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When did you start writing? I knew without any doubt that I would be a writer when I was eight years old. This was partly due to the fact that I as no good at anything else (still true today). I was sent to a really horrible boarding school called Orley Farm, in North London. It was an all boy's school. The headmaster was allowed to beat you - and he often did. After lights out, I used to tell the other boys stories as a way of escape. I also discovered reading. The library was the only place in the school where I was happy. I wrote a play when I was ten. It was called “The Thing that Never Happened” and it was all about Guy Fawkes. I suppose I've been writing full-time ever since. When were you first published? I was lucky - my first book, “The Sinister Secret of Frederick K. Bower” was published when I was 22. That's very early. The book was about a fabulously wealthy but thoroughly nasty boy called Frederick and it's out-of-print now. The one chapter I really like has a warehouse on the Thames full of powdered mashed potato. The water breaks through the wall and mixes with the powder and the whole of London gets smothered in the resulting explosion of mash. Where do your characters come from? I use a lot of people I know. For example, all the teachers who taught me at Orley Farm have been in my books - and I've killed them all! One of my earliest books, “Granny” was a fairly accurate portrait of my grandmother. She was a truly horrible woman. I decided to write about her when I was at her funeral - a very happy day. Sometimes when I do school visits I meet people who end up in my books. Was Alex Rider based on someone you know? Alex is partly based on the son of a friend of mine. He came to lunch when I was working on the book. His name is Alex and he speaks two languages fluently. He also does Tai Kwando. Alex Rider looks a bit like him but of course he's also inspired by James Bond. I started writing the books because I thought the actors in the James Bond films were all too old. To be really “cool” I thought Bond should be a teenager. Why did Alex Rider die at the end of Scorpia? Well, as most people know by now, Alex wasn't killed. He was just badly hurt…and he'll be back in 2005 in ARK ANGEL. It was never my intention to kill him but it did seem to me that an organisation as evil as Scorpia wouldn't let him just walk away after he'd destroyed their operation. Suddenly I knew - I didn't even plan it - that a sniper would take a shot at him as he left MI6. But there are quite a few clues in the book that tell you he's not dead. First of all, the sniper uses a less deadly, low velocity weapon. I never say that Alex stops breathing. And then there's the question of Mrs Jones's children (see page 243). There's a story here that I may resolve one day in a future Alex book. How many Alex Rider books do you plan to write? ARK ANGEL is the sixth and Alex is now fourteen years and seven months old (his birthday is February 13th). I have always said that I'll stop writing the books when he reaches fifteen. It's fairly likely that I'll write a seventh book one day - I have the germ of an idea - but after that? I don't know. What's the news about the Alex film? The rights to the Alex Rider books were bought about three years ago and I've written the screenplay based on STORMBREAKER. The film is going to cost about £20m to make and I believe the producers have now raised the money so production could start as early as spring 2005. But in the film world nothing is certain. We were on the verge of making the film two years ago…and then Agent Cody Banks suddenly appeared and that was that. My biggest fear is that the film will get made and that it will disappoint. I think Alex works because people can imagine him. Everyone has their own idea of what he sounds like and looks like. Put him up on a screen and you change all that. A film is sort of inevitable but to be honest I'm in no hurry to see it. Do you have any tips for would-be writers? This is something I'm asked quite often and my advice is fairly simple. 1) The more you read, the better you'll write. 2) The more you write, the better you'll write. 3) Believe in yourself. It's not easy getting started and there'll always be someone to tell you you're not going to succeed. They're wrong. The only difference between a successful writer and an unsuccessful writer is that the unsuccessful writer gives up. 4) Have fun. You need something to write about so make sure you have plenty of experience. Travel. Meet people. Do irresponsible things. If you sit in a dark room staring at a piece of paper, you'll only be able to write about someone who sits in a dark room staring at a piece of paper. Your favourite book? Of the books I've written, STORMBREAKER is my favourite because it introduced Alex Rider. If you asked me to choose my favourite book in the world, it would be GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens. That said, I read a great deal - and not all of it is classical. I love horror stories by Stephen King and Dan Simmons. Your favourite film? My favourite film is an old black and white thriller written by Graham Greene and directed by Carol Reed in 1949. It's called The Third Man (I used the same story in a Diamond brothers novella - the Blurred Man). Your favourite food? Boiled egg and fresh white bread. Kit Kat and a cup of tea. Simple things! Your favourite colour? Blue (ink). Football team? Arsenal. Music? Most of the music that I listen to is classical: Mozart, Chopin, Britten. Can you tell us something about your family? I live in North London with my wife, Jill Green, who produces Foyle's War, the programme I write for ITV. I have two sons - Nicholas (15) and Cassian (13). I work in a studio at the bottom of the garden. And I have a dog, a chocolate Labrador called Lucky, Unlucky, Mucky, Yucky, Plucky or Chucky. His name changes with every new book. |
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All content © 2006 Anthony Horowitz . All rights reserved.
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