Thanks for all the great questions! Instead of rambling on and on, I'll just jump right into some of them. The way I'll do this is say the name of the person who asked, then usually just give my answer by restating the question as well. Here we go...
Sallie Mazzur: I'm not real big on reading books for a second time. There are so many good ones out there, I don't think I can ever get to them all, so I don't want to do repeats. But the one I've probably read more than any others is ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card.
Thekellys: Ah, yes. Who is Minho named after? I get this question often. And the answer is very simple. The events of THE MAZE RUNNER take place well in the future, so I purposefully wanted a main character who is named after someone who doesn't exist yet in our day. So keep an eye out for the great man who will rise up in our society called Minho. (Could it be my niece's husband? Maybe!)
Pherisphena Ladea: I'm not one to say never, but I can't imagine ever writing a book following up the events of THE DEATH CURE. That story is told, and I think any sequel would be extremely boring. However, I'd always planned on writing a prequel - at least one - and you guys can look forward to THE KILL ORDER this August.
Dubloon: Thank you for calling some of my scenes "soul-sucking." I take that as a very high compliment! All I can say is I try my best. Something I've learned over the years is to show patience when you write. If you have an exciting or game-changing scene, sometimes you're temped to write it really fast. But you'll heighten the tension and strengthen the resolution by taking the right amount of time to get there.
Robert MacGillivray: I appreciate all those who've asked about the potential movie for THE MAZE RUNNER. Believe me, no one on the planet wants this to happen more than I do. And I really think it's going to happen. I'm not allowed to say much, but it's public knowledge that Twentieth Century Fox optioned the rights, that a script has been written, and that things are moving slowly but surely. Stay tuned!!!
5 questions at a time seems like a good pace. Check back soon and I'll answer the next batch. And, as always, feel free to leave a question in the comments.
Did everyone see THE HUNGER GAMES movie? I was beyond impressed, and I'm very happy there's so much hope for book adaptations. Although I still think they should've had me play the part of Katniss. A wig, some makeup, a couple of body doubles...
JK Jen-Law!