10 questions for Landon (Y6C), our young FIS writer

Did you know we have such a young writer at FIS? Landon’s book, The Pig’s Hunt , is now available in bookstores throughout Hong Kong and is creating quite a buzz among grades 4 to 6 students. Excitement grew even more after Landon was invited to S.K.H. Lee Shiu Keung Primary School as a guest author. This marked Landon’s first real public speaking experience, and he did an outstanding job. He prepared a slide presentation and confidently handled 20 Q&A questions from the audience.

We had the chance to ask Landon a few questions, and his answers—especially for someone so young—are as inspiring as his achievements! FIS is incredibly proud to count him as one of our students and is honored to support him every step of the way. We can’t wait to see many more of his books in the future!

1. Can you introduce please yourself?

My name is Landon and I am 11 years old. I am from Canada and I live with my family and four cats in Hong Kong. I am currently studying at Y6C in FIS TKO campus. In my free time, I enjoy creative writing, reading, sketching, playing with my guitar, and fencing. 

2. When and how did you get the idea about writing a book?

I often enjoy doodling and making stories when I am bored at home. I got the idea to write this book in Y5 in Ms. Barrow’s class with her weekly homework “The Journey” and “The Quest”. I realized that I was able to create long stories with vivid settings using descriptive vocabularies, so I decided to challenge myself to write The Pig Hunt. 

3. Can you share with us the inspiration behind your debut book?

The idea of creating the main character, Little Pig, was from one of my brother’s favorite animals. I usually get ideas from my daily life and school. My cats usually get frightened by the vet and struggle in fear, which inspired me to write this story about Little Pig escaping from the vet. Working with friends in group projects at school inspired me to create different animals in this story to help out Little Pig and Farmer Colt. This story is about friendship, teamwork and problem solving. Everyone has their own part to contribute in life. 

4. Can you explain your overall process? how long it took, what you enjoyed the most and what was the most challenging part?

I began brainstorming ideas back in December 2023. Then I spent a total of six weeks writing during the school holiday breaks: two weeks in February, two weeks during Easter break, and two weeks in June 2024. Then I spent the whole July 2024 editing and illustrating pictures. Editing was the most challenging as I had to re-read the book many times to catch mistakes. There were always mistakes to be found every time I read through it. Then my parents sent the book to the printing company and The Pig Hunt was officially printed and published in November 2024. Despite the challenges, seeing The Pig Hunt being sold in bookstores is very rewarding.

5. What and/or who helped you along the way? how? please explain

My parents helped me with the layout of the book and communicating with the printing company and bookstores. 

6. Can you think of anything you've learned at school or of someone from school that inspired you or helped you with your book?

The concept of “Show-Not-Tell” that I have learned in all of my English lessons in FIS has helped me create fancy sentences in The Pig Hunt. I also remember making a wanted poster in class which I had incorporated the idea into the story, making The Pig Hunt more visually interesting for readers to read. 

7. Were there any specific authors or books that influenced your writing style? Where and how did you get to know them?

A book that I read before that had made an impact on me was the book called Holes. The reason why it was special to me is because I like how Louis Sachar made different parts of the story relate and link up through time. It has really inspired me to write using different character's perspectives throughout the story. 

8. How do you feel now that your book is out in the world for readers to enjoy?

I feel proud of myself for becoming an author and seeing my books being sold in bookstores in Hong Kong. Writing this book was a lot of fun and I was very happy to hear my friends complimenting and enjoying The Pig Hunt. 

9. We saw that you have recently been invited to a local primary school to introduce your book. Wow, that is a noticeable event! How was it? Did you enjoy it?  How was the book received? Please share anything you like about that event - something you liked or didn't like....

It was my very first real public speaking event. It was different compared to the presentations I did inside the classroom. There were 450 4th-6th graders at the local primary school and I was very nervous in the beginning. However, I felt better throughout the presentation. It was a great feeling when I saw the audience paying attention and showing interest in what I did.  It was really interesting to hear their questions during the Q&A session. I liked many of their questions and it was definitely very memorable to be able to speak in front of such a big audience and interact with them. I felt really proud of myself for accomplishing such an event. 

10. What advice would you give to other aspiring writers based on your experience?

For other aspiring authors out there, never give up, have fun and just enjoy