for quite a while.
Have you made any new purchases, like a new house, a new car, anything fun like that yet?
The biggest purchase we have made is that we got a new house. We were in a town home before, and now we are in a "house house". We are in a home that we can stay in for a long time. It's got a yard, and room for the family to grow. It's not like a crazy house, but it's like, you know, we went from a town home to a normal family house with a nice yard, where we could raise a family.
How has writing the Fablehaven series changed you personally?
Fablehaven has given me a lot of confidence as a writer. To be able to see what others think is cool is what I think is cool is amazing. That is probably the biggest way that it has changed me is the confidence.
When you write it is such a private thing; you are creating something that you think is interesting amd fun, and you are never sure until you see, if you put it out there, that others agree. I can trust my sensibilities. Not that I didn't trust in myself before, it just added to the hope that my sense of humor would make it fun.
You have sold the movie rights to Fablehaven and also your other book, The Candy Shop War. Who did you sell those to, and what was the decision process like?
On both of these sales, the things that are part of the decision process are first, does the person understand the story? Like when we discuss the story, do they think the same things that are cool in the story are the same things that I think are cool? Are they going to do a faithful adaptation of what is fun about the story? And then second, is this someone who is capable of getting it done, is this somebody who can make it get done right? So those are some of the things that were up for consideration.
Is anything happening with the movie now, or is it still in the planning phase?
The screenplay is being written for Fablehaven, so that one is moving faster. For Candy Shop War, they already have a distributor for that one; I think it is Fox who is doing the distributing. But as far as I have heard, they are still looking for the right screenwriter for that one. They still haven't found who they think is the perfect fit. I am glad they are taking the time, because screenplay is everything. If they start off having a bad screenplay, it is like having an ankle out of joint: you're just shot from the beginning. It is hard enough to make a good movie, but it is almost impossible if the screenplay is messed up.
Growing up in Thousand Oaks you lived around a lot of people who were making a living in the entertainment industry. How did growing up in that environment help you believe that you could make a living writing books?
Totally, that is one thing about growing up in Thousand Oaks. I was constantly surrounded by people who were making a living out of the creative field, and it made it all seem more possible. You have Larry (one of his best friends), who is making a living as an actor. And we had these guys named Cinco Paul and Ken Dario who were selling screenplays to major studios. And these were just all these guys that I hung around who I would be chatting with. I mean, they are creative, smart, cool guys, but they are just guys, and so I would think if these guys can do it, maybe I'd have a shot.
What is the best compliment you have received regarding the Fablehaven books?
I guess it would be two compliments, and really, it is like a category of compliments, because I have received these compliments multiple times. One is when a kid tells me I am their favorite author. To me, that is really exciting and cool because when I think back to when I was a kid, and to those people who I thought were my favorite authors, and I think to myself, dang if I could be that to that little kid — it just blows my mind.
And the other compliment I get is when a parent or a kid tells me that my books turned their kids into readers. Because I get that quite a bit, when people say, "My kid was this reluctant reader, but then he picked up your book, and now he has flipped that, and is now reading for fun." These are two genuine compliments because children are super honest, and they aren't going to blow smoke.
Do you have any advice for would-be authors?
Read a lot, write a lot, and get feedback from people you trust. That is the basic advice because that is how you get better, whether you are in grad school, high school, or just beginning, that is how you get better. And aside from that, try to find interesting characters and put them up against interesting problems and see what happens.
Did you use any writing books for advice on how to write?
Always get any training you can get. If you are in college, go get some creative writing classes. If you aren't, go take a class at a creative writing workshop. Just read what you can about what others say about writing. But at the end of the day, I learned most about writing by reading the books I liked and paying attention to how they were written. That is how I learned the most, and then writing and experimenting — finding my own voice. It's not an overnight thing. Just keep plugging away at it, and if you are passionate about it, you will get better about it. Get advice from people you trust so you can get good feedback and ignore the ones that don't. And by feedback, I don't mean just the positive feedback, just use the useful stuff.
Do you have any suggestions of how writers can get published?
Think about a really marketable idea. A definition of marketable is an idea that is for a clear audience. Publishers are looking at books as products. They are going to want to know who they are selling their product to, so if you have a clear audience, it will help the publisher be able to say, "Yea, that makes sense."
You live really close to some other big fantasy writers, Brandon Sanderson and Shannon Hale. What's your relationship with them?
We are all Utah forks, so we cross paths a lot and are becoming friends. We have hung out a little bit and expect to hang out a little more.
What are your favorite books and authors? What do you recommend?
I am a fan of the classic fantasy stuff like Lord of the Rings. And The Chronicles of Narnia as a kid was probably the big one that got me into becoming a fantasy guy in the first place. Like after I read The Chronicles of Narnia, I just started daydreaming about fantasy stuff, and that continued for the rest of my life. And it is what started me into writing fantasy stuff to begin with. I also love Dune, Ender's Game, and just all fantasy/sci-fi stuff. I think as a writer it is important to sample all other authors. I am a big fan of Hemingway. I think he is cool, and I love his style. I think Vonnegut has something cool about his style that's influenced me. I try to read some of the best stuff from different categories because I think that is how you stay well-rounded as a writer. Even if I only write fantasy, I think it is good to get info and ideas from all writers and categories.
What music, movies, and TV shows do you like? Who are some of your biggest influences?
I am a major Lost fan, I love Lost. I like The Office as well. My favorite movie is The Lord of the Rings, I am just a major fantasy geek. I love those movies, especially The Two Towers. I really, really, really thought no one could makes those books into a good movie, and Peter Jackson came as close as he possibly could and did it just right. With music, I am kind of all over the place — a few I like are Cake or Morrissey or the Smiths. I also love U2 and that kind of stuff.
What's next? What are you working on?
I am working on Fablehaven Four, which is called Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary. I have got a plan for books four and five, so if people keep liking them, then I think they will only like them more as the series goes on. I have got a lot of cool stuff coming. And aside from the Fablehaven stuff, I have my first children's picture book out next year, like 2009 in the summer or fall. That's a project I am doing with the guy who illustrated all the Fablehaven stuff, Brandon Dorman. And then I have got a plan for a trilogy that will happen after the Fablehaven series. I think it's cool. I think people haven't seen my best stuff yet — my best stuff is still yet to come.
Check out Part 1 »
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