Q & A: Aaron Rosenberg

Aaron Rosenberg lives in New York and divides his time between writing novels and designing role playing games.

STARGATE ATLANTIS: Hunt and Run is his first book for Fandemonium.

1) How and when did you become a fan of STARGATE SG-1 and STARGATE ATLANTIS?

I saw the original Stargate movie in the theatre, and loved it. So when I heard they were going to make a TV series out of it, I thought, "Cool!" I didn't manage to catch every episode-too much to do, not enough time-but I kept up as best I could. And then they had to go and make a second series? How much free time do they think I have?

2) What's your all time favourite STARGATE SG-1 or STARGATE ATLANTIS episode and why?

There are so many to choose from, but I think I have to go with "Sateda." Not that I'm biased in Ronon's favor or anything. :) It really is a great episode, though-lots of great action, lots of suspense, and a fantastic character arc.

3) What made you want to write a Stargate novel?

It's such a fantastic setting, with so many wonderful characters-how could I not?

4) What's the hardest thing about writing in the Stargate universe? And what's the best thing about writing in the Stargate universe?

The hardest thing, as with any licensed property, is keeping your story within the boundaries of the license. You have to stay true to the characters, the setting, the established science, even the tone. That can be tough. The best thing is when you get to work in a really rich setting-like Stargate. You get to flesh out characters you already know and love, developing sides of them that just don't get seen on the show.

5) Tell me about your favourite scene in your novel.

There are several I'm particularly proud of. I won't give anything away, but one involves a fruit tree, one has to do with a small ship and a Wraith cruiser, and one involves misdirection, overconfidence, and a snare.

6) What do you hope readers enjoy most about your novel?

I hope they enjoy finding out about Ronon's history, learning how he became a Runner, where he got those skills, and what happened to make him the person who met and later joined the Atlantis Expedition.

7) How did you become a professional writer? And do you have any tips for budding authors?

I started out in roleplaying games, back in 1994. I wrote for several game companies, including White Wolf and Decipher, and eventually moved into doing game-related fiction. From there I got a chance to write Star Trek novels, which led to novels for Exalted, WarCraft, Warhammer, StarCraft, Eureka, and Stargate: Atlantis. The most important thing for any beginning author is to write. Write a lot. Because the more you write, the better you get. But also the more you write, the better you know your own strengths and weaknesses, your speed, your work habits. The more aware you are of your own ability, the better you can hone it to become better yourself.

8) What's your opinion of fanfiction? And have you ever read or written any?

I haven't written fanfiction, no, but I've read some. I think most of it is a lot of fun. It's very different from licensed fiction because in fanfiction there's no one to tell you "you can't do that to this character!" or "you can't take the story there!" So you have a lot more freedom. On the other hand, it's not official, so even if fanfiction is really good-and there are some amazing fanfiction stories out there-it's never going to be considered part of the real license. It's more of a chance to play with characters you enjoy than an opportunity to contribute to the property itself.

You can keep up with Aaron's exploits at gryphonrose.com or follow him on Twitter at gryphonrose.