Oh, from the beginning. I wrote a lot of stories as a kid, and most of them were awful. I mean, awful. Wretched. But I love storytelling. And from Judy Blume as a kid to Stephen King as an adult, all of my favorite authors have inspired me.

I wanted it to be different, unique, something that hadn't been seen before. That's not to say it didn't have its influences, because it did. But I didn't want it to be trolls or goblins or vampires or anything that had been used before. And I love the concept of mixing the biological with the mechanical. Animal and…

The fandom is amazing. I don't want to start naming names, though! Too many to count. But yes, I love their loving nature and their relentless positivity. Some fandoms have a lot of cynicism and hate and mean-spiritedness. But I feel like ours, which grew slowly and organically enough in the beginning to set a solid…

I really wanted each of the three books to feel completely different from each other. And I think you can see that, especially in the settings. It was very planned out that way. I saw the first two books as being very different testing situations, and then the third one to be the results of that and the resolution.…

Wow, that is deep! :) I don't even know if I can answer that question and I wrote the book! I think the biggest difference that jumps to mind is the mental stability and capacity for handling the horrific nature of the world in which they live. Brenda and Thomas somehow survived it, mentally and emotionally (though…

I love and adore the cast. Seriously. I'm not blowing smoke, here. Not only are they incredibly talented, but they became like a family on set and welcomed me with open arms. Sometimes there is a lot of cynicism regarding "YA" movies by grumpy old people, but if people go with an open mind they are going to be blown…

Ummmm, the same one I mentioned above, in the third book. I'm crazy like most writers, and that character had become very real to me. It was tough.

I don't even know how to express how awesomely awesome it is. I'm so incredibly lucky that Fox and Wes Ball matched my vision so perfectly. It's just unbelievable how much they got into my head. The first time I saw it all put together, with the music and sound and special effects, I cried and shook and laughed and…

Thank you thank you for reading THE EYE OF MINDS! That makes me very happy. With the MAZE RUNNER hysteria, sometimes my new series gets lost in the shuffle. I hope you like the second book!

Oh my, that is AWESOME! I don't know what's cooler, the commercial or the game. I'm not sure I ever actually played that one, but we did have an Atari. But I've always been fascinated by Mazes, ever since I saw The Shining.

Yay teachers! My favorite thing is doing what I love for a living. I mean, it's ridiculous. I realize and will never forget how lucky and fortunate I am. I'll never take it for granted, and it's people like you that make it possible. So thank you, truly.

My writing process is pretty simple. I use a laptop, and I use Microsoft Word. Nothing too fancy. And I usually start with a premise, brainstorm for a couple of days, do some outlining, then let the creative process take over as I write the first draft. It's a lot of fun!

Thank you for the nice words! The hardest scene for me to write happens about halfway through the third book, and anyone who has read it knows what I'm talking about. It's something I knew would happen for a long time, and it was sad and heart wrenching and so difficult to get right. But it had to happen! It's a dark…

No doubt: adding the actual in-scene presentation of the Maze walls changing. Director Wes Ball said that as soon as he read in the book that it happens at night when they can't see it, he wanted to change it, knew it'd be an awesome thing to show on the big screen. And let me tell you, it's spectacular. The visuals…

I had a general idea, and a couple of possibilities. But the closer I got the final book, the more that final determination seemed right. He was a troubled soul.

No, thank YOU! :) Luckily for me, I was very involved, more than I ever dreamed. I consulted on the script, spoke with the director and producers often, went to the set twice, etc. I was even there when they recorded the music. Definitely the highlight of my career, and I'm so pleased with how it turned out.

Yeah, you're right again. I was totally in the wrong and oversensitive. Lesson, learned! Thanks for the kind response.

You're 100% right, actually. It was a mistake, done in the heat of the moment. I just have always loved this site so much, it stings. But now I realize what an idiotic thing it was to do. I sincerely apologize to everyone and won't do it again! I know this isn't my realm, it's the fans' realm. Again, I'm sorry.

Cube was definitely an inspiration for me! As was the maze in The Shining, Lord of the Flies, and Lost. And I think you'll love the movie. I keep telling people, this will be the first time people actually say, "That movie is so much better than the book!" :)

Great write-up, thank you!!!