‘Fablehaven' author dishes on success, upcoming series


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LEHI -- The final book of the "Fablehaven" series debuted at No. 4 on the New York Times bestselling children's series list, and it's all from the mind of a Utah man.

Brandon Mull's first book, "Fablehaven," came out four years ago. Each time a new book in the series was released, it gained more and more momentum. Mull's fifth book has him on a 30-city book tour, but he made time for KSL News to talk to us about his success.

Deseret News:

"It's weird being a writer, ‘cause you sit there alone in your basement thinking, ‘Wow! Hundreds of thousands of people, or maybe millions of people, will be reading this stuff,'" Mull says.

That's the case with "Keys to the Demon Prison," his fifth and final "Fablehaven" book.

Mull started the series in 2006, and by the end of 2010 the "Fablehaven" books will be available in 18 different languages.

Mormon Times:

The books are about a brother and sister who find a secret wildlife park where mythical creatures are cared for. It's actually inside Mull's home, where the magic happens.

"To try and keep my imagination fresh I fill my office with all sorts of knick-knacks," he says.

Mull moved to Utah to attend school at Brigham Young University. He met his wife and decided to stay. Though he graduated in public relations, he always wanted to write a fantasy novel inspired by his hometown.

"I used to live in Connecticut, in trees, and I used to daydream: What if there were weird monsters and creatures in the woods?" Mull says.

So, several years ago, while lying on the floor, he began typing.

"I'm a really spacey guy. I get lost in my imagination all the time," he says. Now, millions of kids are too. At a recent book signing in Lehi, the line was out the door. Children and parents were eagerly waiting to have their "Fablehaven" books signed.

"Brandon Mull is awesome and has great books!" says fan Ryan Arnson.

Even though this is the last "Fablehaven" book Mull says he'll write, he gave us a look at his next project.

"I have a new series coming called ‘The Beyonders,'" he says.

Mull wouldn't let us read any of it, but he says it's about teenagers who cross into another world. He hopes kids take away from it the same thing they did from the "Fablehaven" series.

"The main thing I want to give kids is I want to take them on a really fun ride. I want to make kids excited about reading for fun," he says.

Mull says there is a "Fablehaven" movie in development, but it won't be out for at least two years.

E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com

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