FAQ

I get asked a lot of questions, via email and in person, and it occurred to me that I should probably try to answer the most common ones. Then it occurred to me how boring that would be, so I decided rather than just do a standard question/answer format, I would just give all the answers to the questions that I get asked most frequently, and let you figure out what the question is. It's a little more interactive that way, and if you get really stumped, I'll put a list of possible questions at the end.

So, without further ado, here are some answers. It goes without saying they're in no particular order.

A: It just kind of happened. I had published a couple original novels at Del Rey, who also publish the Star Wars novels, and my editor asked if I'd be interested in writing one. A zombie one, he said. I agreed, and that was pretty much that.

A: I've never met the man personally, although I've heard he's very nice.

A: I have no currently plans for that right now, but if it came up, I'd probably say yes.

A: Since I was twelve. I wrote my first novel when I was sixteen. It was a piece of crap, as was most of what I wrote for the next decade, but I kept at it anyway, mainly because I couldn't leave it alone.

A: I don't have one particular place or schedule. I try to be flexible, because I still have a day job and a family, but most days I get to write for at least three hours at some point.

A: Empire, of course.

A: The first album is still my favorite, but I like Destroyer and Alive quite a bit too.

A: Get an agent. It's still possible, and you won't find an established publisher without one. Write every day, and read everything you can get your hands on, not just the stuff in the genre that you're writing.

A: It's coming out on October 24th of this year. It's about a high school senior who discovers that the foreign exchange student living in his house is actually an international assassin. The film version is in development at Paramount. Josh ("Chuck" "The O.C.") Schwartz is attached to direct. Everything looks good.

A: My 18'' Kenner Alien doll from 1979. I've got most of the original packaging.

A: I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I've had a couple things get lost in the mail so as of right now, I don't have a system. I'm sorry.

A: Making paper mache alien masks with my daughter while we listened to Kings of Leon.

A: They were very easy to work with, and they saved me from embarrassing myself with continuity errors and issues of tone. They pretty much let me do whatever I wanted, without any restrictions along the way.

A: Yes, it's the same virus.

A: I thought it would be funny. It annoyed some people, but I didn't worry too much about it. Most people didn't read the book anyway -- to date, it's my biggest flop, although it remains a personal favorite of mine.

A: None of the artists received any kind of compensation for it. I put the playlist together for my own enjoyment, just as something to listen to, and since then I've continued to do it as a kind of imaginative mirror to what's going on in the book. The playlists just keep getting longer. The novel I just finished -- a sequel to AU REVOIR -- has a 50-song playlist.

A: Not at the moment, no.

A: DC Comics and Titan Books contacted me and asked if I wanted to do a book for them. I said yes. I actually never watched the show before that, so I had to learn about it in about three weeks. I don't know if there are going to be more books at this point, but to my knowledge, everybody who wrote one was contacted by the publisher, rather than the other way around.

A: Stephen King, Cormac McCarthy, Jim Harrison, Duane Swierczynski, William Gibson, Chuck Klosterman, Michael Chabon, Richard Russo, Richard Yates, Larry Doyle, Ian Frazier, Michael Northrop and Josh Lieb.

A: The 501st. They're the greatest bunch of guys I could ever hope to hang out with, and their contributions to the signings and events that I've done over the past year and a half -- almost two years now -- can't be overstated.

A: Earlier this afternoon in my kitchen, while reading Bret Easton Ellis' IMPERIAL BEDROOMS, listening to Pearl Jam, eating an atomic fireball and drinking Diet Dr. Pepper.


And now, the questions:


Q: When did you start writing?

Q: What's your favorite Kiss album?

Q: Any more plans for book signings?

Q: I want to be a writer. Any advice?

Q: Anyone special you want to give a shout-out to?

Q: What's the deal with AU REVOIR, CRAZY EUROPEAN CHICK?

Q: When was the last time you experienced a moment of transcendence?

Q: I want to write a Supernatural novel. How should I go about it?

Q: Why do you make playlists for your books? Do you have some deal with the artists on the playlists?

Q: Why did you have a character in NO DOORS, NO WINDOWS reading a copy of DEATH TROOPERS?

Q: Was it hard working with Lucasfilm?

Q: Who are your favorite writers?

Q: Have you ever met George Lucas?

Q: What's your favorite toy?

Q: How can I get you to sign a book?

Q: Are you writing another Star Wars book?

Q: What's your favorite Star Wars movie?

Q: How did you end up writing Death Troopers?

Q: What's the most recent creative endeavor that you've embarked upon?