Five Kingdoms: Skyraiders

About Brandon Mull

Brandon Mull is the author of the New York Times, USA TODAY, and Wall Street Journal bestselling Beyonders and Fablehaven series. He resides in Utah, in a happy little valley near the mouth of a canyon with his wife and four children.

A Q&A with Brandon Mull

1.  You are the author of several bestselling fantasy series including Fablehaven and Beyonders. What appeals to you about writing series versus stand-alone novels?
 
I love building fantasy worlds. It takes time to establish a fantasy world in a novel. Having multiple books gives me room to set up elaborate worlds with interesting creatures and to tell stories there. I feel like it gets easier to tell grander stories with more twists in my later books after having set up the fantasy scenario.
 
2.  What is your secret for writing stories both boys and girls enjoy?
 
I think the secret is to have boy and girl main characters and to write them as honestly as I can. That way boys and girls can find characters they can relate to and connect with.
 
3.  Your books are action-packed right from the beginning. Do you have a certain formula you follow when writing?
 
I love fantasy stories, and I love big adventure in general. So I try to write the kind of stories I like to read. My goal is to show relatable characters facing interesting problems.
 
4.  Where do you get your ideas?
 
I daydream all the time. It’s how I cope with reality when life gets boring. If I’m stuck in traffic, waiting in line, taking a shower, trying to sleep, or whatever, I escape into my imagination. Some of the stuff I daydream about is useless, but sometimes I stumble across ideas that excite me. When I write, I’m sharing my coping mechanism with everybody.
 
5.  What have you learned about writing over the years?
 
I keep learning how important characters are to a story. If readers like the right characters, get annoyed by the right characters, hate the right characters, and laugh at the right characters, the story will matter to them and draw them in. They will care what happens to the characters. I spend a lot of time thinking about characters I would like to spend time with, and then I hope that readers will feel the same way.
 
6.  How have libraries or librarians influenced your writing career?
 
My school librarians helped reinforce my love of reading by reading to us and guiding us toward worthwhile books with book talks. I’m thrilled that now I get to work with librarians across the country to help kids learn to read for fun.
 
7.  You visit numerous schools each year.  What’s the craziest thing a student fan has asked you?
 
Kids ask me to sign their foreheads (or hands or arms) with Sharpies. I always tell them I need their parent’s permission before I can cover them with graffiti. One kid then brought his parent to a signing, so I signed his forehead as requested.
 
8.  Sky Raiders, the first book in your new series, Five Kingdoms, takes place in Junction, the place between the five kingdoms in the Outskirts, and in the first kingdom of Sambria. Each book in the series will cover a kingdom. What can you tell us about the next kingdom and book two?
 
The next kingdom is called Elloweer. It is a kingdom of seemings (illusions) and changelings (people who have been magically altered). There are more magical races native to Elloweer than any of the other kingdoms. Many surprises await our characters there, including a rogue knight determined to defeat the champions of the cities of Elloweer.