2007 Scribe Award Winners Announced

The winners of the Scribe awards were announced late Sunday afternoon at the San Diego Comic-Con. The convention is in its 38^th year and drew more than 120,000 attendees.

The winners are:

· Speculative Fiction, Best Novel Adapted—Superman Returns by Marv Wolfman

· Speculative Fiction, Best Novel Original—30 Days of Night: Rumors of the Undead by Stephen Niles and Jeff Mariotte

· General Fiction, Best Novel Adapted—Snakes on a Plane by Christa Faust

· Best Novel Original—Las Vegas: High Stakes by Jeff Mariotte

· Young Adult All Genres, Best Novel—Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time by Alice Henderson

· Grandmaster, honoring career achievement in the field: Donald Bain

Max Allan Collins, president of IAMTW, said: "The San Diego Comic-Con is the perfect place to kick off our Scribe Awards. It's a virtual world's fair of popular culture, and the members of the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers deal with some of the most famous fictional characters of all time."

The IAMTW was formed in 2006 by Collins, author of Road to Perdition and the USA Today bestselling CSI novels, and Lee Goldberg, author of many Monk and Diagnosis Murder novels. The organization is dedicated to enhancing the professional and public image of tie-in writers and providing a forum for tie-in writers to share information, support one another, and discuss issues relating to their field. There are more than 150 members of the IAMTW, including authors active in many other professional writer organizations, including the Writers Guild of America, the Mystery Writers of America, the Western Writers of America, and the Science Fiction Writers of America.

Collins said: "We've banded together to bring recognition to individual excellence in our field, as well as to shine a light on all of the writers who create the books that put movies on the printed page, and bring popular TV characters to life in prose. Working with characters from another medium, created by other writers, is a challenging task. Readers worldwide have responded to these books by buying them in the millions, and the creative minds responsible deserve some applause."

About the winners:

Donald Bain is the author or ghost/author of nearly 100 books, many of them bestsellers. They encompass both fiction and non-fiction, and include such categories as murder mysteries, westerns, comedies, investigative journalism, food, business, psychology and historical dramatizations. Among his books, the airline comedy, Coffee Tea or Me?, published almost 30 years ago, together with its sequels sold more than five million copies worldwide and was the basis of a television movie-of-the-week. His current project, a series of more than two dozen original paperback murder mysteries for Signet, are written “in collaboration" with TV's most famous mystery writer, Jessica Fletcher of "Murder, She Wrote," who exists only as a fictitious character. He is married to Renee Paley-Bain, also a writer, who collaborates with him on the Murder She Wrote series.

Christa Faust calls herself a writer with a fetish for noir cinema, tattoos, and seamed stockings. Among her books are Snakes on a Plane, Final Destination III: The Movie, Friday the 13^th: The Jason Strain, A Nightmare on Elm Street #2: Dreamspawn, and Twilight Zone #5: Burned/One Night at Mercy, all published by Games Workshop.

Alice Henderson has been writing since her father gave her his old Underwood manual typewriter when she was six. From early on she wrote tales of the supernatural, spooking herself as she pounded away on the typewriter in her childhood turn-of-the-century house. Her passion for writing only grew, and she wrote her first novel at age eleven. She earned her B.A. in Literature and Language at Webster University, where she began writing screenplays. She once worked for Lucasfilm Ltd., where she wrote for video games, both manuals and strategy guides, including the manual for Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. In 2001, she became a full-time freelance writer.

Jeff Mariotte has written more than thirty novels, including original horror epic The Slab, and Stoker Award nominated teen horror series Witch Season, as well as books set in the universes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Las Vegas, Conan, 30 Days of Night, Charmed, Star Trek and Andromeda and a novelization of the movie Boogeyman. He is also the author of more comic books than he has time to count, including the original Western series Desperadoes, some of which have been nominated for Stoker and International Horror Guild awards.

Stephen Niles is one of the writers responsible for bringing horror comics back to prominence, and was recently named by Fangoria magazine as one of its "13 rising talents who promise to keep us terrified for the next 25 years." Niles is currently working for the four top American comic publishers - Marvel, DC, Image, and Dark Horse. Currently ongoing at Image is the creator-owned series Bad Planet with co-writer Thomas Jane, and The Cryptics with artist Ben Roman.

