Eoin Colfer took part in a chat for World Book Day 2003 on March 6th. A transcript was available afterwards from the World Book Day website, but it was only downloadable in a .RTF format. As not everyone may be able to open these kinds of files, I have copied the transcript up here.
This transcript has been edited, both for length and for ease of understanding. All that have been removed are bits from the beginning - before Eoin Colfer arrived - and after the last question was asked - just before Eoin Colfer left - as well as some messages from fans that were unimportant. (e.g. "I am going to have lunch now, byebye".)
"chopwell library" says: how long does it take to write a book?
It generally takes me about 8 months to write the first draft... then my editor takes it, does some corrections, and so that generally takes another 5 months... So from beginning to end, it's about a year.
"stephie" says: do you read your own books?
I read them once and then I read sections of them in readings hundreds of times.
"Tom BH" says: Hello. Thank you for letting us have this opportunity. How long have you been writing?
Hi Tom. I have been writing since I was in Primary School, but it was always for fun... until I was about 25, and then I began to write seriously.
"Guest" says: do you have a nick name?
Not really guest... some of my friends call me 'Eoiny' which I suppose is a very lazy nickname.
"pingle" says: why did you call humans mud people?
My theory was that when humans and fairies shared the surface of the Earth that would have been back just after the stone age, so the humans would still have lived in mud huts.
"Ewan" (ChatMaster) says: Do you have any questions for the audience, Eoin?
Yes, I'd like to know what characters you all would like to see more of in the books.
"Kai BH" says: I'd like to see some more heroes?
"ris" says: We would like to hear more about the LEP fairies and captain Root!
"np2" says: where do you get the ideas for your characters - are they from real people??
Yes I get a lot of the characters personalities from real people - mostly my family and close friends. But what I usually do would be to take one characteristic from one person and put it with another from another person - so the fictional characters are a mixture of real people.
"Kai BH" says: What is your favourite kind of a story?
At the moment - my favourite kind of story is science fiction. So I tend to discover a genre and then read as much as I can for two years in that genre and then move on. At the moment it's sci-fi... I really like people like Philip K. Dick - he wrote Minority Report, Blade Runner, and some other very famous stories that many movies have been based on.
"Ewan" (ChatMaster) says: Just so everyone knows Eoin, could you tell us how you pronounce your name?
Sure - it's O-wen Colfer
"Hursty" says: Do you think that there should be a little bit of good in baddies?
I do!! I don't think that anybody is completely good or completely bad - we all have a mischievous side and even the baddies have a nice thought every now and then.
"imogen" says: My favourite character is Juliet - is there any chance she'll get stories of her own?
That's a very good question - it is something I have been thinking about. There is a very good chance that some of the other characters will get their own books - Juliette and maybe Mulch may get their own books.
"pingle" says: Why did you choose Artemis to be 12 years old?
I decided he would be 12 because when I began to write the first book, I was teaching 12 year olds. So I was talking to them everyday and I knew what they liked, and what they thought was funny.
"Kai BH" says: Is it still fun for you to write a book?
Yes I am very lucky, I enjoy the actual process of writing. Some days it's hard, sometimes it's boring being on your own for 8 hours every day... but I still do enjoy it Kai!
"llaura" says: Will Artemis keep growing up through his books like Harry Potter? What happens when he turns 18?
I haven't planned that far ahead but I do have him getting slightly older with each book. The nice thing about fiction is that even though 3 years have passed in the real world, I could have a book set 2 months later. You can slow down the passage of time!
"tink" says: have you ever seen a fairy?
When I was very young I remember clearly - I was about 8 or 9 - I was in bed upstairs and I could have sworn I saw a figure at the window, standing on the window-sill. It was probably a dream but at the time it seemed completely real!
"llaura" says: How did you feel when Artemis was described as the new Harry Potter?
I had mixed feelings - it was wonderful to be compared to such a great writer and a lot of people picked up my books because of that comparison... but also I hope none of them were disappointed - it's a completely different set of books and the characters are completely different.
"oza" says: Do you have a Wish List?
I suppose so - I would love to be in a movie - I'd like to get made up (if they make the Artemis movie) as a Goblin. I don't want any lines, just to be involved in the process! I'd love to do that... There are a few more countries I'd like to visit - Japan and South America.
"chloe bh" says: eoin, what is your favourite book?
Chloe, my favourite book for children / young adults would be Bloodtide by Melvin Burgess... For adults, it would be A Star Called Henry, by Roddy Doyle.
"sophie BH" says: Eoin whats your favourite book that you've written?
