How did you get the gig to write StarCraft: Heaven's Devils and how was the book presented to you by the publisher and Blizzard?

Simon & Schuster owns the right to publish StarCraft novels. They approached my agent on behalf of themselves and Blizzard.

This is your first novel set in the StarCraft universe which already has a long history of prose novels and of course the game has a massive backstory all by itself. How does the StarCraft universe compare to the game universes you have written for previously?

The StarCraft universe is so wide and so deep that anyone coming in to work on it/with it has got a lot to learn regarding the various races, planets, and what the Blizzard folks refer to as "lore." Meaning everything that went before. So there was a steep learning curve. But with help from the team I think I was able to get most everything right.

StarCraft: Heaven's Devils is being promoted as a prequel to the events in StarCraft II. Is that how you approached it as well when you started writing the book.

Yes. That was the plan and I think it's a good one. Anyone who reads the book will enjoy the game that much more because they will have a much deeper understanding of the Raynor -Tychus characters and why they do what they do. This is a great example of using a tie-in novel to enhance the gaming experience.

The book reveals much of the early history of one of StarCraft's most well known characters Jim Raynor. Was it easy or hard to get inside his head and tell his story?

Fortunately I had lots of help. The Blizzard team had a very clear idea of who Raynor is and why. And it was my job to honor that vision. But that's part of the fun. As a tie-in writer you get the opportunity to add a little something here and there and I'd like to think that I did so.

The novel also goes over some of the history of Tychus Findlay who is one of the new characters introduced in StarCraft II. What was it like writing his character compared to Raynor?

The youthful Raynor is something of a straight arrow at first, until his experiences in the military begin to knock the corners off him, whereas Tychus is a bit older and more worldly. Much more worldly! So the opportunity to bring them together and have each one influence the other was a lot of fun.

What other elements from StarCraft lore can fans of the game series learn by reading Heaven's Devils?

Sorry, I don't have a list at hand, so I can't name specific elements off the top of my head. But generally speaking I think the book builds on all of the fine work done by the Blizzard tem and previous authors in terms of fleshing the universe out and making it real.

How much freedom did the team at Blizzard give you in expanding the StarCraft universe and the history of the characters?

The team gave me a rough idea of what they wanted off the top, but it was very high level, so I had a lot of freedom to fill in the details. Having done so they asked for various changes, offered up new ideas, and wanted tweaks. And that is to be expected where tie-ins are concerned. And one of the major differences between writing an original novel and work-for-hire. Personally I enjoy the team aspect of tie-in writing but some writers don't.

Did you actually get to meet with the team members and/or play StarCraft or StarCraft II itself during the writing of the novel?

The Blizzard folks were kind enough to bring me down to their headquarters in California for a tour and in-depth briefing. That was very valuable not to mention a lot of fun. Their campus is unbelievably cool. I always play whatever game I'm writing about and try to do so before meeting the game team. And such was the case where Heaven's Devils was concerned. Wow! Talk about getting my butt kicked a gazillion times. But that's what makes StarCraft so engrossing. The real-time stuff ain't for wimps.

The book has been out for a few months now. What has the reception been like from fans of StarCraft and you think that even people who have never heard of the game would enjoy the book?

The feedback on amazon.com and Barnes & Noble has been very positive--as have the emails to my website. Most are familiar with the game needless to say but there have been good reviews by people who aren't (or weren't) familiar with StarCraft as well.

Any plans to return to the StarCraft universe for another novel and if so what can you tell us about it?

There aren't any plans at the moment. But regardless of whether I write another novel or not I'm glad I had the opportunity to do this one.

What other games would you like to write a novel about if any?

Call Of Duty would be fun... But it's probably taken. I love first person shooters.

What else is on your plate in terms of future novel and writing work?

I'm under contract to write four additional Legion of the Damned novels (Dietz originals) and I recently completed another novel tied to the Resistance games. (Resistance: A Hole In The Sky.) Oh, and there's the Mass Effect novel mentioned earlier. That's due to the publisher in early 2011.

Finally is there anything else you wish to say about your work on StarCraft: Heaven's Devils and do you plan to play the final version of StarCraft II when its released?

Oh yeah, I'll play it. There goes a week or two:)