As you are no doubt aware, several tie-in books, both fiction and non-fiction have been announced for Supernatural. Here at Winchester Journals, we were lucky enough to catch up with Keith R.A. DeCandido, the author of "Nevermore", the first of the novels, and ask him a few questions.

Keith is a long time science-fiction / fantasy writer who has written many tie-in novels in the past for TV shows such as Star Trek and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He also writes original fiction set in his own fantasy universe. His career as an editor includes a dozen anthologies and he is responsible for the monthly Star Trek eBook line, among other things. In addition, Keith is a professional musician with the parody band The Boogie Knights and also does voiceover acting for audio dramas.

You can find out more about Keith and his work at his website http://decandido.net. You can find out more about the two Supernatural tie-in novels, including pre-order links for Amazon, on the novels page.

Feel free to link to this interview, but DO NOT copy it anywhere else on the web without express permission.

General Writing Questions

You've written several books in the sci-fi genre. Do you consider yourself to be a fan of the genre? Any shows in particular?

Oh yes. I've been a fan of SF/F since I was a wee tot. I watched STAR TREK reruns every night on Channel 11 in New York City and I read Tolkien, Le Guin, and Heinlein as soon as I could read. I was doomed.

You write fanfiction as well as published fiction. Do you think that there are many differences between the two?

Several, many of them related to format, size of audience, and levels of editorial oversight -- as well as the obvious difference that one pays and the other doesn't....

Doesn't make one better than the other, just that they have different requirements, styles, formats, and expectations.

Can you offer any tips to any fanfiction writers who would like to "go professional"?

Same advice I'd give to anyone who wanted to be a professional writer: Keep writing. Finish what you start. Submit what you finish. Keep writing. Don't take rejection personally. Keep writing. Do proper market research (i.e., don't send a froofy unicorn story to ANALOG, a hard science fiction magazine). Keep writing.

For writing tie-in fiction in particular, the best advice is to sell your own stuff first. Tie-in editors are most likely to go for established pros simply because there are so many demands in tie-in publishing that an editor often doesn't have time to walk a newbie through the process.

Do you prefer writing in your own fictional universes (i.e. the world of Dragon Precinct) or in someone else's universe (such as Star Trek or Buffy)?

I prefer writing, period. I love doing both. I do more tie-ins because they keep sending me checks....

If there was one TV show you could write a tie-in novel for, which would it be?

HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET.

Why Homicide? It's a little different to the majority of books you write, isn't it?

It was my favorite show when it was on the air, and it's still one of my absolute faves. I'm a huge fan of good cop shows (others on my top list are THE SHIELD, THE WIRE, and HILL STREET BLUES). And it's not that different from what I've written -- see my Spider-Man novels VENOM'S WRATH and DOWN THESE MEAN STREETS and my original novel DRAGON PRECINCT as examples of stuff where I've done cop novels....

What other writing projects have you got coming up?

Tons and tons. As I type this I'm about to dive into another STAR TREK book, called A BURNING HOUSE, which is my latest foray into the Klingon side of things. That'll be out next February. I've also got another book in another TV franchise coming in 2008, which I'll be working on after I'm done with A BURNING HOUSE.

In terms of what's coming out, I'm setting a personal high this year with six novels being released. One's out: THE MIRROR-SCALED SERPENT, the VOYAGER portion of STAR TREK: MIRROR UNIVERSE: OBSIDIAN ALLIANCES, which shows what Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok, et al are doing in the Mirror Universe. Another's about to be released: BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: THE DEATHLESS, a story that brings Russian folklore to Sunnydale, as Buffy and the Scoobies encounter Baba Yaga, Bulat the Brave, and an attempt to resurrect Koschei the Deathless.

Coming in June is COMMAND AND CONQUER: TIBERIUM WARS, a novel based on the videogame of the same name; at the same time as NEVERMORE will be the novelization of RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION (I also novelized the previous two RE films), and then in October is STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: Q&A, the second of three new TNG novels that a) celebrate that show's 20th anniversary and b) carry the Enterprise-E's story forward after STAR TREK NEMESIS.

