Eoin Colfer
Having gained international acclaim for his children’s science fiction series “Artemis Fowl”—all seven books were New York Times bestsellers—Irish author Eoin Colfer visits Hong Kong this March for the Young Readers Festival. He chats to Leanne Mirandilla about the end of the popular series, his new projects, and his love of villainous characters.
HK Magazine: The Artemis Fowl series is ending this summer after eight books. How do you feel about that?
Eoin Colfer: I have mixed feelings about it. It’s right to end it—[if I continued] I’d just be limping along trying to come up with new story every year—but at the same time it was a huge part of my life. I spent 10-12 years on it. I'll miss it when it's gone; I'll miss all the crowds of people who turn up at readings, but a writer’s got to do what's in his head.
HK: But you’re starting a new science fiction series after that called “W.A.R.P.”?
EC: I’m going to do three [of those books], I think. I finished the first which is coming in 2013. I'm a pessimist by nature, so I don't think lightning will strike twice. Artemis was my big blockbuster, and most writers don't get a blockbuster. I’d be really delighted if my second series took off in same way. It’s a little darker without so many funny characters, so perhaps it will find a smaller but more enthusiastic readership.
HK: Many of your protagonists—like Benny from your first series “Benny Shaw” as well as Artemis—are antiheroes. Would you say you have a preference for these types of characters?
EC: I enjoy reading them—I think they're more interesting than the straightforward good guy. There’s something about someone who isn’t perfect, who has problems and struggles with his conscience. That’s more like a normal kid. I taught kids for 15 years and I never met a boy who didn't one day get up to some mischief. When I was writing the Benny character, I thought that he was just a normal boy, but when the book was released everyone was saying “this guy is an antihero!” But I don't think so—I think he’s just normal. Artemis is definitely an antihero. The reason you stick with him is that he's fascinating and you want him to become good. He’s not just this horrible guy—he changes, he has feelings and he realizes he has made horrible mistakes. I love antiheroes and villains like Huckleberry Finn, Bart Simpson, Hannibal Lecter and Captain Hook. I’m drawn to villains. I don't know if that says anything about me!
HK: Besides your kids books, you’ve also written book for adults called “Plugged” and an installment of the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series. Is there a big difference between writing for kids and writing for adults?
EC: A little bit. With kids’ books you have to very structured and you can't make the plots too complicated. With adult books I can really let myself go. I don’t have to worry about language and I can let readers draw their own conclusions. After 10-20 years of writing kids’ books I enjoyed doing my first adult book [“And Another Thing…” in 2009]. It’s a very silly book—a book for people who want to have a laugh and relax. I was frightened, I didn’t know if it would be published. It was an unusual feeling because with everything I've previously written, I was sure it would be published. It was strange to write with that old anxiety again.
HK: Both of your sons are in the Artemis Fowl series as twin brothers Beckett and Myles Fowl, but are they fans of your books?
EC: They both read my books, though they're not religious about it. I'm not their favorite, but they like the idea that they're in the books, especially the little boy who's eight. He still thinks I'm a bit cooler [for being a writer]. The teenager now is over me—I'm not cool anymore, he thinks sports and music is better [laughs]. I hope he'll come back when he's 20, but I really am afraid of him picking up my adult books right now, they’re not suitable for him yet. [If he read them he’d say] they’re evidence against me as a father, I could never discipline him again! He’d just say “you wrote this book with alcohol and drugs in it, so you can't give me any advice!”
HK: What are your hopes for the events you’re doing for the Young Readers Festival?
EC: I’m hoping to meet as many young readers as I can and talk to them. The shows I do are very interactive. We get a lot of characters coming who have travelled a long way. It’s very interesting and reminds me who I'm writing for. When I’m stuck in an office for six months I can get a little selfish. When I get constant reminders from letters and photos, I work harder to produce a book that people will enjoy.
