Catching up with Eoin Colfer amid his travels, I ask him to cast his mind back and tell us how the idea for Artemis Fowl originated. His answer is both surprising and wry: “I got the idea for a young, super criminal from a photo I saw of my little brother making his Confirmation. It occurred to me that he looked like a James Bond villain and I thought it would be funny if that was the main character in a series.” Did he know how many Artemis books he would go on to write? “I actually had planned for only three books, but ideas kept coming so I kept on writing more. Eight is enough, I think, time for Artemis to retire.”
From an interview by Alison Wells on writing.ie
Read the full interview here
