Some people compare your story to Alice in Wonderland. Were you at least inspired by Alice? I have heard this comparison a few times, which always surprises me. In hindsight, the Dark Hills Divide and Alice in Wonderland seem to share some thematic similarities, but when I was writing the story Alice in Wonderland was not on my mind. I have noticed that classic tales have a way of revealing themselves over and over again in newer works.The Land of Elyon developed from bedtime stories for your daughters. Do they not feel cheated, when now ‘stories for them’can be read by children around the world? That’s a very astute question! My children are firmly ‘undecided’ on the publication and popularity of the Elyon books. On the one hand they tell friends that Elyon is ‘my story’ and they can be overly protective of it. At the same time – and maybe to a slightly greater degree – both children are happy that other children get to experience the story. So while they sometimes wish we could turn back the clock and keep Elyon all to ourselves, they see the value in sharing the experience with children everywhere. It seems that fantasy literature is more than fashionable today (Tolkien, Rowling, Paolini). Why do you think people are always hungry and ready to read new fantasy story? When I signed my first book deal with Scholastic in the US I asked Craig Walker, the senior editor, why he thought Harry Potter was so popular. His response was that children and adults are always searching for something bigger than themselves, something that will give deeper meaning to their lives. I think the secularization of societies has made young people search for deeper meaning in the stories they experience (in books, movies, and television). Fantasy happens to be a genre in which the common threads of good vs. evil and a heroic figure are nearly always present. When you can develop good characters – flawed but ultimately successful – people resonate with what that means in their own lives. It gives them hope. Metaphorically speaking, we’re all slaying our own dragons!Did your life changed dramatically, since your book has been successful? Are you famous? Could you go out shopping without getting recognized? In America there are very few authors that would be recognizable if they were seen on the street or in a mall. I’ve visited 300 schools and spoken to over 100,000 kids, so for me being recognized primarily occurs in the school environment. When I’m speaking at a school I’m more widely known and approached for autographs, which I find invigorating! On the success part of your question, the financial rewards have been nice, but I’m primarily interested in being a better writer with every new book. I love what I do!You said you like to travel. Are your journeys an inspiration for writing? My traveling has recently begun to play out in some books that haven’t been released yet. Certain places, certain things I’ve seen, have inspired me to write stories I didn’t necessarily see myself writing a few years ago. But I’m inspired by the every day things that happen at home as well. I live in an old neighborhood and there’s an elementary school nearby. Every school day a little girl walks by our living room window. She’s all by herself and she’s singing at the top of her lungs. We hear her coming and everyone in the house gets quiet, listening as she passes by. I’ve thought about stopping her and asking why she sings so much when no one is listening, but I’m afraid if she knows we hear her she’ll stop singing when she gets near our house and we love her singing! She’s in her own world, singing her little head off, and I can’t help but want to put everyday stuff like that in a book.Have you considered the possibility of traveling around Europe to help support the book? We have plans to visit European countries when the kids are a little older, but for now I’m touring so much in the US there’s just not time to travel internationally to support the books. The books are in 20 languages, so it’s hard to know where to start, but Slovakia seems as good a place as any!Could you compare your income as writer to the one as the owner of an advertising agency? That’s a hard question to answer, because both endeavors can be financially rewarding or financial disasters. I’d only say that in my view, making a good living as a writer or an advertising executive is less important than doing what you love. For me, when I’ve followed my heart and not my pocket book, the financial end has always worked itself out.Who is your hardest critic? (one of the daughters, wife, editor …) My most demanding critic is  without any hesitation  myself. For me this is a good characteristic to have, because while I’m critical of my work I’m not cruel or mean with the way I approach my own efforts. So rather than saying to myself ‘This is awful stuff I just wrote,’ I’m much more likely to say ‘I think I’ll take a break, get a really good cup of coffee, and give this another shot. I can do better.’

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