Interview:
An Interview with Michael Stackpole

If you're a fan of BattleTech or Star Wars novels, then you've no doubt heard of author Michael Stackpole. Since the late 1980s, Stackpole has been an integral part of the BattleTech and Star Wars universes, which is probably why he's still attending fandom conventions all over the country. In fact, he will be appearing at the upcoming Phoenix ComiCon, which is being held May 27 - 30, 2010 at the The Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona (USA). The good folks at Phoenix ComiCon were nice enough to set up an interview with Stackpole on Alltern8's behalf, in anticipation of his appearance at the convention. In the interview below, Stackpole discusses his past with FASA and Jordan Weisman, his upcoming projects, and some of his convention experiences.

Alltern8: After Jordan Weisman, you were probably the most responsible for driving the story of the BattleTech universe forward in the 1990s, via your novel series. Was the decision to get involved in that franchise (and the Warrior Trilogy) a result of a business association, personal motivation, a combination of the two?

Michael Stackpole: The decision to get involved with the franchise was very much a combination of both. I got asked to write the Warrior Trilogy, but during Warrior: Riposte, Jordan called up to tell me some of the background stuff that was going on. He wanted me to incorporate some things, which I was able to do pretty easily. Later, at a trade show in Las Vegas (in 1988) Jordan and I had some discussions that resulted in the creation of the Clans. Because Jordan and I tended to think along the same lines, working together was very easy. Then as Jordan transitioned out of FASA and over to FASA Interactive, my continuing as the architect of the future history made sense. The fact that FASA was easy to work with and that I liked all the folks helped a great deal down the years.

Alltern8: You've mentioned that the creative process in collaborating with FASA was very involved. Is this a quality that a self-proclaimed control freak abhors as a stumbling block, or enjoys because it keeps the professional relationship organized?