My favourite book is always the one that I am working on - so at the moment I am working on the forth Artemis book and I am really enjoying that.
"Guest" says: In your experience, do you see your books appealing more to boys or girls, or both equally?
I think I expected them to appeal more to boys but because the hero is a female, girls seem to like them just as much.... There used to be a stereotype girl that only liked books about ballet and ponies but now they like adventure just as much as the boys.
"Kai BH" says: I am 10 years old. Which of your books would you recommend to me?
Kai, for yourself I would recommend the Benny books - you can buy those from most bookshops or you'll be able to find them at your local library.
"tink" says: do you think your books should be made into films?
I would like to see the Artemis books made into films - there is one in production at the moment so hopefully that will be released in 2004.
"Ewan" (ChatMaster) says: Will you get a role in that one then Eoin?
I don't think it will be a star role! But I would like to be in a crowd scene!
"ris" says: Are you writing a book at the moment? Will you be continuing to write about Artemis?
I am writing an Artemis book at the moment - I would hope that every second book I write will be Artemis.
"Joe BH" says: Have you got any children?
I have one son who is five and we are expecting a new baby any minute now!
"pingle girls" says: Who is your favourite baddie?
My favourite is Captain Hook who I think is the best baddie of all time.
"Guest" says: Where did you get the ideas for the characters in Wish List?
Those characters came from real life, the two children Meg and Belch were children in my school... and the old man was a man who lived in our town.
"Guest" says: Does your own real life influence your stories?
Yes Matt - one of my early books, Benny and Babe, was almost completely taken from my own teenage years.
"tink" says: which imaginary or literary character would you like to meet and which book do you wish you had written?
I wish that I had written Stig of the Dump! I would like to meet Peter Pan and get some fairy dust and go flying!
"bob" says: When you were a child did you enjoy reading?
Yes like every writer I love reading and when I was a child, I would leave books in every room of the house so that if I got trapped in that room... I would have something to read! It's a habit I still have.
"girlwithglasses" says: Real life can be scary - is this why you write about fantasy worlds?
Yes partly - it's an escape from real life and I think reading books is a great way to escape from the pressures of real life. Of course, not every book should be an escape - some should be educational too. But if you have had a bad day, a good book is a nice way to forget all about it.
"pingle girls" says: Who would you like to play Artemis Fowl in the movie ?
I saw a movie recently called About A Boy - and I thought the boy in that was excellent.
"ris" says: Which character would you most like to be for a day from one of your books?
I think I would like to be a sprite because they are very confident creatures and they can fly.
"Guest" says: if you weren't an author what would you be?
My ambition was always to be a cartoonist so I would love to be drawing the pictures for Batman.
"Larry" says: Surely though, all goodies should also have some bad in them, to make them whole, balanced individuals, whether they're human, Vulcan or whatever?
That's very true, Larry. I think all heroes should have a little bit of weakness - so that makes it more difficult for them to do the right thing - so when they DO the right thing, it is actually much more heroic.
"fatnickc" says: your books rock! do you have any tips?
The best tip is to read the classic children's writers and see how they construct a story, nick.
"sarah_gs" says: What do you do when you try to write but nothing comes out?
This happens to every writer - they get writer's block - so to guard against this, whenever I have an idea, I write it down - even if it's nothing to do with what I'm working on. So if I have a bad day, I can look in my ideas folder, and see if there is anything that fits in with my current project.
"Guest" says: Eoin - what did you think about the huge bus side posters for your most recent book? Are you pleased to see books for young people eventually getting the support they deserve? A goodie thing? Or a baddie thing?
I have mixed feelings about over promoting books because sometimes the books aren't as good as the posters and children will be disappointed. But at the same time my publishers, Puffin, have very high standards so they don't usually promote books that they don't believe in. I haven't seen the buses though! If you see one, take a photo and log on to my website and tell me where it was!
"bob" says: Do you prefer to borrow books from the library or do you buy your own copy of them?
I do both - sometimes if I borrow a book from the library and I really like it, I usually buy my own copy. I also spend a lot of time in second-hand bookshops which are a great place to find very good bargains.
"Ewan" (ChatMaster) says: Have you an example of a recent bargain?
Yes! Just last week I bought a book by Oscar Wilde called 'A Picture of Dorian Gray' for 2 euros.
"pingle" says: Atemis Fowl has been described as Die Hard with fairies - what is your comment on this?
I was actually the one who said that about three years ago but I didn't realise that this would be used so often by newspapers... I think it is a fair comment. Die Hard is an action movie that doesn't take itself too seriously, and Artemis is an adventure book with a sense of humour.
