Who’s Canadian, wrote his first book at the age of 12 and has published over 75 titles to date?
Gordan Korman, of course!
On Saturday, October 26, Canadian author Gordon Korman (SWINDLE, ONE FALSE NOTE) attended the International Festival of Authors. The festival aims to spotlight best-sellers from Canada and around the world with special events like interviews, Q&A sessions, book signings and more. The fesival runs from from October 24 to November 3. Korman came in for an interview hosted by Patty Sullivan and a book signing for his most recent book, THE HYPNOTIST.
The Magazine had the opportunity to watch this event live and get the scoop on his latest novel! Fun fact: this is the first ever supernatural-themed book he has ever written!
THE HYPNOTIST is about a boy named Jackson who discovers that he is the most powerful hypnotist in the world. But what happens when the word gets out, especially to those with evil intent?
For this novel, Korman says he had to make up some rules of hypnotism. For instance, Jackson, being a young teenager, always has a harder time hypnotizing adults compared to someone his own age. That’s because once he “enters” their mind, it’s easy for him to be overwhelmed by their experience and years of memories. If he fails, he loses control over his subjects and then anything could happen. Korman explained that he enjoyed the creative freedom of limiting such power.
For those wondering why he decided to change genres, Korman says he simply wanted to try something new, since he’s tried other genres already. He elaborated, saying that this change was a way to hold interest, adding, “If you can’t entertain yourself, how can you entertain others?” This change in direction was a smart choice, as it keeps his creativity flowing and his fans coming back for more!
In response to a question about the inspiration for his characters, Korman says that he’s usually influenced by his younger self. That’s because his career started when he himself was just a teenager, so it’s easier for him to base his characters on his past.
An audience member asked if his own children were ever used as inspiration and he pointed out that he does use his children for inspiration, but in subtle ways. Instead of basing characters on their personalities, he draws from the small things they do or say. He also describeddialogue as one of the main factors in shaping the characters in his books.
Korman also shared some wise words of wisdom for budding novelists. He says the best way to improve is to make writing a part of your everyday life. It doesn’t matter what you’re writing; poems, short stories or journal entries– just make it a constant activity and sooner or later, it’ll become more of a natural habit. Also, always be organized. Korman says he always pre-plans his stories. Especially for an ongoing series like SWINDLE, it lets him know how much of a story he’s going to tell.
Gordon Korman is still busily writing. His newest book, the sixth edition to the SWINDLE series, is expected to come out next winter.
One quote that really struck us was when he said, “Never let reality trump aspirations too much.” Meaning, the adventure is never over, as there is always a chance for something new everyday.