"When I had the idea for the first book, I thought the only thing more interesting than one book would be 13," said author Daniel Handler, also known as Lemony Snicket, in a telephone interview from his San Francisco home. "There were always too many unfortunate events to fit in," although he didn't doubt he would be able to complete the three Baudelaire orphans' journey in the 13th volume.

"Mr. Snicket can never quite make it," he said with relish. "There's only a suspicious-looking man in a rumpled jacket playing the accordion." He plays song written by Stephin Merritt that were written for each book in the series and are included in the audiobooks.