Guestbook « Peter Lerangis

Black Rose wrote on July 23, 2012 at 8:21 AM

Greetings Mr Lerangis,

I shouldn't be here, not now, but I'll try make this simple. I am a top secret agent who, basically, has been hiding in the dark for a long while. I go on secret missions looking for the clues and so on and so forth. There is more about me that you think:
[pl-popup content="http://www.the39clues.com/messageboard/show/27277" title="" width="1000" height="640"]http://www.the39clues.com/messageboard/show/27277[/pl-popup]
(Not saying you have to post or anything but I'm sure message boards would check it out)
Sooo, I was wondering... what's it like to be the best author in the world? AND if you could have one of the branch skills, which one would it be?
I hear there has been a break through in the Comm. Centre. Lets hope Kabra gets back soon...
Oh-oh! They found me! I thought they said this place was safe! (never believe a Dolt–Holt!)

Until next time,
«Black rose»
{Destroy after reading!}

Admin Reply:

Hi, Black Rose! I have been commanded by Comm Center not to destroy your message after reading, and I must obey! This will force readers to your message, but I trust you will be able to handle this. Many thanks for the kind words, BR, and to answer your question, if I could have any branch skill, it would be an Ekat’s ability to fix computer/laptop/ tablet problems. Then I could be my own Genius Bar.

TempestEagle5 wrote on July 20, 2012 at 7:32 PM

Wow! Your in New England! Not that it's so terribly far away. I have some more questions.
1. Do I bug you at all?
2. How did you first get interested in writing? I just wanted to try it because of my older sister. I copy her a lot. Then, i decided that I hated it, especially after writing a fail of an essay that I had two or three days of writers' block. Hate the stuff. then my friend won NaNoWriMo, and got me interested. Now, I'm sorta outlining a novel for NaNoWriMo. Outlining doesn't quite work. More like, 'I'm writing down ideas, main and unimportant, so that I can lace it all together in a month. For NaNoWriMo, you have to write a book in a month. By the way, in case you didn't know, 'NaNoWriMo' stands for 'National Novel Writing Month.' I really hope that I don't bother you. At my church, on Sundays, before class we always do a go-around, when our teacher ask you your name, how your week was, and the Random Question of the week. This week it was 'if you could do anything with any person, dead or alive, what and who would it be?' I answered with 'I would write with Peter Lerangis.' Not to brag or anything. Just thought you'd like to know. And my little brother discovered that Jude Watson wrote a book called 'Jedi Quest' or something, and thought that she was a boy, saying something like 'that's awesome that he wrote that.' I about died laughing, and told him that she was a girl. He was all confused. He can really be hilarious sometimes. I wish that you could visit my church sometime, 'cause I'm home-schooled. My church is in Cordova/Memphis TN. Highland Church of Christ. 400 N. Houston Levee Rd. If you did come, you should come at 9 or 8:45, ask directions to the sixth grade classroom, If it's this year, or before June 1st next year. and if anyone's in there, ask for TempestEagle5, and if I was there, I could finally meet you.
I almost forgot. I've been having these problems. I need sufficient ways to brainwash people, but every way I think of has already been used in books or TV shows. Could you help me with that? ~TempestEagle5

Admin Reply:

Hello, TempestEagle5! Answer #1: No. In fact, I'm honored and flattered that you would say such a thing to your teacher. Sometimes I don't even want to write with myself! (Actually, in a way, we ARE writing together.) Answer #2: I was always interested in writing, even as a young kid. I don’t ever remember not being interested. Sorry to hear that outlining does not work for you, but that’s true for a lot of writers. As for a school visit, I love doing them, but I live in New York, so in order to visit a school I must be invited by a school official. All the details are at the “Author Visits” link above. As for brainwashing, I don’t have much experience beyond using shampoo.

Emerald Cobra wrote on July 19, 2012 at 9:13 PM

Hey, Peter. I think there's something you authors missed: How do the hostages go to the bathroom? (I don't want to say " " and " ")

Oh, yeah. Here's a code:

Edvfagnhijsyrteraeddyf-gvtersdpnemrooensecsuoeiosnleumnsa.

Admin Reply:

Hello, Emerald Cobra! Well, they use a toilet, I presume. I imagine they also drum their fingers on the wall, talk about politics, spin around aimlessly, and pick their noses, but you probably won’t find much mention of those things either. While writing the books, we tend to choose our details carefully. Thanks for the great code. I got it. Did anyone else?