Marv Wolfman is known for his work in comic books, movies, television, animation, children's books, theme park shows and rides, video games, novels, and internet animation. His newest non-fiction book is Homeland, The Illustrated History of the State of Israel, which covers the founding of the country from the time of Abraham to the present. His novel, Crisis on Infinite Earths, based on his award-winning 1985 comic, was published April, 2005. The first printing sold out in less than three weeks and the second printing sold out a few weeks later. The trade paperback was released in April, 2006. Superman Returns was published June, 2006.

For more information on the Scribe awards or IAMTW, contact Max Allan Collins, macphilms@hotmail.com

Unplug Me

Beguiled by the wily suggestions of Rich Dansky, the fine folks over at Storytellers Unplugged asked me to join their hearty crew of professional writers, editors, and other assorted scalawags. In a moment of dumbfounded excitement—which kept me from begging off due to my soul-crushing deadlines—I accepted.

In the ensuing blizzard of e-mails, I realized that I'd been shanghaied into—ah, signed up for—providing a short essay for the website, once a month, on a particular day. Joe Nassise, who's in charge of the whole shebang, whip-cracked me with the 21st. That starts this month or, as the kids say, today.

So, stop by Storytellers Unplugged and check out my first essay for the crew. While you're there, be sure to poke around and see what the other press-ganged souls have come up with too.

Getting the Last Word

My novel THE LAST WORD is coming out next week... it's the eighth and final book in my tie-in series based on DIAGNOSIS MURDER, a show I also wrote and produced. Reviews are starting to come in and some fans/critics are surprised and a bit shocked by what I wrote. Some have called it "too dark."

I don't think it's any darker than THE PAST TENSE (#5) or THE DOUBLE LIFE (#7)...the other books in what I like to think of as an "unofficial" trilogy. It was certainly my intent with THE LAST WORD -- as well as PAST TENSE and DOUBLE LIFE -- to explore, as deeply as I could, Dr. Mark Sloan and to make him more than just a one-dimensional TV character, a "doctor who solves crimes." Over those three books, and to a lesser degree in THE SHOOTING SCRIPT (#3), I was intentionally confronting/deconstructing the ridiculous conceits of the series in a backwards attempt to make the implausible, underlying concept more believable and, by extension, the characters more real. I know that sounds pretentious, but I like to think that's what made these books read more like novels than simply knock-offs of a TV show...and why I was lucky enough to enjoy so much critical praise for them.

If I ever decide to do more DM books, the resolution of THE LAST WORD opens the door to go in a new direction which...after being involved in four seasons of DM as a writer/producer and as the author of eight books...I am ready to do. I think I have taken this particular format and these relationships about as far as they can go.

I'm curious to know what you think. Is THE LAST WORD a fitting end for the series? Or did I go too far?

Canon Fodder

An author I know was recently taken to task by a disgruntled fan because a character in a tie-in novel mentioned visiting the Grand Canyon when, in a recent episode, the same character said he'd never been there. My author friend was surprised that a fan would care about such an insignificant detail. I agree with my friend...especially if you are writing book based on an on-going TV series. It's virtually impossible for the books and the series to not contradict each other over little details. Publishing can't keep up with production...in the time it takes for my finished MONK manuscript to reach the stands, an entire new season of MONK has been written and shot. I have no control over the content of the episodes that are conceived, written and produced after I have written my book. Which is why I added the following disclaimer to my Monk books:

"While I try to stay true to the continuity of the TV series, it's not always possible, given the long lead time between when my books are written and when they are published. During that period, new episodes may air that contradict details or situations referred to in my books. If you come across any such continuity mismatches, your understanding is appreciated."

Bottom line, it's fiction. We are sharing characters in two very different mediums. The fans have to understand that these are characters in a fictional world...and relax.

