Ask Christopher Golden - Monday, August 12th! discussion

Welcome to the group! Christopher will be answering questions throughout the day on Monday, August 12th in this thread only. In the meantime if you have a question for Christopher or just want to introduce yourself feel free to do so in this thread.

Hey, Chris! Ummm I've been wondering if you are going to write another book about Uncharted, like you did with buffy?

Mr. Golden, Thank you for answering my question. I enjoyed The Lost Slayer very much. I'd love to know how the idea of a dystopian future ruled by vampires came about.

Hello Sir, I've been a fan since reading Bones of Giants, and a few other Hellboy novels. My question is, are you going to write another Hellboy paperback? And or possibly an Abe Sapien novel?
Thanks, Tony. L
Portland, Maine

Hello Mr. Golden. My question for you is, are you going to write anymore book about Buffy?

You all need to read Soulless by Christopher Golden-a great read and a YA zombie novel.

Troy

Hi, Christopher! I have read many of your books, including some of your Buffy books (you have the characters of Spike and Dru down pat) and Comic based novels. I am a writer, too, and I was wondering how I might get permission to write a novel based on comic characters? (Because I know that's different than making a graphic novel or comic.)

Mr. Golden, I'm curious about how you decide which story to work on next when you have multiple story ideas? How do you focus in on that one story with multiple stories rattling around in your head and stay focused? Also keep up the good work! I read all your collaborations with Mignola and I have Hellboy: Bones of Giants & the first 3 Peter Octavian books on my To Be Read pile. Thanks, Adam Hasser

Hi Mr. Golden,

Early on, how did you keep your optimism and enthusiasm up in the face of rejection (I don't mean to be presumptuous, I am a fan so it's hard for me to believe you ever struggled but odds are)?
And as an editor (The Monster's Corner is one of the best themed anthologies I've ever read), do you ever lose patience with inexperienced writers?

Thanks for all the hard work.

Patrick

Hi Mr Golden, I'm sad to say I haven't gotten a chance to read as many of your books as I'd like to, but I have read and LOVED the Secret Journeys of Jack London series; in fact, they are some of my favorite paranormal books, so I have to ask: are you and Tim Lebbon still planning on writing a third book? and if so--or if you have already--when will it be out? I'm really hoping for this one :)

~Hazel W.

Troy wrote: "You all need to read Soulless by Christopher Golden-a great read and a YA zombie novel.

Troy"

Yes, it's a great book

Hello Chris...is there a particular question you've always wished an interviewer would ask you, but never has? ;)

Hello sir, I loved your work on both Buffy and Hellboy... how do you manage to bring such life and fun to such well loved and such well known characters? Also, if you could write a story for any fictional character, who would it be and why? Keep up the great work sir!

Thank you in advance...

Andrew

Hello sir, I loved your work on both Buffy and Hellboy... how do you manage to bring such life and fun to such well loved and such well known characters? Also, if you could write a story for any fictional character, who would it be and why? Keep up the great work sir!

Thank you in advance...

Andrew

Hello sir, I loved your work on both Buffy and Hellboy... how do you manage to bring such life and fun to such well loved and such well known characters? Also, if you could write a story for any fictional character, who would it be and why? Keep up the great work sir!

Thank you in advance...

Andrew

Jorge wrote: "Hey, Chris! Ummm I've been wondering if you are going to write another book about Uncharted, like you did with buffy?"

Jorge, I had a wonderful time writing that book and I'm really pleased with how it came out, but that would be up to the publisher. I'm not sure they're going to do any more Uncharted novels. We'll see.

Brandon wrote: "Hello-

Thanks for including me in this discussion. I am a fan of your writing. In particular I like the work that you do in collaboration with Mike Mignola. Baltimore andJoe Golem and the Drowning..."

Hi Brandon. Baltimore and Joe Golem were both full-length novels. Father Gaetano's Puppet Catechism is a novella. I asked that same question at the time that we sold that book and my editor told me that they weren't opposed to novellas in general. I do think that the illustrations made it more acceptable to them to publish a novella, but I can only report what I was told.
As for your second question, Mike always wants the illustrations to complement the story, to help create mood and atmosphere but not to TELL the story. He wants them to be windows into the world of the story.

Thanks for answering Chris!!! Big fan here and now more fan than b4 hehe!!!

Hi Chris! So I have my mandatory question here. ;)

Are we going to see more Ghosts of Albion?
Print, animation, scribbled on the backs of bar napkins. I am not picky. I am just missing Tam and William (and Nigel, and Byron and Nelson and Bodicea...)

Tim

James wrote: "Mr. Golden, Thank you for answering my question. I enjoyed The Lost Slayer very much. I'd love to know how the idea of a dystopian future ruled by vampires came about."