"Guest" says: Do you write every day ?
Yes I do write every day - I try to write 1,000 words a day but even if I am working on publicity I try and write just a paragraph at night.
"Ewan" (ChatMaster) says: How do you write?
I write on a little laptop computer.
"Guest" says: Eoin, which book was the hardest to write?
I think the first Artemis was the hardest because I was creating an entire civilisation and so I had to construct it as though it was real. Every building, all the different residents, the fashion, the languages. So that was quite difficult.
"Guest" says: Have you got any tips for young writers?
I would advise young writers to keep a diary and if anything interesting happens or if their friends say something funny - write it down. Youth is the most interesting part of life, and most of it just gets forgotten.
"tink" says: did your parents tell you lots of fairy tales when you were little? which was or is your favourite?
Yes both my mother and father told me stories and now they tell stories to my son. My favourite were the Irish Legends.
"pingle girls" says: Are there any good baddies in irish legends?
The most famous baddie in Irish Legends is a man called Balor of the Evil Eye and if you looked into his left eye you would die immediately. So he had to keep it covered with a patch, except when he was going into battle.
"june" says: How did you get involved in World Book Day?
My publishers got letters from bookshops and libraries to ask me to take part. I was involved as a teacher for many years before my books were published.
"ris" says: When did you start writing?
I started writing when I was in Primary School - I would write stories and plays for my friends to act in.
"Guest" says: How did you get interested in writing?
Both my parents are writers - my father writes history books and my mother writes stage plays, so I was always encouraged to write stories.
"farnham" says: Eoin, what would be your desert island book?
I think I would bring the complete Lord of the Rings. That's a bit of a cheat because it's actually three books!
"Guest" says: We can read magical books in our school, what do you think of schools that don't allow them?
I think that is very sad for the children when their choice of books is limited. I do agree that there has to be supervision as some books are unsuitable but teachers and librarians have to be careful not to go too far. I visited a school once where Tom Sawyer and Harry Potter were banned, which just made them more popular after school!
"Angie" says: Hi! Saw you on TV once and thought you were great!
Oh thanks very much Angie!
"patrick" says: if there was one thing in your life that you could [apart from books] do what would it be?
I think I would like to be in theatre. I used to direct plays and I really enjoyed it patrick, so I would like to have learnt how to do that professionally. Although you have to be quite strict and I find that difficult!
"Guest" says: do you go to the theatre often?
I go to the theatre as much as possible and whenever I visit London or New York I try to go to the theatre. We're very lucky as there is a strong theatre tradition in Ireland.
"ris" says: how old are you?
I am 37 years old, ris.
"x-danger" says: What was your favourite book when you were my age (i'm 10)?
When I was that age I really liked the three investigators books. Do you know them?
"blaydon library" says: I loved the Three Investigators!
"pingle girls" says: Is there any particular character that you like writing about?
I really like writing about Artemis but it's quite difficult because he is a genius and I am not, so I have to think about every word he says.
"Guest" says: do you use your local library at all?
Yes I do! I am quite involved in the local library and they do courses with children about writing in general. I usually take a workshop and discuss the writing process with them.
"Guest" says: why is he called "Artemis", does that have a specific meaning?
Yes Artemis is the great goddess of hunting and when the name is used for a boy, it means 'the hunter'. In the first book, Artemis is hunting the fairies.
"pingle girls" says: What would your life time dream be ?
I would like to see no war in Iraq for a start... I'm involved with children's charities in Ireland so I would like to see an end to child abuse.
"Hursty" says: why did you decide for the fairies to be forced under the ground?
I thought that the only way that it would be believable that fairies did actually exist would be if they lived deep underground. I like when people are reading my books that even though they are about different species that it could just be possible!!
"Guest" says: WHAT WILL YOU CALL THE BOOK YOU ARE WRITING NOW?
The book I am working on I think will be called The Opal Deception. You heard it here first! But don't hold it against me if I change that.
"Hursty" says: when you wrote the wish list why did you change the subject from fairies to heaven and hell?
The Wish List was actually written before Artemis so it was before I began to write about fairies. It was my first step into fantasy writing.
"Ewan" (ChatMaster) says: Are you enjoying the chat, Eoin?
Yes I'm having a great time - I hope I am not giving away too many secrets!
"Hursty" says: why did you set the story in ireland?
I set the story in Ireland because I am Irish myself so I know about Ireland. A writer should always try to write at least partly what they know about.
