Hi, Kate!  Thanks so much for the kind words.  I’m beyond flattered that you remembered my presentation.  Boy, do I remember that scene, one of the most painful in movie history.  But keep in mind, just by the nature of what you do, you’ve already got the cool cachet over the Billy Crystal types.  I think you’ll be a smash.  Good luck!

Hello, Patience.  Oh, do I wish I could have continued that.  The short answer is that we had planned on six books but the publisher pulled the plug, so I had no control over it.  I never quite understood why, as the series sold nearly a million copies, but publishing is a business, and sometimes weird things happen.  Seriously, once a year?  That’s amazing, and I am truly honored.

Hi, L. E.!  I am so glad you and your class enjoyed THE COLOSSUS RISES!  As a matter of fact, I am taking a moment from working on LOST IN BABYLON to write this note.  It’s going well, and I can’t wait for readers to see the surprises in store.  As for my opinion about the Karai Insitute, well, if I told you that, it would spoil some of those surprises!
As for writing a book, it’s a glorious, fun thing to do, but like anything good, the most important thing is practice.  Here’s some advice I usually give people who are serious about writing books:

You have to want it more than anything else in the world.  You have to be the kind of person who doesn’t settle for no.
Reading voraciously — all the time — is the single best training to become a writer.  It helps to be intensely curious about how your favorite authors make their work so good.  What kind of words do they use?  What kind of words do they leave out?
You need to practice.  Like a musical instrument or a sport, writing gets better with constant work.  Write some things for yourself, pieces that no one else sees.  Also write stories that you show to people you respect — teachers, librarians, parents, siblings, other authors, etc.  Listen to their feedback.  Learn to recognize useful and useless feedback.  Useful feedback is your best friend, even though it may feel painful.
You must collect ideas.  Write them down.  A pad or a writer’s notebook is great, but anything will do, even a receipt or a scrap of paper.  Collect your ideas from conversations, things you observe in everyday life, dreams, other books and movies, etc.  When you have a bunch of them, read them over and decide which is the best.  Which one makes you the most excited?  Start working on that one.  If you like it, chances are your readers will too.
You need to recognize that the stakes in your story must be super-high.  Even in stories about everyday life, there must be some dilemma that seems impossible to solve, something the readers will hang on to until the very end.
Regarding step 5, think hard about what you want to leave out of your story.  That’s the thing that will pull your readers in.
Live life to the fullest.  It’s easier to write compelling stories if you’ve experienced compelling events in your life.
Don’t worry about getting published right away. Almost no one is published at a super-young age, and that’s OK.
Did I say practice?
Practice.

Hi, Joseph!  Well, I always wanted to write a book where kids are isolated on a secret, mysterious island, where it’s not clear exactly what’s happening.  And I began being interested in the Seven Wonders after a trip to Greece, where I visited some family members who live on the island of Rhodes (the home of the Colossus).  Also, I am fascinated by the ancient civilization of Atlantis.  When it occurred to me to put all three of those together, the whole story came alive in my head.  The next book, LOST IN BABYLON, is coming out in October.  We have our fingers crossed that a movie company will make an offer, but nothing yet!

Hmmmm.  Well, neck size 16, sleeve 34, or Large.

Thank you so much, Moemi the Book Suggester!

Thank you, Katerina!  Or should I say, ευχαριστώ!

Hi, Kate.  Will do.  Just took a look at the blog, and I love it.  Check your inbox.

Hi, Monica!  Great to hear from you.  I like your idea for a story.  I’ve often wondered if Alistair didn’t have a kid sometime in his past.  Haven’t heard from Jonah, although I thought I saw him on 47th Street.  And good luck with Ian.  He can be a slippery character to write.