It just seemed a natural thing to me, James. I wanted to look ahead and ask "what if...". I don't know if you're familiar with comics, but I tried to get The Lost Slayer approved FOUR times. I kept telling Fox to just tell Joss I wanted to do "BuffY: The Dark Knight Returns," and that he would understand, but they couldn't get past the idea that some readers would think what I was writing WAS the future of the Buffy-verse. Only when I revised me pitch to include a wraparound story set in the present, to make it clear that that was only one possible future, that they approved it.

Tony wrote: "Hello Sir, I've been a fan since reading Bones of Giants, and a few other Hellboy novels. My question is, are you going to write another Hellboy paperback? And or possibly an Abe Sapien novel?
Than..."

Hi Tony. There's always that possibility. No current plans, however.

Cynthia wrote: "Hello Mr. Golden. My question for you is, are you going to write anymore book about Buffy?"

Hi Cynthia. As far as I know, there is no publisher currently doing new Buffy novels. If a publisher were to license the property again and ask me, I'd certainly consider it. But no current plans.

Troy wrote: "You all need to read Soulless by Christopher Golden-a great read and a YA zombie novel.

Troy"

Thanks Troy.

Carla wrote: "Hi, Christopher! I have read many of your books, including some of your Buffy books (you have the characters of Spike and Dru down pat) and Comic based novels. I am a writer, too, and I was wonderi..."

Hi Carla. That's not really how it works. A publisher first licenses the rights to a media property from the owner of those rights and then hires novelists.

Chris!

As anyone who's read your books knows, none of your characters are ever really safe and at times meet their ends in ways that would make George R.R. Martin blush.

Has there ever been any character(s) that after the fact you regretted putting an end to?

Adam wrote: "Mr. Golden, I'm curious about how you decide which story to work on next when you have multiple story ideas? How do you focus in on that one story with multiple stories rattling around in your head..."

Hi Adam. I can only say that I choose which idea to focus on next based on which one feels more *solid* and *vital* to me at any given time. Then, once various projects are sold, I work on whichever one is due next. :)

Hello Sir, I started reading Joe Golem and the drowning city when my lady and I were upta camp (Maine accent) and I was struck by the visual descriptions of a sunken manhattan and was immediately reminded of the Cyclopian ruins in Call of Cthulhu. Was H. P. L a(n) inspiration for your book?

Thanks, Tony. L
Portland, ME

Patrickmalka wrote: "Hi Mr. Golden,

Early on, how did you keep your optimism and enthusiasm up in the face of rejection (I don't mean to be presumptuous, I am a fan so it's hard for me to believe you ever struggled bu..."

Patrick, I've been pretty lucky but there have certainly been times when rejection or just a stretch of bad news has gotten me down. During those times I tend to allow myself a couple of hours--sometimes a day--of freaking out/moping/anxiety, and then I just grow more determined to climb the mountain again. Honestly, a mid-list writing career often feels like the task of Sisyphus, but as long as you're still pushing the rock, that in itself is success.

Hazel wrote: "Hi Mr Golden, I'm sad to say I haven't gotten a chance to read as many of your books as I'd like to, but I have read and LOVED the Secret Journeys of Jack London series; in fact, they are some of m..."

Hi Hazel. Thanks for that. Tim and I had a blast with those books. The third book will be out in many languages as a print edition, but not in English, unfortunately. The sales were not up to the publisher's expectations. We *will* be publishing an ebook edition of book three, WHITE FANGS, in English this year. Watch my site for an announcement of that in the coming months.

Gene wrote: "Hello Chris...is there a particular question you've always wished an interviewer would ask you, but never has? ;)"

I see what you did there, Gene. :) Seriously, though, most of the time I just wish interviewers would do their homework before an interview.

Andrew wrote: "Hello sir, I loved your work on both Buffy and Hellboy... how do you manage to bring such life and fun to such well loved and such well known characters? Also, if you could write a story for any fi..."

Andrew, thanks for that. I think it's just a matter of me loving those characters and properties. The trick to writing an effective media tie-in novel is in loving the material. Obviously there's more to it than that--you have to have an ear for voices, that sort of thing. But it's love that makes it work.
As for a pre-existing character I'd like to write...there are loads, but the one that would be such a geek dream for me would be to write a novel featuring all of the Marvel Comics horror characters from the 70s and 80s.

Timothy wrote: "Hi Chris! So I have my mandatory question here. ;)

Are we going to see more Ghosts of Albion?
Print, animation, scribbled on the backs of bar napkins. I am not picky. I am just missing Tam and ..."

Tim, I'd love that. No idea. But you will soon see The Collected Ghosts of Albion in ebook form.