"mrsb" says: Did you read as a child - I have trouble in trying to get boys to read!!!
That was one of the reasons I wrote Artemis Mrsb. The difficulty is finding the right book for boys... Good books would be the Harry Potter books, the Lemony Snicket books and hopefully my own.
"Guest" says: My friend translated the hieroglyphics on every page of the first novel. I was amazed, I hadn't noticed them! Did you spend a long time creating them?
I wrote the story in English for them and then a professor from a London university invested the symbols.
"nick" says: Do you write so that you can express your feelings? does it help you with stuff like anger management?
Yes I think so nick. Often if you are in a good mood or a bad mood, that comes through in the writing. I am quite a relaxed person generally and I don't get angry very often. If I do - I tend to lock myself in the toilet and sulk!
"Guest" says: would you rather be able to fly or breathe under water?
Well I think I'd have to go with flying... I would like to be able to fly! Maybe that is why so many of the characters in my books have that power.
"Guest" says: what book has sold the most copies?
I think the first Artemis book - Artemis Fowl - has sold the most copies as it is in paperback.
"Goblin" says: How many Artemis Fowl books are there going to be? More than Harry Potter! ??
I don't know - I don't plan that far ahead. I know there will be at least four but after that I don't know. I don't want to say for definite how many there are in case I change my mind Goblin.
"honey" says: Will Artemis ever get a girlfriend?
I think if I get by book four, he will have to! In book four he's 14, so in book five he would be 15... so he would have to have a girlfriend - if he could be nice to anybody for long enough.
"Guest" says: what tips would you give to someone who wants to become a primary school teacher?
I would tell them that they really have to like children - don't go into it for the holidays.
"pingle girls" says: Why has Ireland produced so many good authors?
I think there is a strong tradition of writing in Ireland and it is not unusual for a child to want to be a writer... so we get a lot of encouragement from our families and friends.
"Becky" says: What do you eat for breakfast?
Becky, I usually have a fruit smoothie. .. made from a secret Colfer recipe.
"Hursty" says: who is your favorite writer and why? did this person inspire you to write?
For children, my favourite writer would be Mark Twain... and he definitely inspired me to write - and still does. Every time I start to think that I am getting good I read one of his books and it shows me how much I have to learn.
"Guest" says: did you ever think of illustrating your books yourself, as you've always wanted to be a cartoonist?
I would love to sometime have a go - I have some picture books coming out next year but I was always very slow at drawing so it would take me about a year to do the pictures. That's far too slow for the publishers.
"pingle girls" says: Are you a big fan of Peter Pan?
Yes I am - I'm a big fan of the book and the Disney cartoon which I thought was very good, but I'm more of a fan of Captain Hook.
"Guest" says: how do you stand on the war?
I am completely against war - as are most people in Ireland in the UK. As a matter of fact, I spoke at an anti-war rally last week with some Irish politicians.
"Xray" says: Is the character Artemis actually human or is he some sort of sci-fi creature?
Artemis is a human boy.
"allylily" says: I love the way you write detailed plots and schemes - is it hard to come up with them?
It is difficult to come up with them - especially when they are complicated. I always do a plan before starting each book so I don't trip myself up. That's another piece of advice for anybody looking to become a writer - do a plan before beginning.
"Guest" says: what do you think of paradise lost?
I studied that when I was in college and it's a very powerful piece of work - I'm afraid I don't remember many quotes from it at the moment.
"Guest" says: Eoin, when will there be another Artemis Fowl book coming out?
The third Artemis Fowl book, called the Eternity Code, is out on May 1st.
"chopwell library" says: We love your work, Eoin! We have written some reviews of your books for our junior newsletter, do you like to hear reviews from your readers?
I do like to hear reviews from the kids who read the books but I don't read any reviews by grown-ups. They affect the way I think about my books... I don't want to start changing things because grown-ups say so. Kids - they're the audience so I do listen to them.
"Girlsonline" says: DO YOU WORK WITH A PARTNER?
I am working on a musical at the moment about the old Irish Legends - I have two partners - so this is the first time I have ever worked with somebody else. I'm really enjoying it.
"Guest" says: Why did you choose a greek name for your book?
I wanted a name that would be synonymous with intelligence, and everybody knows that Greek philosophers and mathematicians were famous for being geniuses.
"Guest" says: Which book did you enjoy writing most?
I always enjoy writing the book I am working on. So at the moment I'm working on the fourth Artemis book.
"allylily" says: have you written any novels for adults?
I haven't written novels for adults - but I have written stage plays which have been quite successful in Ireland.