I've also got stories coming in several anthologies: DOCTOR WHO: SHORT TRIPS: DESTINATION PRAGUE, BAD-ASS FAERIES, PANDORA'S CLOSET, and STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION: THE SKY'S THE LIMIT, and I'm editing a DOCTOR WHO: SHORT TRIPS anthology called THE QUALITY OF LEADERSHIP, which will be out in the spring of 2008.

Supernatural / Nevermore Questions

How did you come to be writing Nevermore? Did someone approach you, or did you approach them?

My editor -- whom I've known for years -- approached me. We used to work together when the company I was an editor for and the company he was an editor for were copublishing a series of novels, but we've never gotten to do a writer/editor thing. When the SUPERNATURAL license fell in his lap, I was one of the first people he thought of, and I'm thrilled to finally get the chance to work with him.

Were you given a story to write, or were you given free rein? Was there anything you suggested for the story that was veto'd by the publisher?

I came up with my own story. In fact, I came up with two. The editor like both pitches, but he liked NEVERMORE slightly more, so that's the one we went with.

Did you decide on the title or was that someone else's choice?

No, it was mine. Given the Edgar Allan Poe bent to the story, it was inevitable....

Were you a fan of Supernatural before getting involved in this project?

Not for very long, but yes. I kept hearing good things about the show from people whose opinion I respect, so I started watching the summer reruns in the summer of 2006, and was hooked. When the first-season DVDs came out, I devoured them in a few days. And now I watch it with fannish fervor.

Which of the boys did you find easier to write: Dean or Sam? And why?

I was able to crawl into both boys' heads with frightening ease, actually. I didn't find one easier to write than the other, to be honest -- in fact, what was easiest was writing the two of them together. There are several scenes where one or the other is on his own, and I found those scenes were more challenging. The pair of them make such a good team, and when you put them next to each other, the dialogue practically writes itself.

Do you think you'll be writing any further Supernatural tie-ins?

I hope so. Right now, the contract only calls for two novels. If they do well, there'll be more, and my editor is interested in doing my other pitch (which had the title of BONE KEY). So if NEVERMORE and WITCH'S CANYON do well, there's a good chance. And there's other stuff I wouldn't mind doing with and to Los Bros Winchester.

Can you tell us anything about the story and how it fits into the TV show timeline-wise?

The story has the boys headed to New York City, specifically the Bronx, to investigate a haunting, and also to check out some odd murders that have an Edgar Allan Poe connection. It takes place in the second season, between "Crossroad Blues" and "Croatoan."

Do we get to meet any new characters?

Several. The nature of SUPERNATURAL is that there kinda have to be new characters, and we meet a bunch, including the guy whose house is being haunted (and many of his friends), and at least two other people who know about the supernatural....

Hunters? Exciting! How about any recurring characters from the show? Are you allowed to use people such as Ellen or Jo?

I didn't say hunters, did I? *evil grin*

Ellen has a brief cameo and Ash plays a role (sort of). I could've used them more, but the story didn't call for it.

How did you research the supernatural aspects of your story?

Well, the haunting element takes its cue from what the show itself has established about spirits. As for the Poe thing, most of that research was into Poe's life and stories (including a trip to the Poe Cottage in the Bronx, to which Sam also makes a trip in the book).

Do you have any hopes for where future episodes of the show might take the boys?

It might be fun to take them over a border for once -- to Canada or Mexico. I'd especially like them to go to Vancouver, just so for once they're filming where the story takes place....

Do you believe in ghosts?

Only as plot elements....

Are there any urban legends you would like to see discussed in the show?

Yeah, the one about the scuba diver who's found in the middle of a forest fire because s/he was scooped up by a helicopter trying to put out a forest fire.

Again, thank you very much to Keith for agreeing to this interview.

Feel free to link to this interview, but DO NOT copy it anywhere else on the web without express permission.

This interview was done in April 2007.