In the second of our exclusive interviews, we were lucky to get to talk to Jeff Marriotte, author of the second Supernatural tie-in novel, Witch's Canyon.

Jeff has written more tie-in fiction than probably any other author. From Buffy to CSI to Star Trek to DC Comics, he is also the writer on several comic book series, including a tie-in for the TV show The Shield. On top of all that, he also owns an independent bookstore - Mysterious Galaxy - which specialises in horror, science fiction, fantasty and mystery novels.

You can find out more about Jeff and his work at his website http://www.jeffmariotte.com/. 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?

Most of what I write tends to be horror in nature, although I have written some pure science fiction too (Star Trek, Andromeda, and my first published fiction was a science fiction short story, published in a prestigious sf anthology called Full Spectrum. Currently I'm working on a CSI: Miami novel, which has a lot of science mixed in with the fiction--and science is really not my thing, so I'm struggling with that aspect and doing a ton of research.

But as I said, I consider the bulk of my work to be horror/supernatural (heh) thrillers. In original fiction, I've published horror epic The Slab, teen horror quartet Witch Season, and coming next month is supernatural thriller Missing White Girl. In addition to that, I write the horror/western comic book series Desperadoes. In tie-ins, I've written more Angel novels than any other writer, a little bit of Buffy, co-written the 30 Days of Night novels based on the horror comic book, and the novelization to Eric Kripke's movie Boogeyman. Even my DC Universe novel, Trail of Time, combined horror elements with superhero and western elements.

So yes, I'm a fan of horror. The TV shows I like best tend to be crime shows, like The Wire, The Shield, and The Sopranos, or dramas like Big Love, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, and Las Vegas--and the occasional great comedy like The Office and Arrested Development. But I do watch some horror on TV, including Supernatural, and I try to catch Showtime's Masters of Horror series.

You write comic books as well as novels. Which of these do you prefer to do? Are the processes different?

They're both fun in their own way. Novels are more involving, and more time-consuming. You have to live inside that fictional world for weeks or months, at a minimum, while with a comic book I can write a script in a few days and then do something else before I come back to it. And a comic is always a collaboration, because I don't do the art. Whatever I write is not necessarily what will end up on the page, because it passes through the hands of an artist who brings his or her own talents and interests to it. It ends up being a synthesis of two or more people, which makes it a unique project.

Do you prefer writing in your own fictional universes or in someone else's universe (such as DC Comics or Buffy)?

Again, there are separate pleasures to each one. It's always a treat to work in a universe of my own creation, and it's an honor to be paid for doing something that springs entirely from my own twisted brain. But it's also fun and challenging to write in other universes, and again, an honor to be entrusted with characters beloved by millions of people all over the world. Besides, as a fan, getting to make a small mark in the world of Conan or Superman or Buffy is a real joy.

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

I've already written the only tie-in project for The Shield, a five-issue comic book miniseries that was collected into a trade paperback. I'd love to write a novel based on the same show, though, to really get inside the heads of the great characters that Shawn Ryan (who previously wrote for Angel) created on that show.

Supernatural / Witch's Canyon Questions

How did you come to be writing Witch's Canyon? Did someone approach you, or did you approach them?

I was approached for the project, and was thrilled at the opportunity.

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

The story is completely my own. Really, the only major change suggested--and it made perfect sense--was shifting the location a little, from one I proposed that is really unknown territory to most people, to the area of the Grand Canyon, which is visited by millions every year and is one of the American landmarks known to people in every country of the world.

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

I'd seen a few episodes, but didn't watch it regularly. I do now.

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

Actually, neither one. The easiest was writing them together--they way they interact and play off each other and tease each other, but with a powerful underpinning of love and respect.

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

Witch's Canyon takes place after "The Usual Suspects" and before "Croatoan," so it's set early in season two. in the story, the Winchesters go to northern Arizona to investigate a 40-year murder cycle that impacts a small town near the Grand Canyon. The town is growing, and a new mall is about to have a grand opening, which could present an irresistible target and change the body count from hundreds to thousands this time. Since there have been mass murders there every 40 years for longer than any single person could have been behind them, they suspect a supernatural element.

They're right...

Do we get to meet any new characters?

Juliet Monroe is a widowed rancher who lives near town and is deeply affected by the events that unfold. We also get to know Sheriff Jim Beckett, a recluse named Harmon Baird, and a few others.

How about any recurring characters? Any other hunters maybe?

Nope. No recurring characters, or other hunters, except in flashback and mentioned in conversation.

How did you research the supernatural aspects of your story?

I have a pretty extensive library of supernatural "nonfiction" here at home--books on the myths and legends and monsters and superstitions of many cultures, books on the occult, all kinds of creepy stuff. Then there's the internet, which can come in handy too. I made a trip to the Grand Canyon and researched some of the non-supernatural aspects on site. And of course a lot of it just came out of my head. Scary, huh?

Do you believe in ghosts?

That's not an easy yes or no question for me. I don't believe there should be ghosts. On the other hand, I once spent the worst night of my life trying to sleep in the basement of a house, in which I had to live for six weeks or so. After that first night, I didn't try to sleep in the basement again, and never went down there unless I absolutely had to. There was just something not right about the place, something that creeped me out every time I set foot down there, and made me terribly uncomfortable.

Years later, I learned that in the past century, there had only been one murder committed in this particular town.

And it happened in that basement.

Again, thank you very much to Jeff 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.