Interview with Gregory Marshall Smith, author of Hunters
1. Did you always know you wanted to be a writer or was there something else you wanted to do as a career?
I think I ran the gamut of cop, firefighter, doctor et al, but I got the writing bug early in my childhood (partly from watching TV, partly from reading Newbery Medal books and partly from my mom telling me to put up or shut up).
2. Is there one author that you have read every book that they have written?
Amazingly, I have to say no. The closest would probably be David Weber. I've read all of his books in the Honor Harrington series (with the next volume due March 6), but the man is a prolific writer with several series and several collaborations.
3. In your opinion what is the best movie adaptation of a book that you've read?
Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yes, I know Peter Jackson took some liberties with the book but Ian McKellen was on hand to keep everyone mostly honest. I also have to acknowledge Frankenstein: The True Story, a made-for-TV movie that was very faithful to Mary Shelley's work. Honorable mention should go to Donovan's Brain, which heeds very close to Curt Siodmak's book.
And I hope that, one day, someone corrects Paul Verhoeven's bastardization of Robert Heinlein's classic Starship Troopers.
4. When you are browsing book stores what is the first section you go to?
Science fiction, of course, but, lately, I've been looking for older titles, specifically Cyborg by Martin Caidin. Cyborg was the inspiration for The Six Million Dollar Man. Next, I hit the discount book section, then the magazine section. Finally (and discreetly), I check the store's computer to see if my novel Hunters is in stock.
5. If your book was being made into a movie do you already have actors in mind for each role? What bands/singers would you put on the soundtrack?
I'd better handle each of those questions separately. And I'll probably answer the next question, at least partially. I often incorporate actors and actresses into my characters. It makes it easier to visualize them in my head. Fear not. I use celebs who will fit the character and not just be eye candy for the hero. Now, if a character happens to emulate Angela Bassett or Michelle Rodriguez or Jody Leigh Miller or Lucy Liu, well, so be it. So, for my movie adaption of Hunters, I envision the following cast:
Jesus Montoya..........A Martinez
Dolores Montoya.......Elizabeth Pena
Louis Riordan............Tcheky Karyo
Lin Tang....................Zhang Ziyi
Det. Hernandez.........Alanna Ubach
Travis Pratt...............Triple H
Jessie Coombs.........Jody Leigh Miller
Angelica Morales.......Karina Nascimento
Marcus Van Niekirk...Sharlto Copley
Ian Henderson...........David Wenham
Tesino Giancarlo........Ray Liotta
Jewel Waterston........Vickie Gates
Edge Ringgold...........John Glover
Tsukiko Matsutaka.....Aya Ueno
Cantrell Ryker............??????? (see question 6)
As for the bands or singers on the soundtrack, I'd borrow "Thirsty" by Black Keith and ODB from Blade and also "Follow Me" by Demis Roussos from Ghost in the Shell: Innocence. I would want Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)" and "Lay Me Down Low" from The Relatives. Finally, I'd like to use "Innerverse" by Vitek from the soundtrack for Ghost in the Shell: 1st Gig, along with a ballad from Jana Mashonee and Carrie Moore Marshall. I'll let the producers audition groups for the rest or just leave it in the hands of Kenji Kawai.
6. When you're creating characters do you incorporate traits from people you know?
Yes, I do, but I make it subtle in case it all goes wrong. Now, believe it or not, there's an inside joke where when I say I sometimes put a bit of myself into my characters, my fellow writers fall down and roll around on the floor laughing their backsides off. So, maybe I put a lot of myself into my characters.This is why I'd have a complete newcomer play Cantrell Ryker or Devereaux Marshall Fox (from Land of the Blind) or Pegram Kimble (from Slow Boat to China). I'd be too old to play those characters effectively. It would be better for producers to check out the Jubilee Theater or other black stage companies for a veteran actor whose face is not known on screen.
7. If you had the chance to have a sit down with any author alive or deceased who would it be and why?
It would be the Schuylers -- George and his daughter Philippa Duke. I never knew of him until a few years ago. Also, Philippa was killed in a helicopter crash while helping rescue orphans in Vietnam May 9, 1967, two weeks after I was born. She was a child prodigy who wowed the world with her piano and music composing skills. Later, she was a well-known journalist. Her father, George, was a black journalism pioneer.
