BOOKS...
Joshua Files: Invisible City
MG Harris, has her debut book "The Joshua Files: Invisible City" published now! She is a wonderful person and very talented writer.
I was extremely fortunate to have a small Q&A with the author herself, MG Harris...
HOW IT CAME ABOUT...
MG Harris started writing Joshua Files when she broke her leg on a skiing trip. She wrote the book, and out of pure dedication and talent, the end product is one amazing book/s, with her two book deal with scholastic, about a young boy, on an adventurous search!
Questions in Red
Answers in Green
1. How long has the idea for Joshua Files been in your head?
In one form or another, since I was 15 and visited the Mayan ruins of Yucatan. As an adventure story about an Oxford boy who follows in the footsteps of his archaeologist father, since Feb 2005, when it popped into my head when I was reading a book called "Breaking the Maya Code" about the decipherment about the Mayan hieroglyphic script.
2. How many hours a day, estimate, did you spend writing the book?
I don't usually write more than 6 hours a day.
3. Did you plan out the series before you started writing, or did you type what you thought?
The plan is in some software called Newnovelist where I collect all the scraps of ideas, notes, and the plot structure. I don't write until I have the plan for each book. The whole series is NOT planned out in detail, just vaguely.
4. Are there any plans for a third book yet with scholastic?
It's early stages for that discussion, but there are plans, yes.
5. What other books have you thought of writing or are writing?
I've written a manuscript that I call 'Jaguar's Realm' set in Cuba about a boy who escapes from a secret school for XXXXX trained to be XXXXX. (The XXXXs are censor marks...cos it's a secret). It's the first book of another series about two boys, Leo (aged 12) and 'Jaguar' (16) - even more hardcore action adventure with an exotic twist that I won't reveal... NB No publisher has been shown this manuscript yet...my agent is keeping it on ice for now.
6. If the Joshua Files was ever made into a film, who would you like to A) Play Joshua, B) Direct it?
Well you know what...I have actually seen a guy who could maybe play Josh, when he gets a little older. Charlie Rowe, who plays Billy Costa in "The Golden Compass" really impressed me, and he looks kind of how I imagine Josh. Now if he could learn some Spanish and capoeira... Director - I would love it if we could interest Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Pottter and Prisoner of Azkaban) or Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) - both great guys, movie and fantasy/sci-fi experts and like me they are from Mexico City!
7. What is your favourite kind of chocolate?
The Lindt milk chocolate that they use for those Golden Bunnies and Chocolate Santas. I swear I can eat a whole one at one sitting...
8. When writing, was coffee a need, want, or dislike?
Coffee is always a need, but I try to have decaff.
9. Is there anything you can hint at for book 2?
Prepare for two BIG surprises...and not nice ones I'm afraid. Josh is going to be seriously physically and emotionally challenged in book 2. And there's a complex puzzle woven actually into the story...
10. Finally, if you had to dye your hair any colour, what would it be?
Gosh...I'd love to have really inky blue-black hair, like a goth. Just for a giggle.
Many thanks to MG Harris. Be sure to pick up a copy of her book! Check out the website, at www.joshuafiles.com!
Skulduggery Pleasant/Skulduggery Pleasant: Playing With Fire...
Skulduggery Pleasant is a book abut a girls whos grandfather dies and leaves a fortune behind. The girl, called Stephanie, inherits the enourmous house her grandfather once lived in and meets one of his old friends, Skulduggery Pleasant...
This book was really enjoyable to read and funny. The second one called "Playing With Fire" Is out this April. I'm glad to hear that the author plans to write 9 Skulduggery Pleasant books in total.
www.skulduggerypleasant.com
