|
LIVE Interview with
Eragon Author, Christopher Paolini
For
the first time ever, Homeschool.com will be doing a LIVE interview and we want
you to join us. This Wednesday, May 19th, we will be interviewing Christopher
Paolini, author of Eragon. Although he is only in his early twenties, his
book is #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and he has made guest
appearances on both the David Letterman and Jay Leno shows. Christopher
attributes his success to the fact that he was homeschooled. You can read
more about Christopher in last month’s newsletter at Homeschool.com.
Christopher is an inspiration to homeschooled
teens everywhere and we invite both you and your older children to listen in as
we interview Christopher and find out:
- What type of homeschooling did Christopher do?
Unschooling? School-at-Home?
- Did he follow a particular curriculum?
- Is his household TV-free?
- How did his parents encourage him? What can we
learn from that?
- What advice does he have for other aspiring
writers?
- Can he give us a sneak preview on what will
happen in Part Two?
The LIVE interview has ended
but you can still
listen to the recorded interview by calling (580) 431-2836.
P.S. If you have not yet read Eragon, it
is available from Amazon.com for $13.26.
You can also hear an excerpt from the audio
version by clicking here (requires Real
Player).
Homeschooled Teen Writes Best Seller!
 Christopher Paolini’s Eragon was an instant New York Times bestseller and has spent 26 consecutive weeks on the list. It is currently the #1 bestselling children’s chapter book – even beating out the Harry Potter books!
According to Paolini, "Everything I did was only possible because my parents were dedicated and loving enough to homeschool my sister and me. My mother, a former Montessori teacher and author of several children’s books, took the time to instruct us every day. Aside from textbook lessons, she had us perform many exercises designed to stimulate our creativity."
Like many, who are perceived to be an overnight success, Christopher’s success actually took a lot of time and a lot of hard work. He began writing Eragon when he was 15 and it took him a year to write the first draft. He showed the manuscript to his mother and father and they thought the book was so good they decided to publish it themselves. Christopher and his father then promoted Eragon by traveling around the country, speaking at
schools.
One day an author from Knopf publishing read Eragon and called his agent to tell her about the book. Knopf, a division of Random House, paid Christopher a $150,000 advance for a three-book deal. And Fox 2000, a division of 20th Century, just announced that they have bought the movie rights for Eragon and are scheduled to release the film in 2005.
Would Paolini have had this level of success if he had not been homeschooled? He was recently interviewed on the David Letterman show and talked about how he has his own forge at home and how he bought a sword to celebrate his book’s success. If he had gone to a traditional high school, would he have had the courage to pursue his interests? Interests that might possibly have been perceived as "nerdy?" And would he have taken time off from
school for a year to promote his book? The advantage of homeschooling is that students can pursue their passions and develop their talents to a higher level than might be possible in a traditional school setting.
Homeschool.com will be interviewing Christopher Paolini and his mother this April and we invite you to listen in! We will announce the time and call-in number for the interview in an upcoming newsletter and we encourage parents, teenagers and aspiring writers to participate. This is your chance to personally speak with a home school graduate who is now a best-selling author. We will send you further details as soon as
we have them. |
