For The Maze Runner movie you didn’t write the screenplay, which is not uncommon with big screen adaptations of YA novels but did you find it at all difficult handing over something that has been your baby since 2008?

I admit I was nervous at first, only because I love movies so much and had seen so many bad adaptations throughout the years. But luckily for me, Fox made it clear from the very beginning that they wanted me to be a part of the creative team. I didn’t write the screenplay, but I consulted on it and gave extensive feedback. Director Wes Ball and Producer Wyck Godfrey also asked me many clarifying questions along the way. All of this meant the world to me.

How has it been to watch The Maze Runner go from the page to the screen?

It’s been surreal and hard to describe. I’m still not sure I’ve truly wrapped my head around its awesomeness. This entire experience has definitely been the highlight of my career.

If there was anything about The Maze Runner (the book, that is) that you could change – what would it be?

Oh, that’s a really hard question that I try hard to avoid. I know, cop out! But I know how I personally feel about books that I love. They become sacred to its readers. And I don’t think I have the right to mess with that. The books are and will always be their own thing and speak for themselves. Once I let go, I can’t mess with it anymore.

When you first wrote The Maze Runner, did you ever imagine it would be turned into a movie? And with the rise of YA books transitioning to the cinema over the past few years, did you later consider it?

I absolutely considered it that way from the very beginning. Movies are my first love. And that’s how I write - I envision the story cinematically, picture it in my head, and then do my best to translate that to the written word. I wasn’t arrogant enough to think it would happen this way, but I certainly hoped it. Always.

What were the strongest influences on you when you originally wrote The Maze Runner?

Everything from the terrifying garden maze scene in The Shining, to Lord of the Flies, to Ender’s Game, to the TV show Lost. So much of what I loved poured out of me and influenced the story.

We’ve had a long wait for the film to be released here in the UK yet but already a sequel has been announced – how do you feel about that?

I couldn’t be happier! I hate that people in the UK had to wait longer, but I know the powers that be have their reasons. I really think the wait will be worth it. We’ve known for a long time that The Scorch Trials would be made, but it was so nice, so exciting, to see it finally made official. I think it’s going to blow away the first film.

Which element of the book were you most concerned about being represented well in the film?

The casting. I’m a lover of storytelling, and I know that the most important element is always the characters themselves. If no one cares about them, then nothing else matters. So the cast meant everything in this movie. And boy did they nail it. I feel so incredibly lucky.

What would you tell your 10-year-old self now?

I’d say, “Hey, kid, you’re a big nerd. Embrace it. And all those stories you keep writing? Don’t stop.”

What book do you think every young person should read?

Besides The Maze Runner, you mean? Just kidding. I’d say Lord of the Flies. It really makes you think about what it means to be human.

And, for the uninitiated, why do you think we should read/see The Maze Runner?

Well, I’m obviously biased, but I think that both the books and the movie will pleasantly surprise those assuming it’s more of the same. I wrote it ten years ago, and it’s a mixture of everything I love about books: mystery, adventure, the unexpected, etc. Just give it a shot! I’ll go ahead and throw out a Dashner Guarantee that you’ll like it. Or at least gain a respectable fear of mazes.

The Maze Runner is available from the Guardian bookshop.

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