Q: How did you
con or talk your way into joining Asprin and eventually being allowed to take
over the Myth World Series?
A: I made Bob
an offer he couldn’t refuse. No, but seriously, folks.
I
began to work with Bob while he was suffering from a bad bout of writer’s block.
It can be fatal for a writer’s career to become stuck while also on deadline and
with other contracts looming. (In fact, he had just found out he was on the New
York Times Bestseller List for Phule’s Company.) My husband was one of
Bob’s best friends and had worked with him on other business matters. Bill
thought it would be a good thing for Bob to get away from his other series for a
while and work with a collaborator on something new and unrelated. He chose me
because I also write humor and Bob and I have gotten along famously since we
met. The punning alone would have driven normal listeners mad. But to
collaborate
We
wrote about our first experience in the introduction to one of our books. First
we circled one another nervously, yowling war cries. Claws were extended and
hissing threats issued. Bob literally gave me the “I have a rep to protect”
speech. I retorted that so did I have a rep to protect.
Thereafter, we just settled in to the stimulating exercise of plotting out a
book. The result was License Invoked, a contemporary fantasy set in New
Orleans about spies, magic and rock’n’roll. We had such a good time that when
Bob finished the original twelve-book Donning-Starblaze contract for the
Myth-Adventures, he asked me to collaborate with him on new Myths. He felt that
I understood the characters and the basic tenets of the universe. Plus, I could
sling puns with the best of them. I have a gift for literary mimicry, so I was
able to write in a style that so approximated Bob’s that it is difficult for
readers to guess who wrote what. And I’ll never tell. He trusted me with his
baby. I will always do my best to repay that trust.
We
wrote six Myth novels and an anthology together before he passed away in 2008.
The publisher approached me to continue the series. I felt I could do it. I
wanted to do it. My husband was Bob’s literary executor, so there was no problem
getting permission from the estate.
Q: How difficult
is it to stay true to Myth and yet expand it to fit your vision?
A: No trouble,
really. I do respect the universe and the characters (who have since moved into
my head. The scaly green guy is a particularly demanding tenant). Bob had always
left plenty of scope for expansion. I have never and will never approach the
edges of possibility. At the moment the characters are still working out their
position in the newly revamped M.Y.T.H., Inc. since Skeeve rejoined it. That
makes for some interesting conflict. Bob always wrote strong female characters,
so I see plot lines involving Bunny, Tananda, Massha and others. Bob left
several elements unresolved, such as Robin and the boys. There are many places I
can go with future books. I’ve got two books fully plotted that will follow the
one on which I am currently working, and many more ideas.
Q: Todd
McCaffrey was allowed to create new time settings and characters for Pern. How
difficult is it for you to keep with the characters created by
Asprin?
A: I find it a
little difficult to get inside Guido’s head sometimes. Bob wrote him from the
point of view of a guy who had been in the military. Bob did a stint in the
infantry. I have never served. I know people I can ask for perspective, but it’s
different than living it. I’m not as uninhibited as Tananda, but I will move
outside my comfort zone to get her point of view. I don’t have a problem with
the others.
Q: What
character or aspect of Myth is the most fun for you to write?
A: I enjoy
throwing Skeeve into a situation that confuses him. His perspective, as the
perpetual innocent who in spite of evidence to the contrary believes the best
about others, is a great jumping-off point for playing on absurdity. He does
have a good heart, and he believes in the win-win scenario. In the end, he
always finds a solution that is true to him. I love looking for those twists.
Q: Do you have
more Myth Manuscripts coming in the future?
A: I’m working
on one at the moment. It should be going in to the publisher soon.
Please visit my
websites at www.jodynye.com and www.mythadventures.net for
updates.
Thank you very
much for the opportunity to say a few words! I really appreciate it.
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Thank you, Jody! I'm looking forward to Myth-Quoted.
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