Interview: August 2009

 

In this interview with Teenreads.com's Norah Piehl, award-winning children's and young adult author Avi discusses why he chose to revisit characters from his 1999 novel, MIDNIGHT MAGIC, in his 70th published work, MURDER AT MIDNIGHT, and his reasoning behind the book's recurring elements and unique format. He also elaborates on some of its characters --- most notably a magician who doesn't believe in magic --- explains how his interest in history influences his story ideas, and shares details about the projects he's currently working on.

 

Teenreads.com: MURDER AT MIDNIGHT is a prequel to your 1999 novel MIDNIGHT MAGIC. Why did you decide to revisit these characters and this setting now?

 

Avi: MIDNIGHT MAGIC has been very popular among my readers. They were asking for more about the central characters, the old magician Mangus, and his young servant, Fabrizio. And indeed, they are fun to write about. These were reasons enough.

 

TRC: Your new novel is set in medieval Italy. Is the fictional town of Pergamontio based on any real Italian cities?

 

Avi: It is based, very loosely, on the Italian city of Naples, which I had visited some years ago. Built on a steep hill, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, it’s a beautiful place.

 

TRC: What kinds of historical research did you do for this book?

 

Avi: There are all kinds of historical fiction. I have written some that are very carefully researched (THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE) and some, like MURDER AT MIDNIGHT, that seek to give only a general impression of the time. That said, the description of early printing is as accurate as I could make it.

 

TRC: The recently invented printing press plays a huge role in MURDER AT MIDNIGHT. What made you decide to incorporate this piece of cutting-edge, 15th-century technology into the novel?

 

Avi: Young people today are caught up in the new technology of the 21st-century. I thought it would be fun to focus on a new technology of an earlier period --- and suggest how it might have been received.

 

TRC: Fabrizio, the young hero of the novel, often speaks in pithy sayings. Are these based on real traditional aphorisms, or did you make them up yourself?

 

Avi: I make them up myself. The aphorism is a rather special literary form, but one that I have long enjoyed. You find them in writers like Ambrose Bierce, Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Montaigne (among many others), all of whom use the form. They can be funny, wise and revealing of character all at the same time.

 

TRC: Fabrizio is a magician’s assistant. Did you enjoy watching or performing magic when you were young?

 

Avi: I certainly did enjoy magic “tricks” when I was young. What’s more, I still like to watch it. It’s a great performance art. I wish more people did it!

 

TRC: Some of your novels explore the supernatural and the mysterious, but MURDER AT MIDNIGHTseems to argue for reason over superstition. Why did you choose to have Mangus the magician not believe in magic at all?

 

Avi: The time of the Renaissance marks a transition into the modern age, when, among other things, scientific reasoning was struggling against the old forces of superstition. Mangus --- though old --- represents the new thinking. Fabrizio --- though young --- represents the old. There’s a touch of irony in that, which appeals to me as a novelist.

 

TRC: Your books have been set in just about every imaginable historical period. What draws you to writing about the past?

 

Avi: There are, in fact, lots of periods and places that I have not written about (e.g. ancient Egypt, the time of the Aztecs, tales of the Vikings). But history, to me, is made up of fascinating stories of what people have done and how they have done it. I love to find those stories, and then it becomes natural for me to take what I’ve learned and make new tales.

 

TRC: MURDER AT MIDNIGHT is your 70th published book. Do you have a favorite one that you’ve written?

 

Avi: The next. 

 

TRC: Your books run the gamut from animal stories to ghost stories to mysteries. How do you decide what genre you want to write in? Do you choose a genre to fit your mood? Or do you just start with a good story or an intriguing character?

 

Avi: It very much depends on my sense of a story I think I can compose. Does it excite me, move me, intrigue me? Do I think I can write it well enough that it will do all those things for my readers? Most important of all, is it a story in which I can feel emotionally involved? It’s going to take me a year to write. I better like it!

 

TRC: As we mentioned, MURDER AT MIDNIGHT revisits some old characters but also introduces new ones, especially Maria, the printer’s devil. Do you think we might see any of these characters again in the future?

 

Avi: If I were to do a sequel, I would think it absolutely would include Fabrizio and Mangus. As for the others, it’s quite impossible to say.

 

TRC: Do you have any advice for aspiring young writers?

 

Avi: I think the key to writing is reading. The more you read, the better the writer you can be. In fact, I think when you are young, it’s more important to read than write. The writing will come if you read a lot.

 

TRC: What other children’s authors’ works do you enjoy reading and recommend to others?

 

Avi: We live in a time when there are many, many wonderful books being written for young people. No need to select one. In fact, the best notion is for every reader to choose for herself or himself!

 

TRC: What project or projects are you working on now?

 

Avi: I’m working on the third volume of Crispin. Also,a work of fantasy, and I am researching a new historical novel.