Sophie Waters wrote on July 18, 2012 at 6:03 PM

Hi Mr. Lerangis!
My twin sister is Fiona Waters (you've replied to her, she asked one or two questions, I think) and I have a question for you too. Since Fiona told me you won't reveal what the Vespers are looking for when she asked, can you at least say whether what the Vespers are looking for has anything to do with the Cahills, like maybe the clues? And if they think the hostages are in Argentina, wouldn't they have gone there? The only answer for that is that they think it's a trap. But somehow, even though the Vespers are (I hate to say it, but) smart, I don't think they would really get and Argentinian (is that right, or is it Argentine?) snake and put it wherever? And why would they need a trap? To check whether the Cahills aren't trying to trick them? And I got a nightmare when I saw that thing about Hope getting kicked out of the Madrigals. It isn't scary, but I just get creeped out with things like that. Stop laughing, Fiona! Fiona's behind my back, reading this as I type.Why so many secrets? I thought the late McIntyre was supposed to say everything to Amy and Dan. It's that that creeped me out. Hahaha, Fiona. Anyway, is there anything at all, anything you can explain about this? Thanks!

Sophie Waters
email: coolwaters@gmail.com
no homepage

Admin Reply:

Hi, Sophie. These are all good questions, and the answers to all of them will be revealed in Books 4, 5, and 6. Sorry, but when I say no spoilers, alas, I have to stick by it!

mara wrote on July 16, 2012 at 1:39 PM

i'm thinking about writing a book any tips .....

Admin Reply:

Hello, Mara! Well, it’s a great thing it is to be starting so young. Really, the first thing on any writer’s checklist is to make sure you devote lots of time to reading, reading, reading. Read as much as you can. Read what you love. Try to figure out what your favorite authors do to make their books so vivid. What kind of words do they use? What words do they leave out? With your own story, try to pick something that you’re really excited about, something that you won’t get tired of returning to. Remember, every good story has a question that is not answered until the end. What is the question in your story? The better your question, the more exciting your story will be. The important thing is to keep enjoying it, keep doing it, and don’t be afraid to try out some wild ideas.

Scarlett wrote on July 15, 2012 at 6:11 PM

Hi! When the series ends, do you think any of the authors would be willing to write an epilogue? Something that like takes place in the future, and tells us where the characters end up (i.e married, kids, etc...)

Admin Reply:

Ha! Personally, Scarlett, I very much ♥ this idea.

David Turman wrote on July 15, 2012 at 9:48 AM

Hi Mr Lerangis,

well … to be honest … never heard your name until last Friday. Then I visited a modern second-hand bookshop and discovered your series “Watchers”. So I bought five of them, except for “I.D.” which the store didn’t have.
Why this books? You know, first of all I read the blurb of a book. If it sound interesting for me then I open the book and look at the last page to find out how many pages this book has.
So I opened your book and thought: Errr … what? Black pages? With only a few words?
My curiosity was piqued.
Two days later – today – I have finished three of your novels and will start to read “War”.

I like your books and your style of writing. I have read three books by now and “Island” was my favorite one. Perhaps because this was the fist “Watchers” I read and I didn’t know what would expect to me. Or perhaps because it was … hmmm, what is the increase of “most brilliant”?

Is there a way to find out more about the “Watchers” themselves? Does a page or a forum exists to get more information?
Do you know if there are fanfictions about the “Watchers” in the net?

It seems that I have to read your other books, too. “The 39 clues” sounds good and this title remind me of the “39 steps” by Hitchcock.

Greetings from Germany
Dave

Admin Reply:

Hello, Dave! Delighted that you discovered the WATCHERS series in Germany and enjoyed it so much! There was an extensive forum on the WATCHERS series run by a fan (also named David), but that site no longer exists, as its young owner is now a Hollywood TV exec. As for fanfictions, I hope there are but I don’t keep track! The only further info I can offer is my own webpage on WATCHERS, which has links for all the most recent eBook publications, which were released just this year. Yes, the 39 CLUES is a very exciting series and I recommend you check it out. You will find plenty of material on that one on the net. You may also be interested to know that I also wrote two books in the 3 ??? series, years ago. They are GEFAHR IM VERZUG (called FOUL PLAY in the U. S.) and GEFANGENE GEDANKEN (published exclusively in Germany). Thanks again for your kind words, Dave.

