And once begun, change cannot be reversed.

Dee's search for knowledge was always his greatest strength... and his weakness.

OK," Josh said evenly, "I've seen men made of mud, I guess I can accept spying rats. Do they talk?" he wondered aloud. Don't be ridiculous," Flamel snapped, "They're rats." Josh really didn't think it was a ridiculous suggestion.

To remain unknown in this modern world: that, indeed, is real power.

They [my characters]speak to me all the time! In fact some of them never shut up!

In fact, writing for younger adults is tougher. They remember everything and if they spot a problem, they'll be sure to let you know.

I have always been interested in mythology and history. The more I read, the more I realized that there have always been people at the edges of history that we know very little about. I wanted to use them in a story and bring them back into the public's consciousness. Similarly with mythology: everyone knows some of the Greek or Roman legends, and maybe some of the Egyptian or Norse stories too, but what about the other great mythologies: the Celtic, Chinese, Native American?