I recently had the opportunity to interview John Passarella, author of Supernatural: Night Terror, about the book (some questions are spoilery for same) and about his writing career.
Affairs Magazine: First, the totally obvious question. What got you started writing?
John Passarella: The urge to tell stories. I drew stories before I wrote them, filling typewriter paper tablets when I was ten years old. Started writing one page stories by the time I was twelve. In high school, I had started writing short novels. In college I wrote a 600+ fantasy novel. All unpublished, until Wither.
AM: Why horror novels?
JP: I’ve always written genre stories, either fantasy, science fiction, science fantasy, horror, even humorous mystery. Wither was a collaboration with a friend and fellow writer. We started with a science fiction idea, but quickly realized we didn’t have the science background to back it up. We switched gears and wrote Wither together. Years later, it sold to Hollywood (movie rights) before the book rights sold. Once you are published in a certain genre or niche, it’s encouraged to continue along that vein to build on your initial readership. For me, I tend to enjoy writing suspenseful stories first and foremost. I consider all my novels supernatural or paranormal thrillers. Some lean more toward dark fantasy than others, but I’m always going for the thriller aspect, to keep the pages turning.
AM: Every author has inspirations. Who are yours?
JP: Many authors, but three stand out for various reasons. Harlan Ellison for the passion in his writing; Stephen King for his pure storytelling power; and John D. MacDonald for his characterizations. I mentioned those three when I accepted the Stoker Award for Wither. And, as fate or timing would have it, Harlan Ellison was a guest of honor that year and had a front row table at the banquet. I basically thanked him personally from the podium.
AM: If you could have written any book in the world, which book would it be and why?
JP: Wow, I don’t know if I could ever answer that one. As a writer, I’m always striving to be better with each successive novel. The uncut version of Stephen King’s The Stand is my favorite of his novels.
AM: I know you’ve done tie-ins to Buffy and Angel in the past. What got you started doing tie-in novels?
JP: After Wither came out, the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed it and said that it “hits the groove that makes Buffy the Vampire Slayer such a kick.” I was a huge Buffy fan and that got me thinking, maybe I could write a tie-in for the show. One of the writers gave me the editor’s name. I contacted her, mentioned the quote, told her I was a big fan and would like to write one of the books. She gave me the requirements: a 10-page outline of the complete novel and a sample chapter featuring all the main characters to show I could capture their voices.
AM: Why Supernatural? Did you approach them, or did they approach you?
JP: The UK editor at Titan Books contacted me. She found me through my website, saw that I wrote horror and had done tie-ins before. Based on my background, she thought I would be a good fit for the Supernatural books.
AM: How much of the show had you seen before writing the novel? Did you read any of the other tie-ins?
JP: I’ve been a fan since day one. (My wife and sons are also big fans of the show.) I hadn’t read any tie-ins of any shows in a few years. Before starting Night Terror, I read Joe Schreiber’s The Unholy Cause, which was recommended by the editor and by fans on a mailing list.
AM: I hear you had a contest where fans could have name cameos in the book. Why so? Which characters are we talking about, or would you (or they) prefer not to say?
JP: All of the fan names came from the Supernatural mailing list I mentioned earlier. I had planned to expand the pool of potential names, but I was waiting to get formal approval from Titan Books, which came late in the process. (I was prepared to swap out the fan names I did use for generic names if I didn’t receive approval.) I won’t list the seven or eight names, but I used the names for witnesses, diner employees, and some of the police in the town. I’ve had similar contests in the past. And in one of my first Angel tie-in, I “killed” the entire staff of the indie bookstore where I hold all my launch events. They loved it.
AM: Have you engaged in any way with Supernatural fandom, other than writing this novel and holding that contest?
JP: I joined that Supernatural mailing list I found before I started writing the book. The group seemed active and enthusiastic. I thought it would give me the chance to put my finger on the pulse of the fans, what they liked or did not like about previous tie-ins.
AM: Why did you decide to base this novel around nightmares?
JP: That decision was based on my guidelines for the novel: set in the sixth season, and revolve around a monster, not on the angels/demons mythos. Shortly thereafter I was told to make it a story with Sam’s soul restored. (At that time, Sam was without his soul on the show, so the editor sent me scripts for upcoming episodes so that I could see how the restoration would be handled. I kept getting scripts, five to six weeks ahead of airdates, so I kept pushing my novel as far in the timeline as possible.) I was instructed to pitch four or five ideas, so I looked for a different monster for each one. After five plus years, the show had covered a lot of different monsters, so I was looking for something fresh. The pitch they approved dealt with the nightmare creature.
AM: Why Polish myth?
JP: When I discovered the nightmare creature, it was based on Polish myth/legends, so I ran with that. The same type of creature appears in other mythologies, but I went with what I found first.
AM: If you could write a second Supernatural novel, set at any point in continuity, what would it be about?
JP: If I write a second Supernatural novel, it would take place in season seven or possibly eight, if the show goes that far and assuming I’m invited back. I’m pragmatic about it. Season six was good for me because it was monster-based, and the season’s overall arc allowed for more standalone stories. My oldest son would probably like to see me write a Castiel-centric story, but that may change with this upcoming season and where that character is headed. So, unless I’m working on a particular pitch for a tie-in, I’ll be working on other novels I have in various stage of planning or writing.
AM: My library system is taking its sweet old time getting Kindred Spirit to me. What do I have to look forward to when it arrives?
JP: It’s hard to get some of my earlier novels in paperback these days. Readily available as eBooks, but paper editions have become scarce. Kindred Spirit is my only paranormal thriller, written as a change-of-pace novel, but it is a standalone novel. It’s a ghost/possession/murder mystery rolled into one. Almost all my research for that novel came from interviewing professionals in their fields: television reporters, exhibit builders, police.
AM: Unfortunately my library only has Kindred Spirit and one of the Angel tie-ins, and I’m not familiar with Buffyverse. If I were to buy any one of your non-tie-in novels, which one would you recommend and why?
JP: Wither was written as a standalone novel with a character that I later turned into a series character. So that’s a good place to start. The sequels (Wither’s Rain and Wither’s Legacy) are complete, no cliffhangers, but they build upon what has happened in the previous books. Kindred Spirit is a standalone. More recently, Shimmer is a standalone that may become a trilogy, but the story is complete as is. Shimmer also had a bunch of reader-contest-names in it. Wither and Shimmer are both supernatural thrillers, with dark fantasy elements, whereas Kindred Spirit has fewer fantastical elements, beyond the ghost/possession aspect.
AM: Thank you for taking the time to answer me.
JP: Thank you. Glad you enjoyed Night Terror.
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