Dimitar wrote on July 14, 2012 at 5:23 PM

Hello Mr. Lerangis,
I'm very existing write to you all the way from Bulgaria. My name is Dimitar and I’m a big fan of The 39 Clues series. I loved your last book (The Dead of Night) in The 39 Clues Cahills vs. Vespers series, especially the part where Amy was talking with Vesper One. I would like to ask you: Do you think William McIntyre was killed by someone he knows?
I want to see your perspective as a reader of The 39 Clues series, I'm sure you've read the first three books in the second series (The Medusa Plot, A King’s Ransom and The Dead of Night), my second question is : If you were Dan or Amy would you sacrifice to stop Vespers once and for all?
I hope that my questions are not very difficult for you.

Thank you in advance for your answers

Admin Reply:

Hello, Dimitar from Bulgaria! Thanks for writing. I am so happy the 39 CLUES is being enjoyed so far away! In fact, your country was one of the first to publish a translated version of the orginal series. As for the question about McIntyre, I hope you understand that as an author of the series I have access to secret information that I’m not at liberty to reveal. As I mentioned in the text above (between the red diamonds), I can reveal no spoilers, at the risk of expulsion from the Cahill Command. But to your other question: I think if I were Amy or Dan, I would give up anything to stop the Vespers. ANYTHING WHATSOEVER.
Except, maybe, chocolate. (We all have our weak spots, don’t we?)

The names Bond. James Bond. Nyeeaa, just kiddin'. wrote on July 14, 2012 at 2:12 AM

Hey

So, the cover for 'Trust No One' came out today, and I'm totally excited.
I'm not going to ask you for spoilers since I knoww you probably don't know a thing about it, but what year is it coming out? Linda only said December 4th.

So, can you please kindly let me know so I can start fangirling if it's coming out this year?

Thank you

P.S. Do you have tumblr?

Admin Reply:

Aha! You cannot be James Bond, because you seemed stirred, not shaken. The year in question, of course, is 2012. Fangirl away. (And I do not have tumblr. I believe antibiotics cured me.)

sunny-or stormdragon113 on mb wrote on July 13, 2012 at 2:07 AM

hi peter
i am in love with your book the sword thief for 5 reasons
1. 3 is my favorite number
2. i love the 39 clues
3. it has amian (Amy and Ian)
4. you rock
5. 39 clues is my favorite book
but in you thought witch is your favorite other than yours?
and if you could meet any buddy from 39 clues who would you meet.- out of the people from the 1st book
love wish to be writer
sunny

Admin Reply:

Hello, Sunny! Thanks so much for your kind words. They are much appreciated! You rock, too. Honestly, I love all of the other 39 Clues books, but I have to admit I was blown away by Margaret Peterson Haddix’s ability to pull it all together in that final Book 10! Whew. If I could meet any of the people from Book 1, I guess it would have to be Dan, Amy, and Uncle Alistair.

TempestEagle5 wrote on July 11, 2012 at 6:43 PM

Sorry that I sorta blamed you for McIntyre's death. It's just that when i get attached to doomed characters, I tend to overreact when they die. Did you like Irina Spasky? I was just warming up to her, when Watson decided to kill her. Why does that always happen to me? It happened in Star Trek Deep Space 9. My sister and I love this character named Jadzia, and they kill her. I still haven't been able to watch the episode when she dies. *sniff* It's so sad. When Watson killed Spasky, I was nearly in tears. And then I had a little bit of a hissy fit. But, what can you expect and 11-year-old to do? Oh, and in The Sword Thief, (I LOVED it!!) I noticed something that most people don't. The flight attendant, I. Rinaldi, her initial of her first name and the first four letters of her last name spell 'Irina.' I thought that that was funny, since Irina knocks her out in the bathroom. Did you do that on purpose? Anyway, I think that you are the best author of all of you that wrote the 39 clues, no offense to the others. your style is like my friend's. She won NANOWRIMO, a writing contest, and had her book, The Riddles Quest, edited and published. You can buy it on Amazon. Your writing style, like hers, pulls you into the story whether you want to be in it or not. She says that my style is poetic. Whatevs. Here are my questions.
1. What are your number one tips for being an author?
2. Do you get to design your own cover, or even any part of it?
3. Who comes up with the codes?
And in The Dead of Night, it says 'This book is dedicated to (coded part next) 'the person who can solve the code.' ' Plain and simple. It's a simple case of rearranging the letters. Love your books.
~TempestEagle5

Admin Reply:

