Alan’s Comments (group member since Mar 22, 2011)

Alan’s comments from the Q&A with Alan Bradley group.

Hi, Rebecca,

I think it must have been my fifth grade teacher who fanned the flames of curiosity.

Even sixty-five years later, I still remember verbatim, her instructions at the beginning of the school year:

"I have one piece of advice for you. Don't toss your cookies."

You're free to pass this bit of wisdom along if you wish.

Warmest regards,

Alan Bradley

Saundra wrote: "This is FANTASTIC!! As someone who teaches 11 yr olds I consider her a breath of fresh air! (Sam Mendes is pretty awesome too!)"

Thanks, Saundra. Your kind words are much appreciated!

Alan Bradley

Flavia's fans will be happy to know that the Flavia de Luce mystery series have been optioned by director Sam (American Beauty) Mendes.

Details may be viewed at:

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118...

and at:

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/news/in...

Megt wrote: "Audrey wrote: "Hello! I am MegT's (rel) friend, who introduced me to The Sweetness of the Bottom of the Pie. I am also a serious reader, more of a serious writer who wants to be a professional auth..."


Hi, Audrey and MegT,

Writing tips? Hmmm...

1. Don't give up. The people who get published are the ones who never quit.

2. Find a good writing group in your community - preferably one in which one or two of the members are published authors. If you can't find one, start one.

3. Get an agent. How? Write something that's so good they can't say no.

4. Stay away from people who want money to evaluate or edit your work. If it's good enough, publishers should be paying you!

5. Don't give up.

Let me know when you publish your first book so that I can buy a copy.

With all best wishes,

Alan

Megt wrote: "It's great hearing others who share my love for Alan Bradley's books."

Thank you all for your kind comments. They are much appreciated.

There will be news forthcoming soon about the next book in the series, "I Am Half-Sick of Shadows". Stay tuned at www.flaviafanclub.ning.com

Alan

Elizabeth wrote: "Alan,
I have really enjoyed reading all of these books and think they should be required reading for all middle school science students."


Great idea, Elizabeth! I'm currently working on a science project for Canadian students. Details soon to come at:

www.flaviafanclub.ning.com and at www.flaviadeluce.com

Best wishes,

Alan

Kristine wrote: "Megt wrote: "Kristine wrote: "I love the voice of Flavia and wonder if you had an inspiration for her character (family, friend, etc.)?

I'm also very interested to find out how you decided to use..."

Hi, Kristine,

I don't think I consciously chose an eleven year old narrator. Flavia simply walked into another book I was writing and demanded to be listened to. I'm still listening!

Alan

Dena wrote: "So far I've only read the first one. I'm trying to pace myself and not gobble them down. From the descriptions and comments I'm really looking forward to Red Herring. I may read it next."

Dena,


Hope you enjoy it!

Alan

Megt,


All of the Flavia books should be readily available through www.amazon.com

or through either The Poisoned Pen, in Scottsdale, AZ, or Murder By the Book, in Houston, TX

Good luck!

Susanna wrote: "I really enjoy these books, and am looking forward to the next one.

As a GR Librarian, I have a question. Is "Seeds of Antiquity (Flavia de Luce #4)" the same book as "I Am Half Sick of Shadows"?"

Hi, Susanna,

"I Am Half-Sick of Shadows" is the same book as the previously (and temporarily entitled) "Death In Camera".

I sometimes use a "bookmarked" or temporary title during the writing process.

"Seeds of Antiquity" is actually the working title for book five of the Flavia series. The final title of this volume is yet to be announced.

Thanks for your interest!

Alan

Many thanks to the many Goodreads readers who have taken the time to drop by during the past week to ask an extraordinarily wide range of questions.

It's lovely to spend time with such a literate group. I only wish there were time to go on chatting forever with each and every one of you.

It's bedtime here in Malta, but I'll check back in the next couple of days to make sure that no question remains unanswered.

Thank you all for your terrific support. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it.

Yaroo!

