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Posted by: David Bunch

Though I'm not much of a fantasy genre person, I've seen and heard much about the Eragon Trilogy. From what I can tell, there are two books out with the final one on the way.

What I find interesting about it is that the author, Christopher Paolini, is only 22 years old and was only about 18 years old when the first book was published. It's a great story of determination and genius, and all aspiring authors should find inspiration from him.

The project began as a hobby; he never intended to be published. He took a month to plot out the entire trilogy, then sat on the sofa and began writing in a notebook. When he reached sixty pages, he gained enough confidence to transfer the work to his computer, where most of Eragon was written, although he sometimes found that the story flowed better when he wrote by hand.

The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book themselves. Beginning with talks at the local library and high school, they then traveled across the U.S. Christopher gave over 135 presentations at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. He did most of the events dressed in a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap.

In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson had bought and read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, who subsequently acquired the rights to publish Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance trilogy.

And there's also a movie in the works! Though I really don't want to admit it, in today's entertainment-and-money driven world, that is probably the best indicator of this man's success as a writer.