A Conversation with H.P. Lovelace

“So. The Master Race is just a rewrite of Glenda?”

“Basically. Yes. But. With Sam in place of Mondo, and Starfleet replaced by the Bene Gesserits.”

“Plus. You never use the V-word, Vampire, or the W-word, Werewolf, either.”

“That’s true.”

“Is Sam like Mondo?”

“Only in that they are both Undead, and they’re terribly-attractive, slick, homicidal maniacs. Of course, my main female protagonist is always going to physically be along the lines of a June Wilkinson.”

“Understood.”

“You haven’t asked me about our new Friday sci-fi feature, Continuum?”

“Again. It seems pretty much like you revisiting a story that you have done before.”

“Which is true. Continuum is Kill Command revisited. But. Borrowing liberally from Glenda, The Master Race, Nosferatu, and Mein Kampf.”

Nosferatu? Mein Kampf?”

“Our newest Wednesday Undead features. They are largely written, already. But. Have yet to be published. They come after The Master Race. In Nosferatu and Mein Kampf, just like in The Master Race, the V-word is never used. Incidentally, I also started writing them before Continuum.”

“Are Nosferatu and Mein Kampf, rewrites?”

“No. They are originals based upon the movie Notes on a Scandal.”

“Was Nosferatu and Mein Kampf influenced by The Master Race?”

“No. The opposite is the case. And. They were both started before The Master Race.”

“Do the rewrites stand on their own? Or. Having read the originals, will the rewrites hold no surprises?”

“The rewrites stand on their own. Reading the originals doesn’t tell you how the new stories based upon them will progress. For example. Compare David Lynch’s retelling of Dune with the SyFy Channel’s version. Same book material, same basic story, two totally different movie narratives.”

“Then again. Even your so-called originals are you retelling someone else’s original concept, but, taking it places they wouldn’t have ever gone.”

“True.”

“So, since we’re on the subject of taking someone else’s  story and retelling it your way. The way you write The Borg.”

“Yes?”

“You write them like they are Vampires. Is that intentional?”

“That’s the only way you can write them. They are, after all, the Vampires of science fiction, and the best villains that Star Trek has ever or will ever produce. And. Taking that sentiment even further. To me, the only creations of interest that have come out of Star Trek post Gene Roddenberry are The Borg and Seven-of-Nine. And. Both will continue to be obsessions for me.”