Q&A:MICHAEL SCOTT, Irish bookseller turned children's bestseller, talks to EOIN BUTLER
Adults won't necessarily have heard of them, but 'The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel' books are hugely successful worldwide, aren't they?They are. It's basically the story of two 15-year-old twins who discover one day that all of the great characters from history and mythology are still alive. I'm four books through a seven-part series and they've all debuted on the New York TimesChildren's Bestsellers' list. They've been translated into 24 languages, with new countries coming on board all the time.
It's fiction. But most of the main characters are based on historical figures .Yes, the villain of the piece, Dr John Dee, was in real life Elizabeth I's magician, mathematician, astronomer, astrologer and spy. He used two zeros and a slash as his codename, which was reputed to be the inspiration for Ian Fleming's 007. Flamel himself was a 14th-century Parisian, widely suspected of having made his fortune through alchemy. I came across his story while on holiday and I thought, wow, this is my book.
Your current book is called 'The Necromancer'. That doesn't sound suitable for children.It's from the Greek, meaning one who can talk to the dead, or one who can raise the dead. Each of the books is named for one of the characters. The Alchemyst was obviously about Flamel. I'm not telling you who The Necromancer is named after, but the fans are certainly having a great time trying to guess.
It's obviously not just the fans who are having fun. You've woven an incredible array of characters – Shakespeare, Billy the Kid, Joan of Arc, Machiavelli – into the narrative.Yes, I spent the best part of a decade planning the series and putting it together. There were so many characters, not just from history, but also from mythology that I wanted to incorporate. Irish mythology was always my first love.
You worked for many years as a bookseller.That's right, I started in Webb's bookshop in Dublin, which unfortunately is gone now. I also worked in Fred Hanna's and in Hughes & Hughes, both of which are also gone, now that I think of it.
I'm sure the next crowd were delighted to see you coming.Yes, maybe I brought bad luck! Bookselling really is the best job in the world though for an aspiring writer. You stand there all day amid aisles and aisles of books. So you think, gosh, well someone has to write them.
The 'Harry Potter' books were one of the publishing phenomenons of our time. Is there a sense that various authors are jostling to pick up that mantle now?Well, there's certainly a huge market for that type of book. Just look at how many big names in adult fiction – John Grisham and James Patterson, for example – are now writing books aimed at young adults. Lots of books have been dubbed the "next Harry Potter", but so far none have lived up to the hype.
Is there a secret to writing a successful children's book?People think it's easy. They think you just make sure not to include any sex or violence and the rest takes care of itself. But it's actually a very tough gig. Adult readers may tell an author that they liked or didn't like a particular book. But kids will ask you why you said one thing on page 34 and then something very slightly different on page 217. They read with a tremendous amount of care and attention. You won't get anything past them.
How do you know which jokes or references they'll understand and which they won't?You don't. As adults, we share a body of knowledge that younger people haven't been exposed to. If I mention the Bay of Pigs, say, you'll immediately think of Kennedy and Castro. But a young person might as easily imagine a herd of pigs swimming in the ocean. So it can be difficult. I pay a great deal of attention to what children are reading, I watch their TV and am aware of their music.
Finally, plans for a film adaptation of the Flamel series are already underway. If you could have any actor you wanted in one of the roles, who would it be?The film rights have been picked up by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who produced the Transformers films and brought Harry Potter to Warner. But the film industry moves at a glacial pace, so I could be an old man before the thing ever sees the light of day. And I'm sure I won't have much influence over the casting of it.
You're a fantasy writer. Go on . . . suspend your disbelief for a second.Well, I'd love to see Helen Mirren playing Perenelle. That would be amazing. As the villain, Dr Dee would have to be played by an Englishman – Hollywood loves an English villain. Alan Rickman is one name I've heard mentioned. But I've had lots of books optioned for films over the years and none ended up getting made. So let's not get too ahead of ourselves.
The Necromanceris out now (Doubleday, £10.99)
