Interview with Christopher Golden On his novel The Pandora Room, writing, and inspirations.

Release Date: 2019
Genre: Book2Screen, Fantasy, Horror, Interviews, Mystery/Thriller, Nonfiction, Young Adult
Author: Christopher Golden

CHRISTOPHER GOLDEN is the award-winning, bestselling author of such novels as The Myth Hunters, The Boys Are Back in Town, Strangewood, and Of Saints and Shadows. He co-wrote the lavishly illustrated novel Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire with Mike Mignola, and the comic book series featuring the same character. His novel Ararat won the 2017 Bram Stoker Award for best horror novel.

The Interview with Christopher Golden

Lou Pendergrast

Welcome. You must be looking forward to this new release The Pandora Room. Tell me more about this tale, what should we expect?

Christopher Golden

I’m really excited for people to get their hands on THE PANDORA ROOM and also very nervous, as I always am before a book is born. As far as what to expect, I don’t want to give too much away, but…ancient evil, ancient history, legends, and some very contemporary adventure. It’s another large ensemble of characters, each of whom has their own issues to contend with, but if I had to pick two to focus on, it would be Ben Walker, of course, and a new character named Dr. Sophie Durand, an archaeologist with a lot on her mind. She thinks she has discovered the actual Pandora’s Box of Greek myth, but also believes it is both much more complicated and far more dangerous than anyone would ever have guessed. There are spies and jihadis and traitors, and there are secrets and lies and relationships at stake. I had a blast, if you couldn’t tell, writing this thing!

Lou Pendergrast

How did it come about into being on the page, what was the inspiration behind?

Christopher Golden

I love folklore, myth, legend…all of it, and occasionally I’ll be reading or researching something and I’ll stumble upon an idea. While reading about the Pandora myth, I discovered that there was another version of the story in which the character was named Anesidora, and I wondered what would happen if the two had been sisters instead of names for the same person, and what if there had been two jars, one with all the world’s blessings and one with its curses. It just took off from there.

This is a second tale with the character Ben Walker. What would his bio be like many have yet to read his adventures.

Christopher Golden

Ben Walker is a “weird shit expert” employed by a secret division of DARPA, the U.S. Department of Defense’s agency in charge of pursuing scientific developments that may have military implications. Walker’s job is to go in, undercover, figure out if new discoveries might be weaponized, and if so, to make sure the U.S. gets to weaponize them first, or at least can develop a way to defend against them. Unfortunately for him, Walker has encountered some things that are unnatural, even supernatural, and suddenly science doesn’t seem quite as reliable as it used to be.

Ararat was a 2017 Bram Stoker Award winner what was the seed and inspiration behind it?

Christopher Golden

Similarly, I had stumbled on an article about Arkologists—people who spend their lives studying and searching for Noah’s Ark. I’d printed that up and had it only my desk for many years, just as a reminder that there was a novel in there somewhere. Of course, being a horror guy at heart, I was also well aware of the early tales of Noah encountering demons, and eventually I just had this image in my head of an earthquake on Ararat revealing a cave, uncovering the Ark…and finding a coffin inside that had the corpse of a demon in it. Noah brought all of the creatures on Earth to safety from the flood, but this was something he never intended to save. I loved that idea.

I read recently AGC Television optioned your novels to screen. What is your hopes and involvement for the series?

Christopher Golden

My hopes are simple—that the series makes it onto TV, and that it’s as great as I know it could be. As for my involvement, I’m writing the pilot and the bible for the series right now and I’m also an Executive Producer on the show. We have a long way to go, but I’m loving every minute of the process.

AGC Television Plots Series From Christopher Golden’s Ben Walker Book Franchise

What could we expect to see next from the mind of Christopher Golden?

Christopher Golden

I have comic book projects brewing with Dark Horse and Marvel Comics. My next anthology is HEX LIFE, which I edited with Rachel Autumn Deering and which will be out later this year. Next year, you can look forward to the third Ben Walker novel, RED HANDS.

Writing, when, where, and with what do you it?

Christopher Golden

Pretty much every day, usually in my home office, and on my Mac or my laptop.

Story mechanics, do you outline?

Christopher Golden

Yes, but I outline differently depending on the project, sometimes in lots of detail and sometimes very little. I follow my instincts, I suppose.

What would be your key advice to the aspiring author?

Christopher Golden

Read as much as you can and write as much as you can, both in a variety of genres, to stretch both your writing muscles and your imagination.

Which authors have been you greatest influences, and their books which ones you reread and recommend?

Christopher Golden

There are so, so, so many, but the top ones must be Stephen King (Salem’s Lot and The Stand), John Irving (A Prayer for Owen Meany), Larry McMurtry (Lonesome Dove), Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle), and Dennis Lehane (the Kenzie/Gennaro novels).

Lou Pendergrast

Thanks for this insightful chat on your writing and writing life. All the best and success with The Pandora Room and the series and new works to come.

Christopher Golden

Thanks, Lou!

Reviewed by Lou Pendergrast on 25 April 2019