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Roger Oliver asks:
What was your motivation to write a novel?
My motivation came from Simon and Schuster who came to me and asked if I would be interested in writing a novel for the S/T series on Martok and Worf? I accepted and began work. It took four years and then some to get it published, and that my friend is a really big chunk of my life.
Henry Wilson asks:
I'm wondering how it works when an author works with another author on a project? Do you each write certain portions? Each write your own draft and then sit down and hash out what works best for the story? I haven't done any writing since college but I can't imagine what it's like to write with another person. Just curious about how something like that works?
I have been writing screenplays for some time and often I have had a co-writer on those. It works or does not work in all kinds of ways. In the case of LHoD, I had written the entire piece in manuscript form, having worked from the outline that took me about 18 months to develop. Very detailed outline. Painstaking in trying to find the most effective way to reveal the story. Then I crafted two manuscripts from that outline and submitted to S and S. Then 9/11 happened. They got backed-up with all projects in all divisions as New York tried to recover from the tragedy and finally they reviewed my submissions. They asked for substantial revisions in both books but I had already moved on to other projects and did not have the time to dedicate to rewrites within the time frame....that’s when Jeff Lang came aboard.
With my permission and approval, S and S asked Jeff if he would read through all the material then decide if he would want to work on the rewrites within the very short time frame available. I was so glad that he decided to jump in with both feet, otherwise, I might never have been able to get to the rewrites and the books may never have been published. So, thanks to Jeffrey's willingness to work within all those constraints, LHoD was released and has become a big seller. I am very very proud of the work on everybody's parts. Of course, I look forward to another collaboration with Jeffrey in the future, he truly is a terrific writer and I had a great time working with him. He would send chapters and I would edit. Until, finally, it was done. Things got very rushed at the end so we missed some communications but by that time, we were so trusting of each other's choices that we just went with what we had and hoped for the best. Fortunately, that is what we got.
Hope this answers your questions. Collaboration works famously if the writers or artists have similar sensibilities and sometimes not so well if they do not. On the other hand, complimentary sensibilities also work in producing a thoroughly textured work.
Stephanie asks:
Someone once told me that an author must have approval from Paramount about how they choose to use an established character in their story. Did you have to get approval for the choices you made? And was it difficult to get approval for what you choose to do with some of the characters? (I'm thinking of the death of Sirella) Also, was there anything you wanted to do with the story that they said "NO" too?
Simon and Schuster approached me to write the book. Of course, I was delighted not knowing that it would take nearly four years of my life to get from that point to finished books. But since they came to me, I had perhaps a broader permission to use established characters. I received a pretty stiff battle when I suggested taking the life of Sirella. I just felt so very very strongly that the entire reluctant quest had to cost Martok almost everything. Losing Sirella was the only thing that Martok might not be able to face...their love and marriage being so tightly wound around their hearts. I am quite sure Martok would have given anything including rule of Empire and his own life if Sirella could be saved. It was not to be, and Martok had to know immeasurable loss.
However, I would have preferred to save Pharh at the end. I was crazy about him and feel there is another story there...indeed, there may be. To be continued...
Dan Styer asks:
Having read your two books - a fine read, I must say - I am struck by a parallel to classical literature. Martok's bastard son Morjod and his attempted rise to power made me recall the story of Camelot and the dynamic between Arthur and Modred. Was this your intention or just my rabid imagination?
Morte d'Arthur revealed! Indeed, that was the mission...to recapture the feel and flavor of Arthur's immortal story of hope, betrayal, innocence, guilt, loss, awakening, rebirth, sleep and dreams. What dreams may come...that was the task. Morgan le Fey, Nimue, Guenevere, Lancelot, Merlin, Pellinor...they are all there in some form. But what I am most proud of is that the adaptation is indeed that, not a mocking copy of plots, actions and characters...but I think Jeffrey and I succeeded in building the story anew with characters, action and theme unique to the tale and evocative of not only Arthur but of the distant future first imagined by Gene Roddenberry. Thanks for the read and the kind words.
Sam Howell asks:
Where did you draw your description of Borath from? I know it has been mentioned in several episodes but never really described. Did you draw your description of the terrain and climate from your own imagination or did you have a source you based Borath on?
There must have been references some where to the frozen holy planet of Boreth. You know, one of the things about making up things is that, unless one is very careful, one can very easily lose track of what is real (already established) and what one creates. I really cannot remember from where the imagery of Boreth, as a frozen planet, came.
I knew that I wanted the final battle to take place along side a frozen lake that could be melted by the fall of a heavenly body, in this case, Ezri Dax! But somewhere along the line that frozen lake became an entire frozen planet. Wish I could remember but I will have to consult my earliest outlines to see where the climate came from. I think I wanted the priests to be somewhat Nordic in their stoicism and that implied ICE for me.
Susan Booker asks:
The character of Pharh was so wonderful. His friendship with Martok was one of the best parts of the story I thought. But why did you decide to make the character a Ferengi as opposed to a Klingon or some other race?
It may take me some time to remember how Pharh was created. I wanted to find the most unlikely ally possible given the circumstances. A latinum-worshipping Ferengi seemed a likely choice, though once I began to write Pharh, he took over. Literally, he was unstoppable in his likes, dislikes, dreams and nightmares. And Pharh had the same affect on Marco, my editor and Jeffrey, my co-writer...Pharh was unstoppable, irresistible, incorrigible, unpredictable and absolutely uncontrollable. He is just one of those things that happen in the process of making up a story. He appeared and the rest is history. I agree, he and Martok are one of those great teams, Martin and Lewis, Abbott and Costello, Laurel and Hardy, Hope and Crosby etc etc....I really really really hated to watch his demise. I do hope there is a way to "re-animate" him. Perhaps I should consult my favorite Vorta, Jeff Combs.
Tom asks:
In DS9 The Left Hand of Destiny, Book Two, Ezri is piloting a shuttle called the Wardrobe. Two other shuttles that the guy was renting out were named the Lion and the Witch. While writing that part, did you really ask your daughter what the shuttles should be named?
Those shuttles names were Jeffrey's. I had originally named Ezri’s shuttle The Tahoe, re: Lady of the Lake, but later the mission altered to crash into the lake so that connection became redundant and so the names could change. And they did. Regarding daughter's input....I cannot remember what I wrote about that and frankly don't remember saying it. But that is not unusual as the years begin to pile up mightily. Life....ha!
(In various interviews J.G. has mentioned that a few of the ideas that found their way into the novels were inspired by playing with his young daughter. For example Martok’s recollection of a childhood rhyme, “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, but a Klingon version of course.)
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