Buffy The Vampire Slayer

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SL: The next question, I think inevitably, is…were you a fan of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER before you started writing for the BtVS novels?

DGG: No, but that’s because the editor called me…along with many other Simon & Schuster authors…to tell me to watch the show because there was already a deal for books. However, I loved it right away and was thrilled to be a part of the series. When I came up with a premise she and the show producers liked, we went to contract.

SL: Your first Buffy novel, OBSIDIAN FATE, deals with the Aztecs; is this an area of historical interest for you? I found it interesting that you chose to utilize actual ancient deities, rather than simply creating some new mystical menace out of whole cloth, if only because that’s fairly rare in the BtVS series. I think because Joss Whedon tended to avoid established mythologies on the television show, a lot of novelists followed suit.

DGG: I look for established mythologies, creepy incidents, urban myths, and actual historical events as a launching point for Buffy, CHARMED, and SMALLVILLE, among others. I found the Aztec god of darkness online and realized it fit well with the Buffyverse. That formed a foundation for the story, but the established Buffy "facts" take precedence over actual myths and events. Those are molded to fit the Buffyverse.

SL: For your next book, DOOMSDAY DECK, you employ Kali as the menace, as well as making tarot cards central to the story. Did you receive any backlash for utilizing a deity of Hinduism as the villain, or in using the tarot as a tool of evil? I ask because I’m certain there are some people who might be sensitive to such things.

DGG: If there was a backlash, I’m not aware of it. A tarot reader helped me with the tarot details. I’ve contacted and had the help of other experts in various fields, especially for the CHARMED books.

SL: After a five year break, you returned to Buffy with SPARK AND BURN. Why such a delay? And was Spike a character you enjoyed writing about?

DGG: I was writing a lot of CHARMED. SPARK AND BURN came about in a casual conversation I had with the editor about something else. I mentioned that the show did not tell us why Spike suddenly-sort of-came to his senses after he got his soul back. The answer was obviously that Buffy had something to do with it—but what specifically? He was looking for a Spike book, and I turned in an outline. Although I used dialogue and scenes from all the significant Spike episodes, the scenes were enhanced by Spike’s thought processes and expanded. And of course, at the time of publication, all the Buffy novels were taking place in the second season before Angel became Angelus, which was where seventh season Spike found the anchor he needed.

SL: And who has been your favorite BtVS character to write for?

DGG: I don’t have a favorite. All the Buffy characters are so unique and well defined they’re a pleasure to write. I tried, as much as possible, to include the supporting characters: Joyce, Anya, Jenny, and Jonathan as examples.

SL: Have you ever met any of the actors from the series you’ve written books for? I’d have to think it might feel a little weird, meeting someone who, in so many ways, is someone you know well, and yet it’s really not them at all, right?

DGG: Actually, I met James Marsters at Dragon*con in Atlanta last year and was able to hand him a copy of SPARK AND BURN. That was fantastic. He’s the only one, however. I don’t get out much. [Laughter]

SL: Have you ever pitched any Buffy story ideas that, for whatever reason, were turned down?

DGG: Of course! It took me a while to get into the Buffy groove early on. Not so much in recent years.

SL: Your final BtVS novel was also one of the last books published by Simon & Schuster before they concluded the series, BAD BARGAIN. Did you have any inkling that the franchise was coming to a close when you were writing it?

DGG: Yes, I did. So sad. The Spike book was a labor of love, but BAD BARGAIN may be my favorite. It was pure second season Buffy fun, and I was able to insert all the support characters we didn’t learn about until later in the series. Jonathan and Andrew in particular. As I said before, I love doing critters, and BAD BARGAIN was chock full of little weirdies.

SL: If you had the chance to write one more Buffy tale, do you know what it would be about?

DGG: I’d probably want to write the same book I think the other Buffy writers would want to write: What happened immediately after the last scene in the last episode? I don’t know, but it would be a fun idea to explore.

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