Eoin Colfer: November 9th - 13th! Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy 6 [ Edited ]

[paulgoatallen]

For those of you who don't know – Eoin Colfer, the author of the phenomenally popular Artemis Fowl series, just released his first book for adults, the much anticipated sixth installment of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy saga (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe and Everything; and So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish).

And guess what? Mr. Colfer will be HERE the week of November 9th! So if you have any questions or comments regarding his work in Douglas Adams's literary universe or his Artemis Fowl saga, feel feel to start posting on this thread immediately!!!

Paul

[Nelsmom]

Eoin,

I have all of your Artemis Fowl books and your Half Moon book and have really enjoyed them.  I haven't read your new book yet but have my name on the list for it at the library.  You were at the South Branch Library on Oct 24 but I was unable to get tickets and I really looked forward to meeting you.  My one question is are you going to be writing anly more books in the Half Moon series.?

Toni

[Choo-choo-Char…]

Still awaiting And Another Thing from Amazon.  Can't wait. =) But curse shipping errors.  

In the meanwhile, uh, anymore hints about Artemis Fowl 7?  Like, maybe, whether or not Arty's personality disorder will have multiple facets to it - more than just "nice," perhaps?  Will there be an "evil" side of him as well?  Or any other hint you can give us?  Huh?  Pwease?  With an artificial, but juicy cherry on top?    

I like hints.  

On a final note: you're awesome. *nods* 'Tis the truth.    

[Pyro_Bear]

Eoin Colfer

Hello! I want to thank you for taking time to reply to my letter, even though you're probably busy beyond my comprehension. You may remember me, but probably not...Anyway, thank you for your encouragement. I do want to be a published author someday, and your compliments and advice have boosted my confidence greatly.

Incidentally, I had already planned to read the H2G2 series at the time of writing that letter, and I finished them shortly before it was announced that you would write the sixth installment. The books were all fantastic works only a genius (ahem) could create and I was incredibly excited,even more so after reading the preview (which came just after my birthday, so thanks again to you and Penguin ). I can't wait until it comes to our library~

And about Artemis Fowl,  I really can't wait for the seventh book! Even at the age of fifteen, the books are still some of my biggest favourites and I hope you continue to write for a long, long time because you are still my favourite author and probably always will be.

Andrea Policarpio

[itonilav]

Paul,

When you say "HERE", does that mean here as in on line?  Or is it a particular place, such as a store location? 

As a child I couldn't and didn't get into reading and enjoying it.  After I had a MI in '05, my daughter had given me a couple books to read and I was hooked.  Once I find an author/series I like I will start with the first book of the series and read up to the current issue.  Now at age 65 I'm happy to say that I'm reading seven different authors new releases which includes the Artemis Fowl series and am looking forward to book number seven

Thank you,

Roger

[paulgoatallen]

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itonilav wrote:

Paul,

When you say "HERE", does that mean here as in on line?  Or is it a particular place, such as a store location? 

As a child I couldn't and didn't get into reading and enjoying it.  After I had a MI in '05, my daughter had given me a couple books to read and I was hooked.  Once I find an author/series I like I will start with the first book of the series and read up to the current issue.  Now at age 65 I'm happy to say that I'm reading seven different authors new releases which includes the Artemis Fowl series and am looking forward to book number seven

Thank you,

Roger

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Roger:

Yes, here as in right in this thread in the F/SF forum! (I hope he can fit...) He is scheduled to pop in and out all week so if you post a question or comment check back throughout the day beginning next week!

Paul

[Alexandra_Vasi…]

Mr.Colfer,

First, thank you very much for your books! Artemis books do help me very much when I am tired or depressed - sometimes they are the only books I feel like reading. I`m looking forward to reading the seventh! I believe And Another Thing will be a success too - can`t wait to read it, but it is difficult to get it here in Russia .

I wanted to ask you about humor. You are famous for writing in a light-hearted and funny style. When people read my stories (it is my dream to become a writer), they say that I am very pessimistic although I thought the stories were funny! So, the question is: how do you understand if something you have written is funny? Do you have any way of checking except for giving someone to read?

Thank you!

Alexandra Vasileva.

[Alexandra_Vasi…]

And another question I`ve always wanted to ask you. Do you really think that Russia is just like you described in the Arctic Incident? Is that true that people in Europe think that there are wild bears strolling on Moscow streets?

Russia is not only Mafiya and snow! It is a beautiful country with wonderful nature, forests, churches. Moscow itself is an amazing city. Metro is just a kind of place you seem to like - wonderful but crowded. A lot of skyscrapes too. So the next time you will be looking for a place for your books, have a glance at Russia .

Alexandra.

[paulgoatallen]

Mr. Colfer:

Welcome to the BarnesandNoble.com forums – and thank you for agreeing to pop in throughout the week to answer our questions and respond to our comments. It's an honor to have you. After reading And Another Thing...., I have quite a few questions for you but I'll limit it to three to start off.

1. What was your favorite character to write about in And Another Thing…? So many of them were just so much fun to read about – especially Bowerick Wowbagger. What a great character – an immortal alien who insults everyone! In my opinion, this guy stole the show...(Zaphod was right up there too...)

2. This, the sixth installment of the trilogy, has also been called a standalone novel. I was wondering if there are any plans for a Book Seven? Another H2G2 volume but another standalone adventure….

