I’ve known David Mack for years long-distance until we can meet-up at cons and such, but what an honor for him to be chosen the first author of a new Trek series’ original novel, Desperate Hours, which went on sale two days after Discovery‘s US premiere.
Especially this time, since Discovery is pioneering a closer connection than ever before between actual Trek TV writers and the licensed spinoff book and comics, thanks to DSC staff writer Kirsten Beyer, an acclaimed Voyager novelist herself, who is tasked with coordination and communication both ways.
No small feat, since the deadlines and pressures in either media landscape are so different while the show production is going on. Even outside our on-camera chat, David told me how frustrating yet understandable it is for the series writing to be in flux and affect the structure of his novel, in these early stages of fleshing out the Burnham saga and the Discovery crews.
To that end, David told me after our #STLV chat below, he had the opportunity to review scripts as they went through drafts and, steeped in so much micro-canon after years as a Trek novelist, offered problem-solving suggestions and options—and even some canon “smooth outs.” Many were considered, and some were taken … which I look forward to cataloging with him once we’re beyond the we-shoot-spoilers zone.
Check out his latest USS Titan novel coming next month (with its own near-oops cover saga) and his original WW II/Cold War magic saga beginning in January, as announced at his website.
