Kevin J. Anderson is the bestselling author of more than 190 books, with 24 million copies in print worldwide. He is best known for his work in the Star Wars and Dune universes; he is the co-producer of the recent film “Dune: Part Two” and the HBO TV series “Dune: Prophecy,” which is based on one of his novels with Brian Herbert. Kevin has lived in Colorado for 28 years, has completed the Colorado Trail and climbed all the 14ers, and he is the director of the graduate program in publishing for Western Colorado University. He lives in Monument.
SunLit: Tell us this book’s backstory – what’s it about and what inspired you to write it?
Kevin J. Anderson: I have always been a fan of the creepy cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft, and I think science fiction — being all alone in deep space — is a naturally scary setting for a story. The legendary imprint Weird Tales asked me to write a cosmic horror science fiction novel…and I thought a haunted house in space would be perfect.
SunLit: Place the excerpt you selected in context. How does it fit into the book as a whole and why did you select it?
Anderson: I chose chapter 1, because your book should start out with a bang. My main character Cammie Skoura, brilliant astrophysicist but neurodiverse and uncomfortable with human relationships, is stuck on a spaceship on a five-year voyage up to a mysterious wormhole on the edge of the solar system. Great mysteries lie ahead, but her own crewmates may cause the biggest challenges.
SunLit: What influences and/or experiences informed the project before you sat down to write?
Anderson: I reread the works of Lovecraft, the Cthulhu Mythos, “At the Mountains of Madness.” And I dove into some of my favorite scary science fiction movies, such as “Alien” and “Event Horizon.”
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Each week, The Colorado Sun and Colorado Humanities & Center For The Book feature an excerpt from a Colorado book and an interview with the author. Explore the SunLit archives at coloradosun.com/sunlit.
SunLit: What did the process of writing this book add to your knowledge and understanding of your craft and/or the subject matter?
Anderson: I am usually known for my big epic science fiction space operas and my world building, but “Nether Station” is a much smaller, more claustrophobic story. And I used all my skills in thrillers and horror to make this the most suspenseful novel I’ve ever written.
SunLit: What were the biggest challenges you faced in writing this book?
Anderson: I wanted to do something unique and unforgettable, to leverage the greatest possibilities of both the science fiction and cosmic horror genres. To make people viscerally feel the size and scope and heartlessness of the universe.
SunLit: What do you want readers to take from this book?
Anderson: I want them to be on the edge of their seat and feel their pulse racing as they read. And I want them to think twice the next time they look up into the deep, dark Colorado sky and wonder what’s out there…and if it’s out to get us.
SunLit: “Nether Station” ends on a huge cliffhanger. How did you take the challenge of writing the second half and making it even bigger?
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Anderson: The ending of “Nether Station” is possibly the biggest cliffhanger I’ve ever done in my career. A mind-bending “out of the frying pan and into the fire” crisis. It was delicious — and then when I sold the sequel, the rubber really hit the road. I had to grab all those myriad balls I had thrown up in the air and make them all come together in an even bigger and more exciting second act.
It was like diving headfirst out of a plane without checking my literary parachute…but I never had any doubts. I’ve written and published about 15 million words so far. My creative subconscious knows what it’s doing.
SunLit: Tell us about your next project.
Anderson: I am just wrapping up the final polish on the even bigger manuscript for the second half of this story, “Nether Vortex,” which will be published in a year.
A few more quick items
Currently on your nightstand for recreational reading: A new book on writing called “The Artisanal Author” by Johnny B. Truant
First book you remember really making an impression on you as a kid: “The War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells
Best writing advice you’ve ever received: Be persistent. There’s no such thing as an overnight success.
Favorite fictional literary character: Duke Leto Atreides from “Dune”
Literary guilty pleasure (title or genre): I am a sucker for all of Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer novels. But there’s nothing guilty about it. You shouldn’t feel ashamed of anything you enjoy reading.
Digital, print or audio – favorite medium to consume literature: Print.
One book you’ve read multiple times: “Dune”
Other than writing utensils, one thing you must have within reach when you write: My digital recorder and my hiking boots, because I do all my writing by dictation.
Best antidote for writer’s block: There’s no such thing as writer’s block. Doctors don’t get doctor’s block. Lawyers don’t get lawyer’s block. Teachers don’t get teacher’s block. Get over it and do your job.
Most valuable beta reader: I have many, depending on what any particular book needs.
An interview to provide a relevant perspective, edited for clarity and not fully fact-checked.