David Mack Interview

David Mack has been keeping busy, with many projects in the pipeline. His 'Vanguard: Harbinger' to due to be published in German for the first time.

Speaking with Trekzone.de recently as reported at Trekbbs, David Mack, Star Trek author and screenwriter, answered questions and discussed his involvement in Star Trek and other writing projects.

Mack began writing as a child, having some of his amateur work pubished in children's sci-fi magazines. He was introduced to Star Trek in the early 1970s, watching it in first syndication. When it was announced that Star Trek: The Next Generation would have open submissions for stories, he became interested in writing for the show. A meeting with John Ordover courtesy of an introduction from a friend blossomed into friendship. The two became a writing team and three sales, two of which were produced for Deep Space Nine, ensued. Mack turned his attentions to writing Star Trek novels, including ebooks.

In 2008, Vanguard: Harbinger will be published in Germany for the first time. Mack was asked for his thoughts about that. "I'm very excited to know that my work will be reaching a new audience," he said. "Especially one with a reputation for sophistication and a taste for more mature, complex stories. I must confess, however, that I am nervous about the idea of my novel being translated into another language. Much of my work relies on metaphor and the use of English idioms, and because I do not read or speak German, I will have no way of knowing how well my words have transliterated into [German]."

Mack was asked about the fugure of the Vanguard series. "The one thing I would tell readers of Vanguard to look forward to is new thrills and surprises. One of the fun things about working with guys like Dayton [Ward] and Kevin [Dilmore] is that we enjoy trying to out-do each other, and we create dangling story threads and cliffhangers that we leave the other to solve. It’s kind of a sadistic game."

He also dropped hints about the crossover trilogy Star Trek Destiny, which is on track to be published in late 2008. "Destiny is the biggest, most complex, and most ambitious project of my career so far. Most of its story is still considered top secret by my editors and publisher. It will feature the crews of the Enterprise and the Titan (Captain Riker's ship), as well some characters from the Deep Space Nine post-finale novels, and a number of other characters from across the entire shared Star Trek literary universe. It will build on events in previous TNG post-Nemesis novels — particularly Resistance, Before Dishonor, and Greater Than the Sum — and it will shed new light on various mysteries from Star Trek’s past."

Mack is also working on stories outside of the Star Trek world. "I just sold my first original novel to my longtime Star Trek editor, Marco Palmieri," he said. "The book is titled The Calling, and it's about a man who sometimes can hear when other people pray for help. His most recent summons brings him to the aid of a kidnapped little girl, and reveals to him his true role in an ancient and ongoing battle between the forces of good and evil."

To read more of the interview, head to the link located here.

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