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.
With just a couple of days to go, our sights are set on our stretch goals! We’ve already hit one, and now we want to hit the next two, which will add a couple more authors to the table of contents.
Here’s an interview with the second of our three stretch-goal authors: David A. McIntee, who’s pairing two Asian legends, Tang Sanzang, a.k.a. Tripitaka, and Emperor Taizong. If you want to see him in the book, please support the Kickstarter so we can hit that stretch goal!
David A. McIntee has written extensively in the world of Doctor Who in prose and audio form, including a dozen novels. He’s also written tie-in fiction for Star Trek, Space: 1999, and Final Destination, and nonfiction about Trek, Alien, Predator, and Sapphire and Steel.
What led you to choose the characters you’re using for your Double Trouble story?
I remember Tripitaka being interesting in the old Monkey TV show, which was huge in the UK when I was a kid (though I confess I actually liked The Water Margin a whole lot better). But, having been made in Singapore (yeah, it doesn’t seem like it, but my parents were in British Army married quarters when my dad was stationed there), I’ve always been interested in Chinese history and mythology, and had learned that the character from Journey To The West was based (loosely) on a real person: a brother of the Tang Emperor Taizong. Then, a couple of years ago, I was introduced to Empress Of China, a Chinese historical drama TV show about the intrigues between Taizong’s wives, in Taizong is played in awesome wise badass style by Zhang Fengyi, who’s in plenty of movies, and when I saw Fengyi in that I knew I wanted to write something someday with him, and with his brother.
I wasn’t sure what form that would take, and whether it’d be historical, Journey To The West, or Monkey style… and then this anthology came along and I felt the Monkey version would fit best with it.
What do you enjoy most about writing tie-in fiction?
Bringing a hopefully fresh eye to something, and ideally — when it’s an IP I love even before writing for, then I always felt a great desire to give something back to a franchise or world that has given me pleasure.
What’s your favorite licensed universe that you’ve written in during your career as a tie-in writer?
I honestly couldn’t choose between Doctor Who and Star Trek. They’re totally on equal footing. They’re the shows — the permanent background — that I grew up with and was so influenced by.
What do you have that’s now out or coming out soon?
I have some Professor Howe books coming out soon for Children In Need: The Ballroom Blitzers, The Copy Corsairs, and The Outrageous Outlanders. And some things that will be a surprise.
Follow David online:
- Twitter: @the_lonemagpie