3. I love the line “Appease the Cheese.” Curious to see if there were any H2G2 merchandise available yet (t-shirts, stickers, etc.), I googled “appease the cheese” and was shocked to find that it is also a reference to masturbation. Am I missing out on a whole other level of jokes here because of my naiveté or it is just a weird coincidence?

Thanks!

Paul

[Eoin-Colfer]

Hi Toni- I have no plans to do another Half Moon for a few years- but the good news is that there is a BBC series of Half Moon which should be out on DVD soon. Thanks for the kind words.

Eoin.

[Eoin-Colfer]

Thanks for heartfelt nod. Artemis's various personalities have not been completely mapped out- so far I have nice, annoying and also romantic- currently he is hitting on Holly- much to the annoyance of Trouble who is also hitting on Holly. 

[Eoin-Colfer]

Thanks Andrea- I put all my best lines into H2G2- the first five are such genius that the pressure was on. Art 7 will be with you soon. If I get around to finishing it.

[Eoin-Colfer]

Hi Roger- glad to see that some of us adults can read Artemis and enjoy it. I think that when I was writing it I tried to remember that kids are smart and thus  made no attempt to dumb down which could go some way to explaining why adults like my books.

[Eoin-Colfer]

Hi Alexandra- humor is hard thing to define or control. Sometimes what I think is funny is not considered funny by other people. Luckily for me, my jokes seem to pretty mainstream so most people enjoy them. I would say that you can find one or two other people besides yourself and your family who think your stories are funny, then there will be others out there with the same opinion. If not, then you might need to ask yourself what they find un-funny. Put together a group of people you trust, maybe join a writing group, and find out where your jokes are falling flat.

Eoin.

[Eoin-Colfer]

Hi PAul,

Thanks for the kind words- here are the answers to your questions-

1. What was your favorite character to write about in And Another Thing…? So many of them were just so much fun to read about – especially Bowerick Wowbagger. What a great character – an immortal alien who insults everyone! In my opinion, this guy stole the show...(Zaphod was right up there too...)

I really enjoyed writing Constant Mown- he is such a nice guy in a world of horrors- funny too.

2. This, the sixth installment of the trilogy, has also been called a standalone novel. I was wondering if there are any plans for a Book Seven? Another H2G2 volume but another standalone adventure….

I won't do any more H2G2 books- my aim was to point people towards the original series. To do anymore would be trying to take over the series.

3. I love the line “Appease the Cheese.” Curious to see if there were any H2G2 merchandise available yet (t-shirts, stickers, etc.), I googled “appease the cheese” and was shocked to find that it is also a reference to masturbation. Am I missing out on a whole other level of jokes here because of my naiveté or it is just a weird coincidence?

I did not know that about the cheese- I think almost any phrase you could use would be on the internet in some dodgy way. I might have to stop using that phrase on the fly cover.

Thanks!

Eoin.

[Eoin-Colfer]

Hi Paul- I am checking in now for the next few hours- I think I have done all the q's so far.

Eoin.

[paulgoatallen]

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Eoin-Colfer wrote:

Hi Paul- I am checking in now for the next few hours- I think I have done all the q's so far.

Eoin.

---

Thanks for agreeing to stop by and answer questions, it's much appreciated! I'll have another round of questions for you later today – as will, I'm sure, many others as well!

And another thing, where are you right now, by the way? In the States? Somewhere on a book tour? Just curious....   

Paul

[Eoin-Colfer]

I am currently in Ireland- heading off early tomorrow for a tour of Germany for the rest of the week- so I will be logging on whenever I can get to the internet. Shouldn't be a problem. I will check in later.

EOin.

[Author94]

Hi, Eoin!

I have read all your Artemis Fowl books, your AF graphic novels, and all your novels (except for the second and third "The Legend of" - books and your books for even smaller children). In my opinion your books are the greatest, and reading them gives me a nice, hot feeling inside, as if anything is possible, so thank you!

I have some questions to you, if you'd be so nice as to answer them:

 1) Except for those you have already written in your "The Artemis Fowl File", do you have more tips for a person who'd also like to become an author?

 2) Are there any news about the Artemis Fowl movie.

 3) Which is your favourite Hitchiker's book?

 4) Will there be more Artemis Fowl books?

[Alexandra_Vasi…]

Thank you very much for your advice! I`ll try to do that!

But there is a problem with finding someone to talk to about my stories and books in general. This problem is, I am studying in a liceum which is usually called `A School For Crazy` because everyone studying there (including me) is crazy about Physics and Mathematics, so they have no time to talk about books. I work in our school magazine, but there are few people interested in it and even they don`t have time to talk about books. Have you ever felt this way - like a lonely writer learning by himself? Where to look for people who are interested in stories? And how to learn to write, how to look for ideas, for your style, how to understand that the idea you now think is brilliant won`t turn out to be rubbish some days later?

And another question - how to understand that the idea you have in mind is geniunely yours? Probably you remember that story about Helen Keller - when she was a child, she wrote a story she thought was hers, but it turned out to be a retelling of a tale she had heard some years ago... Has something like this even happened to you?

Sorry, maybe I am sounding depressed like Marvin, or maybe I am asking to many questions. But you are the only person I can ask about it.

Thank you!

Alexandra.