Michael Winston: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
Kevin J. Anderson: I'm 33, married to fellow STAR WARS author Rebecca Moesta. I love to hike and camp and read and watch movies... I used to brew my own beer at home. I just retired from 12 years as a technical writer for a large research lab...now I just write books, comics, stories -- which is enough, since I've got about 25 projects currently under contract. I used to sleep...don't do it much anymore.
MW: For those that don't know, can you tell me what else you've written besides
the Star Wars comics?
KJA: I've written numerous science fiction novels, including the Nebula-nominee ASSEMBLERS OF INFINITY (with Doug Beason) and the Bram Stoker Nominee RESURRECTION, INC. I've done plenty of other STAR WARS projects, including the Jedi Academy trilogy, DARKSABER, a series of Young Jedi Knights books with my wife Rebecca, and THE ILLUSTRATED STAR WARS UNIVERSE with all-new art by Ralph McQuarrie. I'm also the author of the new X-FILES hardcover novel, GROUND ZERO, plus a new science fiction book, BLINDFOLD, which I believe is the best thing I've ever written.
MW: How did you get involved in the Star Wars comics? Were you approached to write a series? Did you volunteer yourself?
KJA: It all happened beyond my control. I had done some science fiction books for Bantam, and I had no idea that I had been offered to Lucasfilm as a possible candidate to write new novels. Lucasfilm liked my solo stuff and made a formal offer...from out of the blue! That was an exciting day.
MW: Are there any common themes or characters (of your own creation) that you cross over from your books to your comics?
KJW: A common theme in much of my fiction, which is elaborated on extensively in DARK LORDS OF THE SITH and THE SITH WAR is how supposedly good characters fall to the ways of evil. It's a slippery slope...you start doing things with the best of intentions, edge just a bit farther away from the light side, and pretty soon you're far gone -- even though you might still think you're doing the right thing.
In the comics, Tom Veitch and I have developed the life story of Exar Kun, a villainous Dark Lord of the Sith, whose spirit appears in my Jedi Academy books. I spend much of my work in the SW universe tying together the various threads and timeframes.
MW: What is it like working with another writer? Was the change from working with Tom Veitch to working alone a radical difference?
KJW: I have collaborated with several people, from Doug Beason (who writes high-tech thrillers with me), to my wife on the Young Jedi Knights series. People may think that collaborating is just a way to split up the work, but that's not true -- when two people dive into a project, it's generally MORE difficult than going solo. Tom Veitch, though, is a great comics writer with a terrific imagination. While I had written many novels and short stories, I was new to the comics business, and Tom taught me the ropes, how to tell a story visually rather than relying on only words. Because I have so many other projects in the works at any one time, the main difference I see in writing comics solo is that I can jump into writing a comic script whenever I have a free hour, rather than trying to coordinate two very busy schedules.
MW: Is there anyone who you would like to work with? Why? Reputation? Friendship? Admiration?
KJW: As far as authors go, I'm not sure. I haven't thought about it much, since I'm just trying to keep up with what's already on my plate. I would like to work with some artists in other media, though, to develop new experiences for the readers, whether it's someone from filmmaking or music. In a sense, that's what comics is all about, coordinating a storyteller with an artist to spin a saga. Similarly, Ralph McQuarrie and I did the writer/artist exchange for our slick ILLUSTRATED SW UNIVERSE, and I think that turned out to be an outstanding book.
MW: How much creative freedom do you have when writing a Star Wars project? What's the process for approving story ideas and plot lines?
KJA: Lucasfilm actually allows for quite a bit of freedom, as long as you stay within certain boundaries and keep true to the spirit of the films. In our "historical" TALES OF THE JEDI comics, Tom Veitch and I have had an extraordinary latitude to explore new territory. Each story goes through an extensive development process, of course, and keeping the Lucasfilm approvals people in the loop at each stage makes it a lot easier to detect problems before they happen.
MW: Do you read comics yourself? Have any favorites?
KJW: Yes, I read comics, though not as much as I used to. One of my all-time favorites (of course!) is WATCHMEN; more recent picks would be GRENDEL: WARCHILD and MARVELS.
MW: Any upcoming projects (comics or otherwise) that you want to plug? Any teasers you'd like to throw out to get the fans drooling in anticipation?
KJA: Well, if anybody would like to check out some non-STAR WARS fiction, I am very pleased with BLINDFOLD, just out in paperback. The McQuarrie art book is something every SW fan should at least look at. And my new SW hardcover novel DARKSABER is probably my best novel in this universe. Enjoy!