Odd Apocalypse: An Odd Thomas Novel
An interview withMichael Koryta(The Prophet).MICHAEL:In the new novel,Odd Apocalypse,  you write that "between birth and burial, we find ourselves in a comedy  of mysteries." That statement could be a guiding light for theOddseries, and perhaps even your work in general of late. Was allowing the laughs to join the darkness a conscious decision?DEAN:Humor began to enter my work as far back asWatchers(1987), and byLightning(1988), my agent and publisher at that time became alarmed and  counseled me that suspense and humor never mix. They were not able to  offer a cogent explanation of why the two never mix. One of my favorite  films of all time is "North by Northwest," which is tense and funny; so I  just kept doing what I was doing. By the time I moved to Bantam Books  withFear Nothing(1998), humor became the binding glue in all of my books except forThe Taking,Velocity,The Husband, andYour Heart Belongs to Me.Odd Thomas is speaking for me when he says, "Humanity is a parade of  fools, and I'm right up front with a baton." Odd is a spiritual guy, and  in my experience, genuinely spiritual people--as opposed to those for  whom faith is either a crutch or a bludgeon--have a great sense of  humor. They recognize that our fallen world is not just tragic but also  absurd, often hilariously absurd, and that laughing at humanity's hubris  and reckless transgressive behavior is a potent way to deny legitimacy  to that hubris. Besides, if a character is able to make you laugh out  loud, a bond is formed that ensures you will worry more for him when he  finds himself in jeopardy. And I will always remember that it wasn't my  looks or my sartorial splendor or macho toughness--ha!--that won Gerda;  she says that she laughed so much on our first date, her stomach hurt  the next day. That was better than being told, as I expected, that her  stomach hurt because, after I took her home, she spent the night  throwing up.MICHAEL:A three-part short novel titledOdd Interludewas released in ebook-only form this summer. Tell us a little about the  way this was conceived and written. Did you have that planned before  the new novel or did it come to you later in Odd's journey?DEAN:I had written a 32,000-word ebook novella,The Moonlit Mind, to intrigue readers about a forthcoming novel,77 Shadow Street. The novella sold very well and drew strong reader response. In fact, I'm pretty sure a lot of people likedMoonlitbetter than77 Shadow Street! So as I was finishingOdd Apocalypse,  my publisher asked me to write a 60,000- to 70,000-word short novel in  three parts to reintroduce readers to Odd. It was outside the seven-book  arc of the series, and I had great fun with it. By the way, those  readers who don't do ebooks tend to get exercised about a piece  appearing only digitally. In order to avoid being whacked by an irate  reader while waiting at the counter for my Big Mac, I am happy to tell  you thatOdd Interludewill be published in paperback within a few months.MICHAEL:Rumor  has it a movie of Odd Thomas is on the way, and that you're pleased  with it, which is anything but the rule when it comes to adaptations.  What can you tell us about the film version and why you are so pleased  with Stephen Sommers' take?DEAN:I have a glowing review of the film at  deankoontz.com and on my official Facebook page. Anton Yelchin and  Addison Timlim give wonderfully nuanced and affecting performances.  Steve's sense of pace and his writing are even better than his previous  best, and his scene transitions are amazing, something really new and  highly effective. The picture drops much from the book, but at the same  time it's absolutely true to the book, to its characters and its themes.Steve is also a great guy and a family man. When he'd send me long  emails about progress on the picture, he'd write also about his  daughters and family things. After one such email, I wrote him back to  say that he was so normal, compared to most of my Hollywood experiences,  that I was getting suspicious. I said I was steeling myself to wake up  one morning and discover that he'd been arrested with Charlie Sheen,  crossing the border from Mexico in a school bus loaded with drugs and  explosives.(continued)>Read the full interview>See all of Michael Koryta's books