Rick wrote: "Chris!

As anyone who's read your books knows, none of your characters are ever really safe and at times meet their ends in ways that would make George R.R. Martin blush.

Has there ever been any ..."

Hi Rick. If they're characters I love, I usually regret it as I'm writing it, but I write it because it seems right. As I say in a lot of my novels, everything comes with a price. The characters who spring to mind immediately are Cody in the Shadow Saga and Blue Jay in the Veil trilogy. Loved those guys.

Tony wrote: "Hello Sir, I started reading Joe Golem and the drowning city when my lady and I were upta camp (Maine accent) and I was struck by the visual descriptions of a sunken manhattan and was immediately r..."

Hi Tony. HPL definitely had a huge influence on that book, but not on our imagining of the Drowning City. What happens to Felix, his "father," and the space between spaces...that's all very intentionally HPL.

Hello Sir, my final questions cuz my lunch break is now at an end(I get early).....Bones of Giants was first and favorite foray into your writing, and it's also special to me because of my Nordic heritage, What material do you recall using for reference to Nordic Mythology during the writing of "Bones"? And have you read any of William Morris's novels? And if so I think you would be a good person to inject some creative license with it :)
Thanks for answering my questions :)

,Tony.L
Portland, ME

Mike wrote: "Hi Chris, any plans to continue with the Myth Hunters, either in another full length novel or, perhaps, in an ebook novella?"

Mike, no immediate plans, but if you read the last Shadow Saga/Peter Octavian novel, KING OF HELL, in January, you'll see at least one familiar face and might find some other intriguing elements.

Hi Tony. I've always loved Norse mythology. There's a version of those tales called THUNDER OF THE GODS by Dorothy Hosford that I literally read about fifteen times when I was eleven and twelve years old. A huge influence on me. When writing THE BONES OF GIANTS I also read THE NORSE MYTHS by Kevin Crossley-Holland.

Christopher wrote: "Hazel wrote: "Hi Mr Golden, I'm sad to say I haven't gotten a chance to read as many of your books as I'd like to, but I have read and LOVED the Secret Journeys of Jack London series; in fact, they..."

That's a shame! I feel it's a terribly underrated series, and the books themselves are gorgeous too so that's sad you won't be publishing it in print. Glad I'll still get to read it though.

Hi Chris,
Is there any author you have not collaborated with that you would love to work with? Are you planning on writing any more books with Amber?

Margaret wrote: "Hi Chris,
Is there any author you have not collaborated with that you would love to work with? Are you planning on writing any more books with Amber?"

Amber and I have a couple of things brewing, but no immediate plans. I've loved my collaborations because my co-authors have been my friends first, and people with whom I've had shared inspirations. My collaborations mostly happen organically, so I'm not actually looking for anyone else to write with. If something like that happens, it just happens.

Hi Chris,

I have been waiting forever for the next book in The Menagerie series. I there any hope for another book?

Again thank you for answering my question Mr. Golden. I don't delve into comics as much as I'd like. I guess it's because I'm one of those people who remembers the days when a buck could buy you 4 comic books. I agree though, Lost Slayer would have been a killer graphic novel or short run series.

Bobby wrote: "Hi Chris,

I have been waiting forever for the next book in The Menagerie series. I there any hope for another book?"

Bobby,definitely hope. Tom and I would love to complete the story and hope to do so in coming years.

Thanks to everyone who participated in yesterday's "Ask" event! And don't forget to check out my new short story collection, TELL MY SORROWS TO THE STONES, available for pre-order now. It will be out at the end of August. :)

Since this discussion is over, I just want to comment.... Mr. C. Golden, I have the utmost respect for your works. I have been a fan for over twenty years now.... You are an amazingly talented and humble man.... The worst kind of authors are the ones completely full of themselves. And you are definitely not like that.... When I got to meet you at a book sighting years ago, I was so taken back by your kindness. You signed my book and took extra time to chat with everyone.... I have dealt and met with a lot of different celebrities because of my family, but you sit are one of the nicest people I ever had the prove large to meet....

Thank you for that!!
Much respect,
Kellyanne Walken-Kennedy

Kellyanne, thank you so much for the kind words. They really do mean the world to me.

You are so very welcome but there are no words to accurately convey my pleasure in reading your works.... I love writing myself and you are one of the biggest inspiration for my writing..

I want to thank you for the words you write, It's an honor to get to talk to you ;)

Thank you again Mr. Golden !!
God bless you here , now and in the after,
Kellyanne

New York Times #1 Bestselling Author Christopher Golden Celebrates a Milestone -- 20 years of publication! Check out the press release here: http://www.christophergolden.com/shad...