Among the ancient ruins of a distant planet lies a girl's
diary, the first entry a warning: If you’re reading this and I’m not dead, then
get out of my stuff. With that brusque alert, begins the epic adventure in R.S.
Mellette’s space opera, “Kiya and the Morian Treasure.
An interview with
R.S. Mellette
- You previously worked on the popular television
program, “Xena: Warrior Princess.” How did that come about and what was
your job with the show?
In short, a fax came to the wrong number. I was
temping on the lot at Universal in the studio rental department — aka, the
least Hollywood place in Hollywood — and someone handed me a fax. “Here, this
came to the wrong number. Throw it away, would you?” I looked at it and saw it
was a note from Eric Gruendemann, the line producer for “Hercules.” It said,
“Since we’ve gotten the green light, I guess we have to do it for this.” A
general episode budget for “Xena: Warrior Princess” was attached.
Instead of throwing it away, I called Renaissance Pictures and asked, “Are you
waiting on a fax from New Zealand?” “YES!”
I wrote on the cover, “If you need a script coordinator or writer’s assistant
let me know,” with my phone number and forwarded it along.
A couple of week’s later, Rob Tapert’s assistant
hired me to work for head writer, R.J. Stewart. Besides typical assistant stuff
in the writer’s office, I also wrote the ADR — dialogue that’s recorded after
picture has been locked — created and wrote “The Xena Scrolls” for a brand new
thing called a webpage and unofficially moderated the netforum as user
“XenaStaff.” We won a Golden Reel for ADR editing when I was writing it. I
remember calling Bernie Joyce, the post-production producer, to congratulate
her. She said she’d rather win that than an Emmy and told me part of the award
was mine for the writing. I’m proud to have been a part of that.
2.
How
has writing novels differed from writing for film and television? Are there any
similarities that surprised you?
Every screenwriter-turned-novelist — and there
are a few of us, some better than others — has screamed at the top of their
lungs, “Where’s the art department?! Where is wardrobe!?” Writing a screenplay
is like writing a symphony, the only people who read it are professionals who
all speak the same language. Writing a novel is like playing a symphony all by
yourself. There’s nothing between you and the audience. That’s not quite true
of course. We depend on writer’s groups, friends, editors, agents, etc. to help,
but in the end, every scribble has to be ours.
3.
Your
father is a novelist as well. Can you tell us a bit about how he’s helped you
with your own writing career?
As a kid, I remember falling asleep to the sound
of my dad tapping away on his Selectric typewriter working on manuscript after
manuscript. Packing them in boxes with carefully constructed query letters and
return postage to be sent to agents. I remember his down, melancholy persona
when they came back in the mail. This went on for years. He finally did get an
agent, which 98 percent of novelists never achieve, but wasn’t traditionally
published.
“Kiya And The Morian Treasure” started as a
screenplay titled “My Adventures With Hannah In Space.” (Before Hannah Montana
and every other character named Hannah). When I finally caved into my Hollywood
friends telling me it should be a novel, I knew it wouldn’t be a cakewalk.
Being a novelist is no one’s stepping stone. I had to respect the medium, so I
turned to my dad for help. He did a deep dive on editing every sentence.
Teaching me about active voice, syncopating dialogue tags, cutting adverbs,
etc. Finding my voice. This book would not exist without his help.
4.
There
are quite a few popular sci-fi stories out there — “Star Wars,” “Dune,” just to
name a couple. Why was it so important to you for your story to have a female
heroine?
“I like hot chicks kicking ass” probably isn’t
an appropriate answer, huh? Back in 1996, when I first decided to write this,
all of the hero’s journey adventures were male-oriented. I thought twisting
those archetypal stories for female heroes was the gold mine “Xena” hit on, so
why not do what George Lucas did and move it into space? Plus, it seemed like
it’d be a lot of fun.
5.
What
makes your character Kiya different from Rey or Jyn Eros in the “Star Wars”
sagas?
Well, one, I wrote mine first. And two, Nadir,
Kiya’s sidekick. Those “ ‘Star Wars’ heroines” — and don’t get me wrong, I love
me some Star Wars — all had a man. Kiya has just gotten free from an abusive
man and is starting to learn from Nadir that there is a different kind of life
out there. Over the arch of the series of books, Kiya is going to learn her own
value, what she brings to the table.
Going back to the female heroes of the past up
until “Xena,” female heroes have been created under the insane morals and mores
of Western culture that preached women as the weaker sex, or somehow inferior
to men. I’ve always felt that we are one species, and so each of us are equal —
in good and bad ways. Nadir helps Kiya see the good ways to be strong.
