Any modern Austenite has probably at least heard of the franchise that is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. The hit book by writer Seth Grahame-Smith inserted zombies into the world of Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and spawned (from other creators) a movie, a similar Austen book (Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters), and a prequel and sequel.

I’ll admit, I haven’t read the Pride and Prejudice and Zombie series yet. (Sorry Steve!! It’s on the list!) Between reading or re-reading all Austen’s original novels and analyzing what feels like every adaptation known to man, plus starting a new job off-screen, I haven’t had as much time as I expected this summer. But I did watch the movie and still find the concept quite fascinating.

Today the very nice, approachable, friendly, and did I mention bestselling author Steve Hockensmith of prequel Dawn of the Dreadfuls and sequel Dreadfully Ever After agreed to answer a few questions about his experiences writing in a creatively altered Austen world.

I know Seth Grahame-Smith wrote the original PPZ book, but the publisher went with a different author (you, of course) for the other books due to Grahame-Smith’s unavailability. And, obviously, Grahame-Smith built his world within the existing work of Jane Austen. How does that work as a writer, creating content that expands on and exists in another author’s work?

I read a zillion Star Trek novels when I was a kid, so writers beaming into someone else’s universe for a book or two never seemed odd to me. I’m a Sherlock Holmes fan, too, and there have been tons of “pastiches” — The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, etc. etc. — that told new stories with those old characters. Other writers continued the James Bond series, other writers continued the Dune series, other writers continued the Nero Wolfe series, and on and on. It’s really just a more respectable form of fan fiction. (“Respectable” in that a publisher pays you for it and bookstores and libraries will stock it.) I think my first serious attempts at writing were probably Trek fan fiction — and by “serious” I just mean it’s something you put your time and energy into even though it’s not homework and your parents didn’t make you do it. You’re writing because you want to spend time in some imaginary world. And with fanfic you know going in that the parameters are already established. Even if you want to do something unique — and you always should — you also have to defer to what’s come before. So it’s both presumptuous (unless the creator whose work you’re expanding on personally invited you to do it) and, hopefully, respectful.  

What interested you in writing the PPZ prequel and sequel?

It was a great opportunity for me in a lot of ways. I was going to be paid to put my personal spin on a hilarious, high-profile concept that seemed to be right in my wheelhouse. I’d already been doing a mystery series — my “Holmes on the Range” books — that took elements of a classic literary property and mixed them into another genre with a lot of humor sprinkled on for seasoning. So I felt confident that I could write the PPZ books well and reach a large new audience in the process. It looked like a win-win-win. In hindsight I don’t think I won every win, as it were. I’m proud of the books and think they turned out well, especially Dreadfully Ever After. Win! And they’ve sold well enough, especially Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Win again! But it didn’t have much lasting impact on my readership. I think it’s like with those tie-in novels I mentioned above. Fans pick them up because they love a certain franchise. The individual writers can be pretty invisible. So umm…tie? 

Had you read Pride and Prejudice (or any other Austen novels) before taking on this project?

I read Pride and Prejudice in college and it drove me kind of crazy. It seemed like everyone’s problems could have been solved if people would just talk to each other and say what they really meant — a very 1980s American dude reaction. Then years later I watched the Jennifer Ehle/Colin Firth miniseries, and it blew me away. I was like, “Oh. This is funny. No one told me that in college.” I’d completely missed all the humor and the warmth in the book — which I saw there big as life when I went back and read it again. While I was writing the PPZ books I picked up Northanger Abbey, as well. I’d heard it was a satire of Gothic novels, so it seemed apropos for me. I have to admit that I didn’t connect with it or see the humor. Maybe I’ll get it after the BBC turns it into a miniseries….

A proper Regency novel and zombie stories aren’t exactly an expected combination. Why do you think such opposite genres worked together?

It’s exactly because they are opposite that they work together. The dichotomy between repressed comedy of manners and wild zombie killfest is a perfect launchpad for humor. It could have easily been screwed up, though. Mashing up different genres doesn’t always work. There are plenty of bad movies that try to mix horror and sci-fi with Westerns, for instance. But the failures are always a case of poor execution rather than an inherent flaw in the concept. You can combine pretty much anything if you have respect for the material and respect for your audience and skill and patience…and maybe some luck. 

Austen was an English writer in the early 1800s, but we’re still remaking her stories in 2020. She’s been translated into dozens of languages; her works have been adapted into Bollywood films and Korean television shows; and currently the largest market for Austen books is Indian and Pakistan. Why do you think Austen has such long-lasting and widespread appeal?

Because she was great! She wrote smart, funny, heartfelt stories about women navigating their way to happiness despite the obstacles placed in their path by convention, class and money (or lack of it). That translates really well across cultures and centuries. People will always be able to relate.

Do you have a favorite Pride and Prejudice character?

Probably Darcy. Ya gotta love a romantic lead who’s an introverted misanthrope. I didn’t get to use him much in my novels, unfortunately. There was a brief moment where it looked like I was going to write one more book in the series that would’ve been a prequel about Darcy. I was planning something sort of like Tom Brown’s School Days, only with zombies and samurai. That would’ve been fun. 

Which character would you say you’re most like?

See above!

A huge thank you to Steve for taking the time to talk!

You can find out more about Steve’s work at his website, stevehockensmith.com. He writes books of humor and mystery both for kids and adults, including the Sherlock Holmes-related series he mentioned today, “Holmes on the Range.”