Thank you so much! And best of luck to your talented friend! Not to worry about your reaction to Irina’s death. I had bit of a hissy fit too — mainly because I was already halfway through writing Book 7, based on the Book 6 outline, which did not include that vexing little plot point. So when the final draft of Book 6 was revealed, I had to go back and rewrite the beginning of my book. Grrr. But actually, I was glad, because it made the story so much more tense and urgent. Writers like that sort of thing. As for “I. Rinaldi,” I may have done that on purpose but I don’t recall (don’t forget, the book was written in 2008!). As for your questions:

What a great thing it is to be starting so young. You have lots of time, to read, read, read. That’s top of the list. Read as much as you can. Read what you love. Try to figure out what your favorite authors do to make their books so vivid. What kind of words do they use? What words do they leave out? Every good story has a question that is not answered until the end. What is the question in your story? The better your question, the freer you may be to craft a unique story. The important thing is to keep enjoying it, keep doing it, and don’t be afraid to try out some wild ideas. Again and again and again. Like playing a musical instrument, you can only get better at it by lots and lots of practice.

If I had even the slightest say on the covers, no one would want to go near the books due to their appalling ugliness. I have none. Zero. And it’s best that way.

I can’t speak for the other writers, but I come up with all the codes within the text of my own books (I’m pretty sure they all do that, too). As for the codes on the covers and in the pagination (the page numbers beginning at p. 39 in each book), that’s done by an encryption expert in the New York City Cahill Command at 557 Broadway.

Yes, you got the dedication code to THE DEAD OF NIGHT. And I’m happy to have dedicated the book to you!

TempestEagle5 wrote on July 6, 2012 at 3:04 PM

Hi! It's me, TempestEagle5 again. Okay, so I guess that you're right. But that's okay, since the library finally got The Dead of Night, only because the nicest employee, Miss Tanya, overheard me saying that I was really disappointed that they didn't have it, and telling my mom the title. Anyway, I totally LOVE it. you did a great job. I have this teensy-weensy question about book 2. WHY ON EARTH DID YOU KILL WILLIAM MCINTYRE???!!! I was really mad about that for 2 reasons. (1) I've grown really attached to him throughout the series, and (2) by the time I found out about this, he was already a major character ion my book. Anyway, maybe you can read my book sometime. I'm going to make it into a trilogy. Not sure what to call it yet, but I'm going to name the books The Twilight is Descending, (working on that one) Night is Upon Us, (My older brother came up w/ that one) and The Dawn is Breaking. What do you think? If you want to know more, I can try to send the first book so far to you. I have 8,496 words, and I'm not even done with the 6th chapter. I've been writing since January, and I haven't even outlined it. I designed the cover myself. It's on a piece of black paper, with the Lucian, Ekaterina, Tomas, and Janus crests in the corners. Lucian; top left; Ekat; top right; Tomas; bottom left; and Janus;bottom left. they are colored red, yellow, blue, and green, in the order that i told them to you, with the Madrigal/Cahill crest in the middle. Silver squiggly lines connect the four smaller crests, and the title, The Twilight is Descending, is written in Metallic Copper with Metallic Silver outlining. I hope that you can catch all that.
~TempestEagle5

Admin Reply:

Smiles and a big BRAVA to Miss Tanya. Librarians are the best! As for William McIntyre, one correction: I didn’t kill him, Jude did! It’s her fault! So you’ll have to ask her. (And while you’re at it, you can also ask why she offed Irina Spasky.) Sorry you got attached to him. I liked him too. At any rate, best of luck with your writing. Sounds like you’re well on your way!

Monica wrote on July 6, 2012 at 3:18 AM

Hey Peter!

I have two new questions for you! One your probably not going to answer but I'll try anyway. Where is Ned Starling? As I said, if you were going to answer this it would be a spoiler and I know your not allowed to give spoilers. Next question: does Ian have a birthday? I mean, of course he does but is his birthday date known? If so would you know it?

Kind regards,
Monica.

Admin Reply:

Hello, Monica! Ned, as far as we know, is at the Ekat stronghold, researching the Vespers in order to help the hostages. And as for Ian, I’m not sure of his exact birthday, but there are rumors he is trying to set up an elephant polo event for the occasion, and some pink and blue ribbons have been ordered for the homing poodles.

SecretLucianAgent wrote on July 6, 2012 at 12:22 AM

Hi! Let me just say I'm a huge fan of your books! Your books in The 39 Clues are my favorite:)
I have 3 questions (keeping in mind the spoiler rule... or atleast trying to):

1: Do you know the plotline for the other 3 books, like, do you know how the series is going to end? Or are you kept in the dark?

