Interview: 'Star Wars' Author Joe Schreiber Talks Horror in 'a Galaxy Far, Far Way'

Author Joe Schreiber took the "Star Wars" universe into a whole new direction in 2009 with his novel "Death Troopers." He successfully combined George Lucas's space saga with zombies in a genre mix-up one could give the logline "'Night of the Living Dead' in a Galaxy Far, Far Away."

Schreiber's latest, "Red Harvest," just hit bookshelves in a mass market paperback form and serves as a prequel to "Death Troopers." Schreiber took some time out from his vacation to talk to me about the novel.

What do you think about "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" introducing a couple types of "zombies?" Do you think they were influenced by "Death Troopers?"

I loved it! My kids and I were sitting in a hotel room in Orlando watching that episode last week when it came on, and my 8-year-old daughter kept hiding her eyes, but my son -- who's 10 -- kept saying how cool it was, and I was right there with him. I'd certainly be flattered if "Death Troopers" had been an influence -- I have no way of knowing -- but either way, I thought Dave Filoni and "The Clone Wars" guys used it to great effect.

What's the biggest challenge writing a book that takes place in the vast world of "Star Wars" where continuity seems to somehow always present itself as a problem?

Continuity in the Expanded Universe is an issue, but I never really thought of it as a problem. Lucasfilm is set up to handle these things with remarkable efficiency, and Leland Chee, Lucasfilm's "Keeper of the Holocron," holds an astonishing amount of information in his head -- plus he's a super nice guy. There are also a few key people at Del Rey who I know I can rely on for reference and continuity information if I need it. If I take a misstep, they let me know before I get too far off course.

Are there plans for another horror Star Wars novel to follow-up "Red Harvest?" If so, what can we expect and do you have any concepts you would like to explore?

Not to sound like a Magic Eightball, but the future on that is unclear. I'd certainly welcome the chance to jump back in the ring. It would be a lot of fun to do more in the "Star Wars" universe. Stay tuned.

Talk to us about what you're working on presently.

I've got a young-adult thriller coming out this fall called "Perry's Killer Playlist" about a high school kid who runs afoul of a female Lithuanian assassin when his rock band is on their European tour. It's a sequel to "Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick," which came out last fall.

I've also got a goofy middle grade book called "Lenny Cyrus, School Virus" coming out in spring of 2013 about a middle school genius who shrinks himself down so he can travel through the body of a girl he's got a crush on. He thinks that he can change her mind about him from the inside. It's kind of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," except set inside the human body.

For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:

Interview with 'Boba Fett' Actor Daniel Logan for 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars'
Interview: 'Clone Wars' Voice Actor Nika Futterman Talks About Assajj Ventress
'Clone Wars' Sound Designer/Voice Actor David Acord Talks About His New Role

Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Kenneth Branagh, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.