Double Trouble: An Anthology of Two-Fisted Team-Ups, edited by Jonathan Maberry & Keith R.A. DeCandido, presented by the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers, is now funding on Kickstarter. The anthology features more than a dozen great tie-in writers teaming classic characters up.
We’ve already done several interviews
- Rigel Ailur (teaming Annie Oakley with Marian of Sherwood)
- Greg Cox (mashing up The Brain that Wouldn’t Die with Night of the Living Dead)
- James Reasoner (pairing G-Man Dan Fowler with Stinger Seave)
- Ben H. Rome (putting Bastet, Fenrir, and Quetzalcoatl together)
- Nancy Holder & Alan Philipson (Flaxman Low and Mezzanotte meeting)
- Keith R.A. DeCandido (teaming Ayesha, a.k.a. She Who Must Be Obeyed, with Egungun-oya)
- David Mack (teaming Prospero the Magician with Don Quixote de la Mancha)
- Maurice Broaddus (Ace Harlem and the Conjure-Man teaming up)
- Dayton Ward (pairing Captain Battle with Blackout)
- Diana Dru Botsford (putting Ernest Shackleton, Sacajawea, and Lemuel Gulliver together)
- Delilah S. Dawson (bringing Lydia Bennet and Lord Ruthven together)
- Derek Tyler Attico (thrusting Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde, and John Henry into each other’s company)
Here’s an interview with Jennifer Brody, who is pitting vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing against Greek legends Athena and the Medusa.
Jennifer Brody, a.k.a. Vera Strange, is the Stoker-nominated author of the “Disney Chills” series, “The 13th Continuum” trilogy, and a contributor to Star Wars: Stories of Jedi and Sith, where she penned the Darth Vader story.
What led you to choose the characters you’re using for your Double Trouble story?
I’m tackling a Van Helsing (the famed monster hunter) vs. Medusa story. I’ve long been obsessed with both Greek Mythology and the Dracula/Van Helsing characters. Of course, the myth right now has the goddess Athena dispatching Perseus after Medusa. But I thought — what if Athena puts the call out for heroes to vanquish the monstress Medusa…and Van Helsing arrives instead? His approach and style couldn’t be more opposite of Perseus, so I thought it could be a fun way to revisit and reinvent the classic myth.
What do you enjoy most about writing tie-in fiction?
Basically, I’m a big nerd for so many film and TV universes that getting to write “canon” stories for both Disney and LucasFilm/Star Wars is a dream job. I don’t think I’m that “creepy” — but apparently I must be as I write about all the big iconic villains, from Cruella DeVil and Maleficent to Darth Vader. Also, my editors are the best and I love collaborating on stories that will excite the existing fans of Disney and Star Wars.
What’s your favorite licensed universe that you’ve written in during your career as a tie-in writer?
Oh, it’s so hard to choose — but getting to write for Star Wars and tackle “the Big Guy” a.k.a. Darth Vader was a huge goal of mine. I’d been wanting to explore the Star Wars universe forever. My debut trilogy The 13th Continuum is a sci-fi series that’s heavily influenced by Star Wars. So, when it turned out that the head of LucasFilm Publishing was a fan of my Disney Chills series and what I’ve done to make the Disney villains “scary again,” my dream came true. Anakin/Vader is my favorite SW character, so it worked out.
What do you have that’s now out or coming out soon?
As of this interview, I have two books out for Disney next year: One is Disney Chills #7, villain TBA. But it was a blast to write and the book is revised and in to my editor. I can’t believe my series has already reached seven books. I also have another secret Disney project that we haven’t announced, but I just turned in a draft on Friday (eeek! hope my editor digs it!) that will be out next year as well. It’s a whole new universe and separate from my ongoing Disney Chills series, but involves characters I’ve been dying to write. I know my readers will be super excited about this project. Oh, and this anthology if we get funded! So help us out!
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