September 2004
CD: When and how did you decide to write THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER?
I can almost give you the exact date and circumstances. It was in mid-October 2002 and the idea came to me in the shower, which is where I do my best thinking. People had frequently asked me when I was going to write a book about King and I’d always resisted, because his collected works are so vast and overwhelming. It occurred to me that an examination of the Dark Tower series was more contained and well defined. I saw the series as a microcosm, a condensed version of King’s entire publishing career. Writing this book would be a way to look at the whole in a smaller, more manageable bite. The idea grew from that notion.
CD: This book was approved by King, correct? Did he read the manuscript? Did he have any input on it?
King authorized the book, which means that I asked if he minded if I wrote it and he said he didn’t. He then facilitated the process two years ago by providing the first draft manuscripts of the last three Dark Tower books. He didn’t ask anything in return. No strings attached. I also had the chance to ask him about certain things along the way to enhance the text, but I tried not to bother him too much. Busy guy, y’know? I spread my questions around. His assistant got some, his researcher got some, and his editor got some, as did his publisher and publicist.
He did ask to read the manuscript after it had been through the first round of editing and revision, in case there were any factual errors. He made absolutely no suggestions for changes, and graciously supplied the wonderful blurb that appears on the front cover.
CD: How does it feel to finally be able to discuss the entire Dark Tower series now that the last book has been published?
I feel like I’ve been talking about the series non-stop for two years—with myself. And with my editor, who fortunately also got to read the early manuscripts. I do look forward to discussing my interpretations and conclusions with people, because I think some of the things I wrote are very much open to debate and form a good launching pad for discourse. My message board (see www.bevvincent.com for the link) is a good place to find me if you want to talk about the series.
However, I’m leery of entering into existing discussions because I don’t want to stifle them. I’ve had a long time to form my conclusions and ideas, whereas everyone else is just now coming to terms with the revelations of the last volume. I’m happy to sit back and watch people come up with their own opinions—some of which will certainly be radically different from my own. Over the past two years, I’ve been doing a lot of that, watching people speculate about what might happen in the final books.
CD: Will you be doing any book signings for THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER?
My debut is at the Barnes & Noble in The Woodlands, Texas, near where I live. That’s on October 8th at 7:30 pm. Next up is a signing at Books, Etc. in Portland, Maine on October 17th at 1:30 pm, part of thedarktower.net’s PalaverCon, which will also be attended by Michael Whelan and Rick Berry (the convention, not the signing). I’ll be reading, signing and fielding questions at HorrorFind West in Phoenix, Arizona on October 30th from 1:00 to 2:30 and I’ll be at World Fantasy Convention in Tempe, Arizona the same weekend, taking part in whatever signing rituals they have there and hanging around at the Donald M. Grant table. There’ll be others in Texas, I’m sure – check my web page for updates.
CD: How is THE ILLUSTRATED STEPHEN KING TRIVIA BOOK coming along?
It’s in the production stage. Layout, things like that, of which I know nothing. We (by which I mean, not me) have to design the interior, lay in the illustrations and add questions for them, and then we (by which I mean other people and me) have to proof it again. Then it should be good to go. As I understand it, the book should be out by the end of the year. We ended up with over 1000 questions, about three quarters of which were submitted by nearly 100 contributors. The questions come with a set of clues, some of which are helpful!
CD: What kind of contribution is Glenn Chadbourne making for the book?
In my opinion, Glenn is making the defining contribution to the book. At first it was going to be THE ULTIMATE STEPHEN KING TRIVIA BOOK, but once we decided to get Glenn to do some of his kick-ass illustrations and use them as the basis for other questions, the book took on an entirely different form. His illustrations will make it truly unique and a treasure to behold.
By the way, Glenn is also doing a set of seven limited edition bookmarks for THE ROAD TO THE DARK TOWER and they are just awesome. I’d love to watch him work some day. His drawings are so intricate, but he’s amazingly fast.
CD: Your short fiction seems to be popping up in more and more places. Are you also working on a novel?
Yes, I completed the first draft of a novel called MISSING PERSONS before leaving for NECON this summer. My agent read it and gave me a couple of pages of notes, and now I’m going through the revision stage. He’s really optimistic about the project, which is a contagious sentiment. I think it’s different from what people might expect from me. I’ve already had an editor ask to see a novel when I had one ready—in response to my story in FROM THE BORDERLANDS—so we’ll see how that goes. I’ve also submitted a proposal for another novel and I’m waiting to hear a response from that editor.
CD: Anything new on the non-fiction front?
New American Library gets first dibs on my next non-fiction book. I finished the proposal for the follow-up to ROAD, and my agent and I have gone over it and feel it’s ready to submit. I can’t say anything more about the subject of the book except that it has nothing to do with Stephen King.