Hello, Eshan!  I will do my best to answer your questions:  1) The telescope is a hint to the plot of Book 3.  I recommend you look very closely at it.  2) No, it’s not related.  3) Hmmm, that’s something that must indeed remain a secret.  Thanks for writing, and my best to you and all the great 39 CLUES readers in India!

I think that’s a great idea, Alex!  Are you up for the challenge of organizing this daring plan?  Because whew, I’ve got my hands full with authorly duties to THE DEAD OF NIGHT!  (If I were you, I’d contact the all-knowing Noah S.)

Hello, Kate!  Many thanks for the kind words.  And you are one incredibly astute reader — in fact, you are the FIRST ONE on this Guestbook to have found that hint!  Now you need to figure out exactly which country it is.  Look closely for another hint.  (THAT answer I can’t reveal or confirm, but I have a feeling you’ll figure it out.)  Thanks for writing, and holiday greetings to you and your aunt, and all of our amazing fans in the Philippines.

Hello, Jason!  You can write me c/o Scholastic, 557 Broadway, NY, NY 10012.  Thanks!

Sure.  Here’s the official summary for THE DEAD OF NIGHT (which will be published on March 6):

“The Vespers have crossed a line. Amy and Dan were devastated when the Vespers kidnapped seven Cahills around the world, holding them hostage until Amy and Dan delivered an impossible ransom. But at least the hostages were Cahills — members of the world’s most powerful family, trained to face all odds.“Now the Vespers have gone too far. They've kidnapped Atticus, an innocent 11-year-old boy and Dan’s only friend. Now Dan and Amy are in the struggle of their lives. Because if they can’t outwit the Vespers, the unthinkable will happen . . . Atticus will die.”

Hello!  Evan doesn’t enter our story until THE MEDUSA PLOT.  Two years have gone by between the end of the 39 Clues search (Book 10) and the start of CAHILLS VS. VESPERS.  During that time, Amy met Evan.  And as for Irina, sadly, yes.

Hello, Nicholas!  Well, books can take anywhere from a couple of months to a year or more depending on how much research and how many pages.  The 39 CLUES books generally take about nine or ten months, but that includes idea, outline, research, and writing.  The idea for the 39 CLUES started with Rick Riordan and his editor at Scholastic, so I didn’t come up with it at all!  I did come up with the ideas for my individual books, though: THE SWORD THIEF, THE VIPER’S NEST, the second part of VESPERS RISING, and the upcoming THE DEAD OF NIGHT.  I began working on SWORD THIEF in January 2008, VIPER in February 2009, VESPERS RISING in July 2010, and DEAD OF NIGHT in January 2011.
To make a book, a writer needs to work with a publishing company.  That company has editors who help with the writing by making great suggestions.  Then the writer takes those suggestions and writes a second draft, and even a third or fourth, until the story is just right.  After the writer is done, the publishing company makes sure an artist creates a perfect cover image.  After all that, the book is sent to yet ANOTHER company, which has huge printing machines that make the actual pages and cover.  Thousands of them!  Then those books are mailed off to bookstores, to be put on the shelves.  Hope this answers your question!

Hello, Brian!  Sure you can ask, and I’ll do my best to answer.

It’s as true as fiction can be.
Poison?   Not guilty — I’m a Janus!
I would love to come back to San José!  I had a great time there in 2009, when I visited the Almaden Country School and Hicklebee’s (which is one of my favorite places in the world!).  So you can be sure if someone invites me again, I will say yes.

Good to hear from you, Aman.  Hope you’re well.  I understand being busy!

Whew, strong words there!  Well, just a few days till A KING’S RANSOM, where the story continues....