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.
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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!
Follow Jennifer online:
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