Brandon Mull and his editor, Liesa Abrams, take us behind the scenes for a rare glimpse of the privileged author-editor relationship. Far from taking each other (or themselves) too seriously, it looks like these two fantasy fans had a lot of fun working on Beyonders.
Brandon Mull: You've helped shape Beyonders in
some important ways. What do you think was your best suggestion?
Liesa Abrams: I would say adding Rachel so that Jason had a fellow Beyonder on his journey. Not only is she another great character whose own story becomes equally compelling, but their interaction is hilarious and shows off your great knack for writing humor!
BM: If you crossed over from our world to Lyrian, which character would you most want watching your back and why?
LA: The Blind King--ironically, and,
I guess, metaphorically! He's not only brave but wise, in how he uses his
misfortune to ultimately protect himself. Plus, I like a hero who holds back
some of what he's capable of, and now that I've seen what he can do from
reading the draft of Book Two... oops, I can't say any more about that yet!
BM: Which Beyonders action figure would you most want on your shelf?
LA: Definitely the Displacer so I could play with its detachable limbs! Except I'd worry about losing some of the parts.
BM: What location in Lyrian would you most want to visit?
LA: The Pythoness's tree in the Sunken Lands. The idea of being somewhere where my memories could be utterly different from anywhere else is very alluring--a chance to almost become a completely different person for brief periods of time!
BM: You're a huge Batman fan. Are any elements of what you love about Batman present in Beyonders?
LA: The best villains in Batman stories are never just trying to kill Batman; they're looking to manipulate and completely break him, which is so much more terrifying. Jason is facing an enemy like that in the Emperor Maldor--someone who turns your strengths into weaknesses, someone who is brilliant and horrifyingly patient. I'd love to see what would happen if Maldor took on the Joker....
BM: Does Beyonders have the potential to become a lunch box? Explain.
LA: It better! With variant illustrations, too--I want the limited edition one featuring Jason falling into the hippo.