Ireland inspired Eoin (sounds like Owen) Colfer to create supernatural characters with an edge. Born on May 14, 1965, on Ireland's southeast coast at Wexford, Colfer grew up in a family that encouraged his imagination. His parents, Billy and Noreen Colfer, were creative people with varied interests. At home, Eoin Colfer and his four brothers indulged in stimulating activities and adventures. The Colfers often went to Slade, the Irish fishing community on Hook Peninsula where Colfer's father grew up.

Colfer learned to love books at an early age, devouring Robert Ludlum's and Jack Higgins's thrillers. He studied at a local boys' school where his father taught. A daydreamer, Colfer created stories and drew pictures. He aspired to become a teacher like his parents and enrolled in a teacher's training degree program at a Dublin college.

Three years later, Colfer returned to Wexford prepared to teach primary...