6.
You’re
planning to release the first half of the audiobook via podcast. How are you
looking to provide more audiobook access for readers with this rollout?
I’m a huge fan of the Dumas books — “Count of
Monte Cristo,” “The Three Musketeers” etc. — as well as Dickens' “A Christmas
Carol” (I played Marley’s Ghost in a national tour) which were all
published serially. When the internet was young and Stephen King and (I think)
Neil Gaiman were playing around with serial releases online, I thought that
would be a good outlet for my story. Once I knew I’d have an audio book, it
wasn’t a big leap from a serial book to a podcast audio book. The first half
will be released as a free podcast — one chapter a week for nine weeks — as a
promotion. After that, the whole audio book will be for sale, since, you know,
I’ve got bills to pay.
7.
With
the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators in L.A., you’ve been
working to facilitate communication between publishing and the entertainment
Industry, can you tell us more about that?
This might get a little bit inside baseball,
but…
In the spring of 2019, pre-COVID, I put together
a meet and greet with traditionally published SCBWI members and various working
executives from the screen industries. There were no rules. I had no plan. I
just kept inviting people and they kept saying “yes.” Folks from several
branches of Disney, Paramount Animation, The Gotham Group, The Jim Henson
Company, Universal, down to independent producers and a woman’s theater
company. The authors and artists had a similar range of experience and
properties. Results were mixed. One poor Disney executive was followed around
like Scarlett Johansson at a frat party. While I don’t think the majors got
anything from it, the smaller production companies made some deals.
We were going to do it again the next year, but
… 2020. We plan to put the band back together — this time with a little more
structure — as soon as it’s feasible for a bunch of people to hang out and talk
again.
How did this come about? I’ve worked on both the
print and screen sides of the entertainment industry. From my somewhat unique
vantage point, I’ve been able to see into the blindspots of both. It was/is my
hope that, using my position on the board of directors of the L.A. region of
SCBWI, I can facilitate an education and networking program for professionals
on both sides.
The major studios and production companies know
all about the Big 5 publishers and their authors. In most cases, they’re owned
by the same corporations.They read the same trade magazines and are all
fighting for the same intellectual properties. But where does that leave
smaller production companies? The up-&-coming A24’s or pre-Twilight Temple
Hills of the world have about as much chance of getting the rights to the next
Dan Brown or Stephen King property as any of us have at winning the lottery.
And what about the young novelist whose only work is published by a company
specializing in auto repair manuals? How are they supposed to navigate
Hollywood? There are filmmakers who don’t have their own stories to tell. They
just want to make movies. There are novelists who desperately want more people
to experience their stories. It just seemed like a good idea to put them
together.
8.
Who,
or what, are your influences?
You mean who else am I stealing from? “Doctor
Who” is a favorite. An anime TV series from the ’70s called “Star Blazers.”
“Robin Hood” — the Errol Flynn version, “Xena,” of course, “Star Trek,” “Dune.”
All of the great sci-fi from Larry Niven that got me through high school.
If you actually mean who are my influences,
that’s more subtle. There was an acting teacher my freshman year at
UNC-Charlotte. Her name escapes me, but I had a crush on her, so I asked her
for some advice on writing a play. She said, “I don’t know anything about
writing, but I do know that a Broadway ticket costs $75. You have to write a
story that’s worth $75 to someone who works for a living.” That’s always stuck
with me. Any art I’m involved with, I try to make it worth what the consumer
pays for it, or maybe a little more.
There are others, of course — like my three best
friends in high school, Hilton, Richard and Jeff. You know, the same kind of
people everyone has in their lives, who shape us in ways we probably don’t even
notice. They are our real heroes.
9.
Why
is this book so important to you personally?
When I first wrote it in 1996, I was trying to
sell out. Many people had tried to copy what made “Xena” a success, but they
were getting it wrong, going for the gimmicks. I figured I’d had a good inside
look and I could repeat it. I’ve failed miserably at selling out. It’s harder
than you might think. I’ve also fallen in love with the characters and the
world they inhabit. Like a cook who has just made something new, I want to run
up to everyone and say, “Taste this. I made it!” I started out to prove that taking
an action story with a strong, silent-type, female hero and her female
sidekick/narrator — and not making an issue of their gender — can work in pop
culture. Now it’s time to find out if I’m right.
10.
What
do you hope readers take away from the book?
Just. Pure. Fun.
Follow R.S. Mellette:
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @rsmellette | Website: RSMellette.com
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