J. J. Abrams - By the Book - NYTimes.com The Hollywood writer, director and producer, and creator of the novel "S." is inspired by Chris Ware's work. His graphic novels have the emotional wallop of a Philip Roth or Thomas Pynchon. Describe your ideal reading experience (when, where, what, how). Even the question breaks my heart; we have three children, so this magical reading place and time you're suggesting doesn't really exist in our current reality. But the ideal one? I'd say it would involve a sunny day, a shady tree, a comfortable blanket, no obligations and a book. My knee-jerk answer: Mark Twain for his amazing use of language and humor, and H. G. Wells for his wild, prescient imagination. I want to say Salinger, too, but all this is making me sound like I'm still in junior high. I have a great affection for the writing of Graham Greene and am amazed by the soul and poetry of Colum McCann. And I can't tell which is more incredible: how Stephen King can grab you by the throat in whatever damn genre he's writing in, or that as soon as you've finished his latest novel, he's published another one. His skill and prolificacy is otherworldly. Like, maybe literally. How was working on a novel different from writing for film or television? To be clear, Doug Dorst is the writer of "S." But working on this project was different from anything I've ever been involved in. The multilayered conceit of the thing almost makes it a play interacting with a book. That is, there is the novel itself ("Ship of Theseus"), which stands alone as its own story, and then there are the notes in the margins: a conversation and investigation and mystery and love story between two people, which is both connected to and separate from the central text. Then, there is the editor of the book, who appears in an introduction and in footnotes. So there were many characters and points of view to balance. It felt less like film or TV, and more like concocting something insane and very special. Doug truly outdid himself. As did the publishers. You'll know what I mean when you see it. Of all the characters you've written across different media, who is your favorite? I suppose my favorite that I've created was Sydney Bristow, the central character from the TV series "Alias." She was a character with a secret, and that is always a fun place to start. I love how she was sweet and romantic and looked like the girl next door, but was also lethal and brave as hell, and would do nearly everything for love of country. But she wasn't a superhero; she was terrified at almost every step. But still, she would do the right thing. I think we would all like to believe we would behave like that when the going gets rough. Also, we had Jennifer Garner playing the role, and she elevated absolutely everything. I love stories where the impossible appears believable, plausible and real. Maybe it's silly, but it's one of the reasons Michael Crichton's writing always appealed to me: he took outlandish ideas and made them seem completely within the realm of possibility. I remember reading "Jurassic Park" and feeling like: "Oh, yeah - no, that's totally happening right now. They're bringing back dinosaurs! That scientific technique makes perfect sense, and it is happening! My friend Sarah Vowell once looked at my bookshelves and asked, in that voice of hers, "Do you have any chapter books?" My shelves are filled mostly with ridiculous volumes that I love: magic books; film critique and movie "making of" books; design and font technique and collections; how-to, craft and construction books; and psychology texts. One of my favorites is "Sleights of Mind," which talks about the neuroscience of our perception of magic. A very cool read. Did you grow up with a lot of books? What are your memories of being read to as a child? I remember being taught to read at a very early age. Like creepy young. I remember being in the crib, reading. My parents were very impressed. My reading speed, comprehension and overall ability has remained at that level ever since. There were always books around the house, of course, and my parents did read to me sometimes, but my strongest memories of being read to are from kindergarten. Those teachers were excellent and made reading seem fun and adventurous. What books and authors have your three children introduced you to? Like most bipedal parents, we all discovered Harry Potter together, reading the books aloud to our kids. But one of my favorite children's authors was introduced to us by our youngest son. When he was in kindergarten he brought home some books by Mo Willems, who has one of the most remarkable comedic voices I've ever read. His sense of humanity - of heart and generosity - is staggering. I was so blown away, I got his number from his agent and called him. I was essentially a sycophant, expressing what a deep fan of his I am, how I would love to work together one day. He was quiet on the phone, almost monosyllabic, disinterested. Frankly it was a bit of an odd reaction. It wasn't until the next day that I discovered that I had, in error, called Mo Williams of the Portland Trail Blazers. Which writers inspire you? An earlier version of the subheading with this interview misstated the collaborative role of J. J. Abrams in the novel "S." While he conceived the story, he is not the book's co-author. It was written by Doug Dorst.