My name is Madalyn and I’m 13. My favorite flavor of ice cream is cookie dough.
What book did you read and why did you choose it?
Hero’s Guide to Storming the Castle. I read this book because I had read the first book in the series and thought it was amazing.
Can you describe this book in one word?
Adventurous
What was your favorite part of this story?
My favorite part was when one of the villains was awkwardly flirting with one of the heroines.
My favorite part was when one of the villains was awkwardly flirting with one of the heroines.
If you had a problem similar to the main character's problem, what would you do?
I would probably scream and curl into a ball. Or run. I’m just not that brave.
What would you say to your best friend to convince them to read this book?
This book was really good because it was funny, there were some awkward moments, a lot of action and some magic.
What do you think about the book's cover?
It’s very good at depicting what the characters look like and it leaves you wondering about what’s going on. It makes you want to read it.
Would you want to read another book about these characters? Why or why not?
Yes, I totally would. I have a feeling that there is more of a story to tell and it hasn’t finished yet, so there needs to be another one.
Can you name another book that reminds you of this one?
For some reason, it makes me think of the Lightning Thief because there are swords and love.
If you could ask the author one question about this book, what would it be?
What gave you the idea for the JJDG?
We contacted Christopher Healy and asked him Madalyn's question. Here was his reply:
The Hero's Guide books may be classified as fantasy, but I've always been a huge fan of mysteries, so I wanted each of these books to have a mystery at its heart. For Storming the Castle, that mystery is "What is JJDG?" I've always gotten a special thrill from stories with secret codes that the characters (and readers) have to decipher, or mysterious acronyms where people have to figure out what they stand for—like the note signed "R.A.B." in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, or the V.F.D. in the Lemony Snicket books. JJDG is my ode to those kind of mysteries.
As for what JJDG ends up meaning... Well, I don't want to give it away for people who haven't read the book yet. But the clue does lead to a magic item that could be very, very dangerous in the wrong hands. I created this specific magic item, because I wanted something that would allow a villain (or other unscrupulous person) to potentially cause a lot of damage in a very sneaky way, with no evidence ever pointing back to that villain. It's a magical weapon that allows a villain to be very creative in how he or she causes trouble. It's fun when the heroes don't know what to expect.
I would probably scream and curl into a ball. Or run. I’m just not that brave.
What would you say to your best friend to convince them to read this book?
This book was really good because it was funny, there were some awkward moments, a lot of action and some magic.
What do you think about the book's cover?
It’s very good at depicting what the characters look like and it leaves you wondering about what’s going on. It makes you want to read it.
Would you want to read another book about these characters? Why or why not?
Yes, I totally would. I have a feeling that there is more of a story to tell and it hasn’t finished yet, so there needs to be another one.
Can you name another book that reminds you of this one?
For some reason, it makes me think of the Lightning Thief because there are swords and love.
If you could ask the author one question about this book, what would it be?
What gave you the idea for the JJDG?
We contacted Christopher Healy and asked him Madalyn's question. Here was his reply:
The Hero's Guide books may be classified as fantasy, but I've always been a huge fan of mysteries, so I wanted each of these books to have a mystery at its heart. For Storming the Castle, that mystery is "What is JJDG?" I've always gotten a special thrill from stories with secret codes that the characters (and readers) have to decipher, or mysterious acronyms where people have to figure out what they stand for—like the note signed "R.A.B." in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, or the V.F.D. in the Lemony Snicket books. JJDG is my ode to those kind of mysteries.
As for what JJDG ends up meaning... Well, I don't want to give it away for people who haven't read the book yet. But the clue does lead to a magic item that could be very, very dangerous in the wrong hands. I created this specific magic item, because I wanted something that would allow a villain (or other unscrupulous person) to potentially cause a lot of damage in a very sneaky way, with no evidence ever pointing back to that villain. It's a magical weapon that allows a villain to be very creative in how he or she causes trouble. It's fun when the heroes don't know what to expect.
***
Thank you to Chris for sharing your inspiration and to Madalyn for Storming the Castle with us!
***
The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle by Christopher Healy
Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You remember them, don't you? They're the Princes Charming who finally got some credit after they stepped out of the shadows of their princesses - Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Briar Rose - to defeat an evil witch bent on destroying all their kingdoms. But alas, such fame and recognition only last so long. And when the princes discover that an object of great power might fall into any number of wrong hands, they are going to have to once again band together to stop it from happening - even if no one will ever know it was they who did it.
-- Becky A.
What a great interview. Thanks, Madalyn, I really enjoyed it. I'm always curious to find out what inspiration was behind an author's story, excellent question!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I love this blog feature and what a great interview, Madalyn!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments! Madalyn says getting a reply from an author of a book she loved was pretty cool. She also likens authors to rockstars, so that gives Christopher Healy rockstar status.
ReplyDelete