Saville on His Scribe Nomination

There's a great interview at UKSFBookNews with IAMTW member Steve Saville about his nomination for a Scribe Award. Here's a short excerpt:

UKSFBN: Do you think these awards are going to help raise the profile and respectability of tie-in novels and boost sales, or is it more of an intra-industry back-slapping exercise?

SAVILLE: Sorry, I can't help but chuckle at the idea of the awards existing to boost sales when as a general rule of thumb most media tie-ins outsell traditional SF and Fantasy novels quite considerably - and I don't mean one or two thousand more copies, I mean twenty or thirty or fifty thousand copies and often more.

I find it quite interesting, but tie-in writing is often seen as the 'ghetto within the ghetto', which is just absurd when you consider who are actually writing these books. Off the top of my head: Max Allan Collins, Brian Hodge, Christopher Golden, Craig Shaw Gardner, Tom Picirrili, Tim Lebbon, Kevin J Anderson, Keith DeCandido, Eric Nylund, Sean Williams, Terry Brooks, R.A. Salvatore... I mean, these are guys who can write, win those 'traditional back-slapping awards' and more importantly sell from the bookstore shelves.

Thanks to my Warhammer novels I was in a position financially to go full time as a writer two years ago. Whether they want to admit it or not, most genre writers would kill for the sales levels of even average tie-ins. Eric Nylund's recent Halo novel scaled the Giddy Heights of the New York Times Bestsellers list. I remember reading Allan Dean Foster's old media tie-ins and never once did I think of Splinter in the Mind's Eye as disposable fiction; as a young reader it was fantastic.

As a writer, for me, the most important thing is actually being read. The idea of sweating over a novel only read by 200 people is a pretty depressing notion. You want your words to reach as many people as possible.

Ghost Riding with Greg Cox

The friendly folks over at Bookgasm conducted a terrific interview with IAMTW member GREG COX about writing comic book tie-ins and movie novelizations (most recently, the tie-in for the comic-turned-movie GHOST RIDER). It's a revealing peek into the creative obstacles a tie-in writer often faces:

BOOKGASM: What do you find attractive about writing novelizations? And what’s not-so-attractive?

COX: On the positive side, you get to let someone else worry about the plotting and dialogue for once. It’s also just neat, on a fannish level, to be privy to the inside scoop on some upcoming new movie. The challenge is trying to describe a movie you haven’t actually seen; I’m always desperate for any sort of visual reference material I can get from the studio. Getting photos of the supporting characters tends to be difficult sometimes. The deadlines can be pretty tight, too.

BOOKGASM: When you finally see a film you earlier wrote a novelization for, what’s that experience like?

COX: Usually, it takes a couple of viewings before I can appreciate the movie on its own terms. The first time through, I’m too busy wincing at all the differences between the book and the movie. “Hey, what happened to the barn scene? That chase doesn’t go there. Ohmigod, they changed the dialogue. Wait a second, nobody told me that character was a woman!”

Eventually, though, after enough time has passed, I can start to experience the movie as just another audience member again.

Scribe Nominees and Grandmaster Announced

The International Association of Media Tie-In Writers is pleased to announce the nominees for the first annual Scribe Awards, honoring excellence in licensed tie-in writing for books published in 2006.

Our first annual GRANDMASTER AWARD, honoring career achievement in the field, will go to DONALD BAIN, author of the MURDER SHE WROTE novels and the ghostwriter behind COFFEE, TEA OR ME and other bestsellers.

The 2007 Scribe awards will be given out at a ceremony in late July at Comic-Con in San Diego. The details on the event, and how to attend, will be announced in the near future. Congratulations to all our nominees!

