"Eragon," he concluded, "is my daydream."
It took Paolini a year to write the first draft and another year to revise it. His parents, who had a small publishing company, bet the farm on their earnest son's literary creation and set out on a cross-country road trip to sell it to the public.
"During that entire year," said Paolini, "my parents didn't get any income from any other endeavors, so when we took it on the road, it was do or die. I was doing three to four one-hour presentations each day."
Knowing that "books sold meant food on the table," young Paolini succumbed to his mother's suggestion that he don flamboyant, period costume for his public appearances.
Gamely, he suited up in
knee-high lace-up boots, billowy pantaloons, a black beret and a dazzling red shirt and presented himself to somewhat startled teens in high school gymnasiums. It was a heroic effort -- something worthy of Eragon himself. And something he hopes never to relive.
"At this point," Paolini said dryly, "it would take an extraordinary experience to get me back in that costume!"
The effort paid off in word-of-mouth sales that ultimately caught the attention of Random House, which learned about the book from author Carl Hiaasen, whose son was an Eragon fan.
Paolini's back story, as the home-schooled boy wonder who makes it big, had an irresistible cachet. But he said few people realize the work and risks that lay behind it.
"It makes a great story after the fact," he said. "When you're living through it, you have no idea it's all going to turn out all right."
Not only did Eragon soar in sales, it scored the ultimate cultural affirmation -- a Hollywood film, set for release next June. Fox began filming Eragon earlier this month in Budapest, with newcomer Ed Speleers cast in the lead. Deals were being finalized last week to place Jeremy Irons and John Malkovich in key roles.
Paolini is curious about the outcome but said he was glad to limit his involvement with the film.
"Even if I had all the time in the world," he said, "I would not wish to write a screenplay for my own book. I cannot envision a more exquisite form of torture."
Other than, perhaps, reading reviews of his work -- which he never does, because "it messes with my head." Even the good reviews.
He knew, though, that some readers -- even some fans -- considered his debut novel a derivative mishmash of Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey and other established fantasy authors. With his debut novel, he also took some lumps as a literary stylist. But, hey, he was young -- and fantasy is a genre with firmly rooted conventions.
"There really aren't too many new ideas out there," said Rene Kirkpatrick, buyer at All for Kids Books & Music in Seattle. She loved the book, despite its rough edges.
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