A while back we asked you to leave your questions for our Exclusive Interview with the author Keith R.A. DeCandido, who recently released his newest book, Supernatural : Heart of the Dragon.
I’m pleased to announce you all that Mr. DeCandido sent us his answers.
You can read…
01. What’s it like to write a Supernatural novel?
DeCandido: A lot of fun! I love the characters, love the setup, love the universe. What’s especially fun about writing novels are two things: being able to get inside the heads of the characters, and being able to take them to more exotic locations than the show can thanks to its budgetary and location limitations.
02. Do have any hints and tips for people who wish to be writers?
Write. Finish what you start. Send out what you finish. Write the next thing. And do =NOT= be discouraged by rejection. I’ve been doing this professionally for 15 years, and I =still= get rejected all the time. It’s not personal.
03. Which Supernatural tie-in novel has been your favorite to write and why?
DeCandido: Oh God, I can’t choose among them. I loved NEVERMORE because it took place in my hometown, I loved BONE KEY because I adore the Key West setting and have been dying to see Sam & Dean hunt there, and I loved HEART OF THE DRAGON because of the opportunity to write in three different time periods. (Well, four, if you count feudal Japan.)
04. What do you think about Supernatural fanfiction and its writers? Have you ever read fanfiction stories? If yes, did you met really talented authors among non-professional writers?
DeCandido: For legal reasons, I have to avoid fanfiction, unfortunately. Having said that, I’ve not only read lots of fanfic for franchises that I don’t write tie-ins for, I’ve also written some. And yeah, there are plenty of talented writers working in that end of things.
05: Do you watch Supernatural as a fan? What is your favorite ones?
DeCandido: Yup. I was a fan before I was approached to write a novel. Probably my favorite episode is “Jus in Bello.”
06: Who is your favorite character, Dean or Sam?
DeCandido: It’s funny, I’ve been accused of playing favorites with both Dean and Sam by critics of my work, The truth is, I like them better =together=. I think the pair of them work better than either does on his own. (“Free to Be You and Me” played that up rather nicely.)
07: How did you become a writer?
DeCandido: I’ve always been a writer. I started writing when I was six. When I was in college, I wrote for my college paper and then became an
editor for it, and that led to a lot of nonfiction work writing news pieces, reviews, and articles for magazines, and then later on doing fiction.
08: Have you ever been on the set, maybe met creators and actors of Supernatural?
DeCandido: Nope. I met Ben Edlund once at the San Diego Comic-Con, but that’s the extent, unfortunately. I’d love to do both…
09: Please tell us about your previous works and about your future plans.
DeCandido: I’ve written 40-odd (some very odd) novels, as well as short stories, comic books, eBooks, and novellas, almost all of which are tie-ins of some sort: STAR TREK, BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, WORLD OF WARCRAFT, STARCRAFT, CSI: NY, FARSCAPE, DOCTOR WHO, etc. I also novelized all three RESIDENT EVIL films and SERENITY. Future plans are to keep writing — I’ve been doing more comic book work of late, including writing the monthly FARSCAPE comic in collaboration with series creator Rockne S. O’Bannon, and I’m working on a Dungeons & Dragons novel right now.
10: If you hadn’t got into writing, what would you do for a living? What else do you like to do except writing? Do you have any hobbies?
DeCandido: Editing, which is what I was doing before the writing got steady enough that I could go freelance. As I said above, I was an editor for my college paper, and that led to working for magazine and book publishers when I was in my 20s.
As for hobbies, I’m a martial artist, having recently earned my black belt in Kenshikai karate, and I also avidly follow the New York Yankees baseball team.
11: What are your favorite books, movies, directors, bands or musicians?
DeCandido: I’m just going to pick one of each. Book: FRANKENSTEIN, OR THE MODERN PROMETHEUS by Mary Shelley. Movie: RASHOMON. Director: Robert Rodriguez. Band: Jethro Tull. And, though you didn’t ask, screenwriter: Aaron Sorkin.
12: What would you like to tell the visitors of our website and other Supernatural fans?
DeCandido: Keep enjoying yourself. If it stops being fun, stop doing it.
13: Do you contact with creators of show for coordinate your ideas or you’re totally free to tell your own stories about Winchesters? Do you share your point of view with official authors?
DeCandido: Not so much for the first two novels, but for HEART OF THE DRAGON, Eric Kripke’s office was very much involved in the plotting and such. The original story was entirely mine, but it was at Kripke’s office’s instruction that the plot tied more directly into the fifth-season apocalypse arc, and they were very good about keeping me in the loop regarding scripts and plot developments.
As for coordinating with the other authors, that’s the job of our wonderful editor, Chris Cerasi.
14. Was it hard to write the boys and Castiel in Character?
DeCandido: Not at all. All three have distinctive voices, and that’s something I pay close attention to when I’m writing.
15. Do you plan to write more Supernatural Novels? If so, do you already have something in mind?
DeCandido: I’d love to, but right now the contract with Titan only calls for three novels, which are assigned (HEART OF THE DRAGON being the
first). If they sign up for more, absolutely I’d love to do one. Maybe this time in Boston….
16. You write for various fandoms, including the famous Star Trek, Buffy, Doctor Who and the list goes on and on… Which are your favorites Universes to play with and why?
DeCandido: Probably my favorites have been STAR TREK — because I’ve been a TREK fan since birth — and FARSCAPE — because I’m getting to work with Rockne to continue the story forward, so I’ve become a big part of the ongoing storyline.
Thanks, so much, Mr. DeCandido for this interview! Our best wishes with your future works and we really hope that you’ll write more of Supernatural Novels!
Our big thank you also to Mr, Tom Green!
If you take this interview, please, link back to us! Thank you!
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