2015 Writing Review

“Hey, Steve, 2015 is almost over. We haven’t seen a lot of stuff coming out with your name on it lately. What have you been up to this year?”

I’m glad you asked!

This was primarily the Year of the Wedding, also known as Operation: Get the Most Precious Girl in the World Katie Barrett (Jones) Hitched to One Terrific Guy Jayden Barrett. All writing was sublimated to this goal and had to fit in whenever not dealing with matrimonial tasks.

That said, two graphic novels I have been waiting a long time to see published were … uh … published, both from Caliber Comics. The first was Talismen: Return of the Exile, the second Nightlinger (with Vanguard). If you want to know more about them, please check out on the appropriate links.

You’ll be hearing more about all this very soon, but Caliber is reissuing the nine H. P. Lovecraft adaptations and both Sherlock Holmes pastiches I wrote as graphic novels in 2016, so I’ve written new editorial material for all these books. Caliber is also going to publish a new anthology of Lovecraft’s Herbert West – Reanimator stories that I edited last year, which, along with Lovecraft’s seminal essay, Supernatural Horror in Literature, and a great cover and terrific illustrations by Terry Pavlet, will include an original Herbert West story and an audio adaptation of “From the Dark” by me. Speaking of audio dramas, Caliber will also publish Sherlock Holmes is on the Air! next year. This anthology includes two scripts each by me and the awesome Matthew J. Elliott that were produced by Jim French Productions and broadcast on The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes feature on Imagination Theatre. Sherlock Holmes is on the Air! will also include a foreword by the feature’s own Dr. John H. Watson, Lawrence Albert, and a give-n-take interview between me and Matthew. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to read that!

Oh, and speaking of Imagination Theatre, I submitted another Sherlock Holmes drama to them this year. I haven’t heard back, but am keeping my fingers crossed it will be accepted. This script is the third in a series of Great Hiatus adventures that started with “A Case of Unfinished Business” broadcast in 2014.

The biggest project this year, however, is my Young Adult screenplay: Max Q. The elevator pitch for this is “Jonny Quest and Speed Racer meet Popular Science and Popular Mechanics,” and it’s a storyline I’ve been wanting to get to for several years. (Hey, remember this one, Tom Mason?) Nightlinger is the best series I’ve created or ever will create, but if Nightlinger ever had any competition, it’s Max Q and for the same reason: both series incorporate so many of the things I love. Unlike Nightlinger, which is about spooky stuff and old-fashion adventure, Max Q is R&D science fiction and classic cars. I’m not a motor-head, but my Dad was and one of my brothers is, and more of that rubbed off on me than even they probably ever realized. Max Q should be getting pitched around Hollywood next year, and, if I can ever find the right artist, I’d love to create graphic novels for this series.

And that was the year that was. I’m looking forward to having all these comics and books out next year, and, if you check them out, I hope you’ll enjoy them.

On to 2016!