Interview…with children's author James Dashner

UPDATE 7-2-08: Dashner just signed with Random House for a book to be released in Fall 2009. Read more here.

The writing bug bit James Dashner at the age of 10, but he didn't follow the typical path of a would-be novelist. He didn't write for the school paper in high school, didn't submit to the student literary magazine in college.

"Mainly (I wrote) short stories for fun until I got serious about writing novels," he says.

That was 10 years ago. A Door in the Woods, Book One of the Jimmy Fincher Saga, was published five years later. In March 2008, Dashner published the first book in his second fantasy series, The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters, which Borders selected as one of its "Original Voices" in April. The novel's presales alone eclipsed the sales of his earlier series and it is collecting rave reviews from critics and readers alike.

The Journal of Curious Letters begins with 13-year-old Atticus "Tick" Higginbottom receiving strange letters with riddles and clues from the mysterious "M.G." in Alaska. He is soon drawn into the secrets of the 13 parallel realities and the struggle to protect them against evil forces.

Why did Dashner choose to write for children?

"I love the innocence and energy of children, and their bright-eyed wonder," he explained. Plus fantasy is what he likes to read. "And I have a psycho crazy imagination."

He decided on writing series instead of stand-alone books because kids tend to get attached to the characters and enjoy visiting them again and again in other books. Although he feels writing is writing no matter the genre, children's writing can be hard because you have to keep kids engaged while creating detailed pictures in their minds. There is an easy part, however. "Coming up with cool stories," he says.


Dashner also likes interacting with his readers. His publisher Shadow Mountain has sent him on a national book tour - his first - and he loves going into schools to meet the children.

"We do lots of fun stuff…We create a story together, play a riddle game, look at funny pictures....We have a blast," he says. "Then I 'slam' them with a message…about being brave enough and smart enough to change the world someday and make it a better place."

How does The 13th Reality compare to his earlier Jimmy Fincher Saga series?

"The biggest difference is that my writing has improved (I hope) a lot," he says, adding," but also I think (The) 13th Reality just has a lot more depth and stronger characters."

Another difference is the reader response. Whenever you begin a new series, you must build a new fan base. Given the sales and response so far to The Journal of Curious Letters, Dashner is having no problem doing just that for this series. Jimmy Fincher was with a regional publisher and didn't get the exposure and support that The 13th Reality is getting. Although it is too early to tell, being chosen for the Border's "Original Voices" hasn't hurt either.

One connection between the books is a small Easter egg that Dashner transferred from the first series to the second. Other than that, he says both main characters are autobiographical, not that he had any mystical adventures in his hometown of Duluth, Georgia. Anyone who knows him can point out things in the novels that remind them of him. "Especially Jimmy Fincher," he says. "He's basically me."

How did he know when to end the Jimmy Fincher Saga and start a new series?


Dashner decided that before he published his first book. Jimmy Fincher was planned to run for four novels. The 13th Reality will run for five. He outlined the overall story arc while developing his proposal. He sketches out the individual novels book by book, usually ending up with a two to three page outline.

Dashner's second novel will be released next March and he is currently brainstorming Book Three. He has something else in the works, too.

"I'm a CPA," he says, "but (I) plan to be a full-time writer starting in September." It's the fulfillment of his own childhood fantasy.







You can follow Dashner during his book tour on his blog "The Dashner Dude." To learn more about Tick and The 13th Reality, visit the book's website.