SPECULATIVE FICTION

BEST NOVEL – ADAPTED

SLAINE: THE EXILE by Steven Savile
SUPERMAN RETURNS by Marv Wolfman
TOXIC AVENGER: THE NOVEL by Lloyd Kaufman & Adam Jahnke
ULTRAVIOLET by Yvonne Navarro
UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION by Greg Cox

BEST NOVEL – ORIGINAL

STAR TREK CRUCIBLE: McCOY – PROVENANCE OF SHADOWS by David R. George III
STARGATE ATLANTIS: EXOGENESIS by Elizabeth Christensen & Sonny Whitelaw
THIRTY DAYS OF NIGHT: RUMORS OF THE UNDEAD by Jeff Mariotte & Steve Niles
WARHAMMER: FAITH AND FIRE by James Swallow
WARHAMMER: ORC SLAYER by Nathan Long

GENERAL FICTION

BEST NOVEL - ADAPTED

SNAKES ON A PLANE by Christa Faust
THE PINK PANTHER by Max Allan Collins

BEST NOVEL – ORIGINAL

CSI NEW YORK: BLOOD ON THE SUN by Stuart Kaminsky
LAS VEGAS: HIGH STAKES by Jeff Mariotte
MR. MONK GOES TO HAWAII by Lee Goldberg
OAKDALE CONFIDENTIAL: SECRETS REVEALED by Alina Adams

YOUNG ADULT – ALL GENRES

BEST NOVEL

ALIAS APO: STRATEGIC RESERVE by Christina York
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: PORTAL THROUGH TIME by Alice Henderson
DRAGONLANCE: WARRIOR’S HEART by Stephen Sullivan
KNIGHTS OF THE SILVER DRAGON: PROPHECY OF THE DRAGONS by Matt Forbeck

Me on TV

You can catch me and criminal defense attorney Thomas Mesereau together on the latest episode of INSIDER EXCLUSIVE with Steve Murphy on the web and on a cable station near you. Steve is a congenial interviewer and, although he makes a couple errors (he calls me the "creator and host" of MONK on the "USA Today" network), it was a lot of fun to be a guest and I think you'll enjoy watching. I talk quite a bit about writing the MONK and DIAGNOSIS MURDER tie-ins. I taped as second episode that day, with another criminal defense attorney, and will share that link with you as soon as I get it.

The Big Thrill

This is essay was originally posted on IAMTW member Burl Barer's blog:

One question I'm often asked -- aside from "where do you get your ideas?" -- is "what's it like to be an author?"That's rather like asking, "what is it like to be you?" Well, I've always been me, so I have nothing to compare with the experience. As for being an author, the big thrill is actually holding the completed, published book in my hand. I will never forget the day my first book was published, and it arrived at my home. On the hardback spine were the words THE SAINT BURL BARER. The full title was on the front, and it is a long title...but seeing THE SAINT BURL BARER on a high quality hardbound book, library binding, fully illustrated was a source of joy and accomplishment for me.

It hasn't changed. I feel that same sense of completion and reward each time I hold my latest book for the first time -- even STEALTH a novelization which I wrote in English but was published only in a Japanese translation.

And even though the publishers send me some promotional copies, I often find the book in the stores before my complimentary copies arrive -- so, I buy one, sit down, and read it.In truth, I can't really read one of my books as if I hadn't written it for at least a year after it comes out -- it is still too fresh in my mind. You know, where I was when I wrote a certain page, or note a paragraph that I agonized over uselessly.

THE SAINT: A Complete History was written in so many cities, on so many different computers, in many different programs: FIRST CHOICE ( dos) LOTUS, WORD PERFECT, MSWORD, RTF, and whatever was available. Hence, each page reminds me of the place I sat, the computer I used, the problems I faced, or the fun I had.

CAPTURE THE SAINT was written in such diverse locales as Burbank, California, Loon Lake, Washington, and mostly at my mother's condo in Seattle, Washington. A former newspaper woman, my mom would proofread each page, and encourage me with treats.

"Give me ten more pages," said Mom, "and I'll give you a bowl of ice cream."

It worked.

Benson on the Air

You can listen to a long interview with Raymond Benson, who wrote the James Bond books for many years, and author Robert Goldsborough, who wrote the Nero Wolfe books after Rex Stout passed away. You can find it at:

http://www.waukegan.org/RadioWaukegan/default.asp#WW018

Go to the middle of the page, find the section called "Writers Webcast with Chris Angelos" and download the link dated February 28, which is the interview. Bob is first, and Raymond comes on. You'll learn a lot about writing and the tie-in biz.