Questions from Readers About Merlin
It seems natural that since I’ve written many books about Merlin (and I’m also working on Merlin: The Movie!), you all have many questions for me about Merlin and his magic. I love answering your questions, so here are some of the best answers I can give about Merlin and my relationship with the Great Wizard.
Q. Why did you choose Merlin?
A. So why did I choose to write about Merlin? More than anything else, it’s his love of Nature. As he learns the language of trees and rivers, flies as a hawk, hears the rumbling voices of ancient stones, and runs gracefully with the deer he discovers that Nature is his best friend. His true healer. His ultimate source of magic and inspiration.
Q. How can readers relate to Merlin?
A. Merlin’s journey is a journey anyone can share. I believe that all of us have the capacity for a journey equally compelling, equally amazing, as Merlin’s. Think about it. That boy who starts out with nothing ultimately becomes the greatest wizard of all time, the mentor to King Arthur, a central figure in the quest for Camelot. Anything is possible, if we tap into the magic inside ourselves.
Q. Was Merlin real?
A. I don’t think it really matters whether Arthur and Merlin actually lived — because they are so totally alive now, in the hearts and minds of so many. All around the world, people cherish their stories! And if that’s not alive, what is?
Q. Is magic real?
A. Yes! In the realm of the spirit, anything is possible. Every person has great potential, great gifts, down inside themselves — no less than Merlin.
Q. Are you going to write more about Merlin?
A. Merlin and I have had a great long journey together (18 years!). With lots of help from the wizard and his friends like Rhia, Shim, and Basil, I have written The Lost Years of Merlin epic, the Merlin’s Dragon trilogy, and The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy — along with an illustrated compendium that was published in 2011 — totaling 12 books set in Merlin’s magical worlds. If anyone had ever told me, way back when it all began with a dream about a strange boy who washed ashore, that the journey would lead to all these adventures, plus international editions and excitement about a movie, I wouldn’t have believed it! (Then again, who would believe that that young boy would become the greatest wizard of all time? Or that a bizarre creature as tiny as Basil would become Avalon’s most powerful dragon and Merlin’s best friend?)
So it’s been quite a ride. The best experience any writer could ask for. And Merlin, whose greatest wisdom came from nature, continues to light up my life and teach me valuable ideas. He is my hero in the deepest mythical sense of that word.
Will I write about him again? The answer is… who knows? Only the wizard himself can say for sure. I’m not ruling anything out. But right now I know there are other stories in my writer’s cauldron, stories I’d like to taste and maybe serve up to readers. Whatever happens next, I’m sure it will be enriched by Merlin’s magic.