2: Are the authors aware of all the teams and debate on the messageboard? Like how big Team Amian (amy+ian) is?

3: If you were the only author for the entire series, who would you like Amy to end up with? I'm not asking for a spoiler or anything, just, if it were up to you, who would your pick be?

Admin Reply:

Thank you so much! Yes, we all do know the basic plotline, but authors tend to change and add to it along the way, so we’re always being surprised. I can’t really speak for the other authors, but I sure do know about the teams, because so many fans write to me about them! As for your question #3, definitely my neighbors’ son, Julian. He’s a really cool kid.

Ariana wrote on July 1, 2012 at 8:53 PM

Hello, Mr. Lerangis. I'm a huge fan of your books. I was wondering who the people photographed for the 39 clues books were. Like, who is the person the photographed for Ian Kabra, or Amy? I looked online, and I didn't see any results! I was wondering if you could tell me.

Thanks for your time,

Ariana

Admin Reply:

Hi, Ariana! Sorry, but I haven’t met these people and wasn’t involved in finding them. That’s a question best asked to Scholastic.

Ariel wrote on July 1, 2012 at 1:28 AM

Hi Peter,

I was at my local libaray looking for The Spy X books but they don't have any! So could you tell me what happens in the books?

Admin Reply:

Hi, Ariel. It wouldn’t be possible for me to summarize four books in this small space, but I can tell you that SPY X is a four-book adventure series about a brother and sister who become spies in order to find and rescue their mom, who is a spy in hiding. It's a great series if you like action and lots of secret codes. I have a whole web page devoted to it here, which will tell more and also give links to places where you can order the books. Sadly, they’re out of print so a bit hard to find, but the links will help.

Reneilda de Leon wrote on June 30, 2012 at 3:15 PM

Hello again, Sir Lerangis!

I reread the books of The 39 Clues, and I was wondering about the nationality of Kurt. Is he an African, like most of the others? Could you give some other description of him? I hope this question does not qualify within the "red diamonds" note.

Thank you!

Admin Reply:

Hi, Reneilda! Kurt is South African, like his dad. Pretty much all I know about him is in the book. I wish I could recall more details, but keep in mind I wrote this in 2009, so it’s pretty distant for me — sorry!

Fiona Waters wrote on June 30, 2012 at 3:58 AM

Hi Mr. Lerangis!
I have a question that might be a spoiler. Please answer it.......
Q: What are the Vespers looking for?

I mean, like, the Vespers want the serum, right? Why can't they go look for for clues, like how all the Cahills did before? The Cahills looked for it, and they had people to work against, right? There are many ways to get a clue, as Mr. McIntrye said in Book 1 The Maze of Bones. So how hard is it for the Vespers to look for clues ---- without competition?
If you can't answer the question, please pass the word about adding this to one of the books.

- Fiona Waters
email: icywaters@gmail.com
no homepage

Admin Reply:

Hi, Fiona. These are great questions. I can’t tell you what the Vespers are looking for, but I’m happy to answer your other question about why they haven’t found it. (I believe Gordon addressed this question in THE MEDUSA PLOT, but it’s been a long time since I read that.) The Vespers have been looking but have failed — much as the Cahills failed to find the 39 Clues for so long. Vesper 1, of course, knows that Dan and Amy have done what no one else could do, so they are the best chance in finding the secret. Of course V1 can’t hire them to do this for the Vespers, so instead forces them to do it, via the capturing and ransoming of the seven Cahills. Hope that helps!

Susie or HammerheadJunior1 from the message board wrote on June 28, 2012 at 10:58 PM

Thanks, Peter!

Admin Reply:

You’re welcome!

The names Bond. James Bond. Nyeeaa, just kiddin'. wrote on June 28, 2012 at 2:32 AM

So, there's something about the series which... doesn't quite make sense to me.

So this clue hunt has been going on for years, decades, centuries, yet somehow, in just two months, A fourteen year old and a twelve year old were able to get all 39 clues AND even reunite the family, which is what the Madrigals have been trying to do for years and centuries as well.

See? Doesn't that sound... odd?

Admin Reply:

First: Two months? Not sure how you figure that. Second: Dan was eleven, not twelve. Third: Yes, it is odd. So is the idea of a portal to another world on a train station, and Greek gods as humans. I think most good stories have a healthy dose of odd, don’t you? Personally, I’m a fan of it.

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