I can only imagine all the journalism and writing skills I could have learned from those two.
I think I ran the gamut of cop, firefighter, doctor et al, but I got the writing bug early in my childhood (partly from watching TV, partly from reading Newbery Medal books and partly from my mom telling me to put up or shut up).
2. Is there one author that you have read every book that they have written?
Amazingly, I have to say no. The closest would probably be David Weber. I've read all of his books in the Honor Harrington series (with the next volume due March 6), but the man is a prolific writer with several series and several collaborations.
3. In your opinion what is the best movie adaptation of a book that you've read?
Lord of the Rings trilogy. Yes, I know Peter Jackson took some liberties with the book but Ian McKellen was on hand to keep everyone mostly honest. I also have to acknowledge Frankenstein: The True Story, a made-for-TV movie that was very faithful to Mary Shelley's work. Honorable mention should go to Donovan's Brain, which heeds very close to Curt Siodmak's book.
And I hope that, one day, someone corrects Paul Verhoeven's bastardization of Robert Heinlein's classic Starship Troopers.
4. When you are browsing book stores what is the first section you go to?
Science fiction, of course, but, lately, I've been looking for older titles, specifically Cyborg by Martin Caidin. Cyborg was the inspiration for The Six Million Dollar Man. Next, I hit the discount book section, then the magazine section. Finally (and discreetly), I check the store's computer to see if my novel Hunters is in stock.
5. If your book was being made into a movie do you already have actors in mind for each role? What bands/singers would you put on the soundtrack?
I'd better handle each of those questions separately. And I'll probably answer the next question, at least partially. I often incorporate actors and actresses into my characters. It makes it easier to visualize them in my head. Fear not. I use celebs who will fit the character and not just be eye candy for the hero. Now, if a character happens to emulate Angela Bassett or Michelle Rodriguez or Jody Leigh Miller or Lucy Liu, well, so be it. So, for my movie adaption of Hunters, I envision the following cast:
Jesus Montoya..........A Martinez
Dolores Montoya.......Elizabeth Pena
Louis Riordan............Tcheky Karyo
Lin Tang....................Zhang Ziyi
Det. Hernandez.........Alanna Ubach
Travis Pratt...............Triple H
Jessie Coombs.........Jody Leigh Miller
Angelica Morales.......Karina Nascimento
Marcus Van Niekirk...Sharlto Copley
Ian Henderson...........David Wenham
Tesino Giancarlo........Ray Liotta
Jewel Waterston........Vickie Gates
Edge Ringgold...........John Glover
Tsukiko Matsutaka.....Aya Ueno
Cantrell Ryker............??????? (see question 6)
As for the bands or singers on the soundtrack, I'd borrow "Thirsty" by Black Keith and ODB from Blade and also "Follow Me" by Demis Roussos from Ghost in the Shell: Innocence. I would want Blind Willie Johnson's "Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)" and "Lay Me Down Low" from The Relatives. Finally, I'd like to use "Innerverse" by Vitek from the soundtrack for Ghost in the Shell: 1st Gig, along with a ballad from Jana Mashonee and Carrie Moore Marshall. I'll let the producers audition groups for the rest or just leave it in the hands of Kenji Kawai.
6. When you're creating characters do you incorporate traits from people you know?
Yes, I do, but I make it subtle in case it all goes wrong. Now, believe it or not, there's an inside joke where when I say I sometimes put a bit of myself into my characters, my fellow writers fall down and roll around on the floor laughing their backsides off. So, maybe I put a lot of myself into my characters.This is why I'd have a complete newcomer play Cantrell Ryker or Devereaux Marshall Fox (from Land of the Blind) or Pegram Kimble (from Slow Boat to China). I'd be too old to play those characters effectively. It would be better for producers to check out the Jubilee Theater or other black stage companies for a veteran actor whose face is not known on screen.
7. If you had the chance to have a sit down with any author alive or deceased who would it be and why?
It would be the Schuylers -- George and his daughter Philippa Duke. I never knew of him until a few years ago. Also, Philippa was killed in a helicopter crash while helping rescue orphans in Vietnam May 9, 1967, two weeks after I was born. She was a child prodigy who wowed the world with her piano and music composing skills. Later, she was a well-known journalist. Her father, George, was a black journalism pioneer.
I can only imagine all the journalism and writing skills I could have learned from those two.
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