It's a rare occurance, but this Irish school teacher's 2001 book was so successful he was able to quit his day job and focus on his writing full time. The author, Eoin Colfer, wrote about a 12 year-old criminal mastermind whose family is in dire financial straits, so he decides to steal fairy gold. The book became an 8-book series and a Disney movie. This is Artemis Fowl.