Alan

Lindsey wrote: "Hi Alan,
Bravo on such a GREAT series! I just love Flavia. Nancy Drew with a dash of Lemony Snicket with a sprinkling of a young Angela Lansbury from Murder She Wrote. (where she road her bike aro..."

Hi, Lindsey.

There probably won't be a "Red Herring" book tour of the US and Canada. I was there for five weeks last year when "The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag " was published. This year has focused on Europe. With Flavia now being published in 34 countries and in 31 languages besides English, we've been trying to schedule things to accommodate some of the other countries in in which she's a best seller: Germany and Norway, in recent months, with a Polish tour to come a bit later in the year. I've just returned from the UK, where we celebrated publication of "A Red Herring Without Mustard".

Maybe next year...

Many thanks for your kind comments!

Alan

Pat wrote: "Does this mean that there will only be six books in the series? I would love to follow Flavia at least into her early teens."


It means that there will be at least six books in the series.

After that? We'll have to see...

Alan

Jenna wrote: "Which of the three books in the series was most enjoyable for you to write? I personally loved all of them!"

That's a tough question, Jenna!

I view all six books as constituting one long, continuous story.

I've enjoyed writing all of them so far, even though the first book was written following a disastrous forest fire and the writing of the second was interrupted by a flood!

The third and fourth books have been written in relatively quiet surroundings.

Best regards,

Alan

Heidi wrote: "Also to Alan: What kind of research did you do on Romany culture to come up with the characters of The Gypsy/Fenella and Procelain?"

I've always been interested in reading about Gypsy life and culture. The research for "A Red Herring Without Mustard" involved sources published between 1850 and 1950.

Alan

Megt wrote: "To Alan: Do you plan on writing another mystery series?"

I think I'd like to, but not until after the sixth book of the Flavia series is published.

Best regards,

Alan

Tracy wrote: "I have listened to the first two books on a downloadable audio book. Thank you for having this format avaialable. My friend from Wales tells me the accent of the reader is just perfect for that are..."

Dear Tracy,

I assume you are referring to the US audiobook editions read by Jayne Entwistle (there are several others available in the UK, read by Jilly Bond and Emilia Fox).

The reader is chosen by the producers of the audiobook in each case.

Alan

Deanna wrote: "For all of us short sighted people, would any of the books be available in Large Print editions yet?"

Hi, Deanna,

All of the Flavia books are available in Canada, the US, and the Uk in large-print editions. The best way to track them down is probably to do a search on Amazon.

Good luck - and thanks for asking!

Alan

M. wrote: "Hi Alan and company,

I, too, found Flavia to be a kindred spirit. And I, like other readers who posted to the discussion, loved Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to DEATH. Until the cov..."

Dear M.

I do all the research myself. Flavia came pretty well equipped with her own interests, chemistry included. I was happy she did, because it was all new to me. Chemistry was never a favorite subject, nor did I have any interest in it whatsoever. All of which allowed me to approach the subject with as much "gee whiz!" enthusiasm as Flavia herself.
It was pretty heavy going for a while, until I gradually became comfortable enough to spend days plowing through old chemistry texts. When we got to something unusually terrifying, Flavia would say "There!" and I would jot down notes. She looked after the rest.
I do have two acquaintances who are professional chemists, whose advice I have asked once or twice. Although they've shaken their heads in disbelief, they've confirmed that Flavia's experiments are "maddeningly possible".

The hardest part of writing is making myself stop researching, and actually sitting down and writing. It's always daunting - perhaps even intimidating - to think that you've got a thousand hours of chair time ahead of you before the first draft is finished.
Once I overcome my natural inertia, and actually get going, I enjoy the actual process immensely.

Best wishes to you and your students!

Alan

Pat wrote: "It's easy to tell that all of us wish to be 11 years old again and have a friend like Flavia. Your books are a rare treat for anyone wanting to leave behind the daily grind and escape to their chi..."

Thanks, Pat. I love that fierceness of eleven that so often seems to be lost. It's very satisfying to recapture it through Flavia, although I have to admit that she's way ahead of me, and is always taking me by surprise! Glad you're enjoying the journey.

Best,
Alan