5 Questions with Adam-Troy Castro

Andrea Cort is a very interesting character. How far do you plan to take your series with her?

I would be perfectly happy coming up with new things for Andrea to do for as long as a there’s a demand for new stories. As of this point, the Andrea Cort series consists of the novella “Unseen Demons,” and the novels Emissaries from the Dead, The Third Claw of God, and War of the Marionettes (so far only scheduled for release in Germany). Who knows if the market will make room for more novels? But I have just completed a new Andrea Cort novella, “Hiding Place,” which just started making the rounds of the magazines. I suppose that Andrea short fiction will continue to appear from time to time, regardless of her fate at novel length.

Was the inspiration for Andrea somebody in the real world, pure creation or some other combination?

Pure creation, though her literary predecessors include Ellery Queen, Sherlock Holmes, and Susan Calvin.

As an author that crosses genres, do you believe genre boundaries help or hinder authors? What about readers?

I do wish more people would venture into other areas of the bookstore, from time to time; and not just go back to the same half-dozen shelves. Genre boundaries focus readership, but also tend to limit it. As both a reader AND a writer, I get terribly bored with a diet of the same thing, all the time…which is why, whatever else you can say of my career, I haven’t plowed the same fields often enough to allow the existence of a “typical” story from my pen.

How do you feel about electronic publishing and the direction the industry seems to be headed?

I like E-publishing in theory, but the good thing about a book made of paper is that if you drop it in the bathtub you can go out and get another copy for the price of a good meal. You can also continue reading after the pilot tells you to turn off all electronics. I have absolutely no idea how this will all play out on a professional level. Sorry. I think confessing to no special wisdom is in and of itself a sign of wisdom.

If you could have one super power, what would it be?

Any question like that needs an A and a B answer, the first if we’re allowed to change the world and the second if we’re limited to selfish concerns. The A answer is, terraforming planets from a distance. The B answer is. picking the winning lottery numbers.

Like Emissaries ? – but wait, there’s more –

Still available! The Andrea Cort novels! EMISSARIES FROM THE DEAD! THE THIRD CLAW OF GOD! (both from Eos Press).

Forthcoming from Eos! Two collaborations with artist Johnny Atomic!

Z IS FOR ZOMBIE! And V IS FOR VAMPIRE!

New Short fiction for 2010-2011!

"Chance Encounter at the Insurance Office," In HINT FICTION!

"Arvies," in LIGHTSPEED online magazine!

"Anteroom," in THE LIVING DEAD II!

"Pieces of Ethan," in WEREWOLVES AND SHAPESHIFTERS!

Reprints: "Cerile and the Journeyer", in WAY OF THE WIZARD!

"Among the Tchi" in ESLI magazine (Russian language)!

"The Astronaut from Wyoming" sold to Japanese anthology!