New Alien book! Author interview and Signed copy giveaway.

Well, you could do a quiz, part of it about aliens and predators and part of it about something else. Or you could have everyone pick a number, then write down the numbers, put them in a bowl and randomly pick one. And that's some of my thoughts for the actual raffle type thing.

Maybe something about the website. A hidden message maybe? A riddle? As unbiased as i am, I'd like it to be something that rules out googleing it or me being accused of rigging it.

But I'm quite excited to be reading into the lore of WY and maybe understanding the thought process behind Generic Evil movie corporation #30493

This is amazing, I would suggest some kind of drawing or something, like what Ripper said.

Yeah, I think a simple drawing gives everyone an equal chance.

I didn't know about the book till now, but giveaways are always fun, and if it IS canon, then it gives us a lot more to discuss here.

Edit: I recognize the cover art. It looks like it was painted by Dan Luvisi. It's pretty amazing seeing his art on official media - I remember way back when he painted that thing. He has matching marine and Predator paintings, I'll see if I can't find them.

Edit: Nope. I guess he removed them. There was another Xeno, though.

I would rather it be a "Guess how many gumballs are in the jar" just to give everyone an equal chance.

It's whatever you want, since you're giving it away. "Guess the answer" is better than "Who can Google this faster."

That's why I'm not doing trivia or drawing. Guess the Gumballs it is!

Great.

So what's the contest, CH?

I'll post an image of a jar of gumballs and the person to guess the closest to the true number of gumballs wins.

Lets be honest bloo. If it was drawing, You'd probably win

Wow, that's as simple as you can make it.

And oh shit, I assumed you were talking about, like, "drawing a name from a hat," not "art contest."

On second thought, let's go back to the art contest.

These are the things i plan on asking him.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your career in writing!

2. Gigers Alien is a masterpiece of a monster. What's it like writing about one of the most iconic movie monsters?

3. Tell us a little bit about the book, What can we expect from it?

4. Besides Ellen Ripley do we get to meet any other characters from the films?

5. What kind of tone can we expect from the book? Dark and atmospheric like Alien, Or fast paced and action packed like Aliens?

6. Will we return to LV-426

Any more ideas guys!?

7. Will there be tie-ins to Prometheus?

8. Is it difficult to write for a licensed property (particularly between two movies) since you can't bend the formula too far?

9. Will the book be in-continuity with any Alien media outside of the films?

10. Were there any ideas you had that were shot down by Fox?

Will there be Praetorians?

Will you be adding in any new species?

7. Is it canon?

Yes, I sort of thought that would be included automatically.

You can never be too sure. If it is, he has license to add new stuff to Xeno lore, and I think that's the tightest shit ever.

Especially if the guy adds in stuff like Queen morphing the way ACM added in the "placenta" theory.

HOLY WHAT FUCK!!

THAT IS AMAZING!!

HE IS DOING WHAT I HAVE DREAMED OF DOING SINCE I WAS 6!!

I have always wanted to create a new xeno, something I like to call the Banshee.

But unfortunately it would probably be stupid and people would hate it.

You have no idea how much I've been thinking that the past 5 months.

Anyway, if this IS canon, I hope at least its new theories are good. A lot of people hated ACM, but no one can deny that its new info was nice.

Great questions guys, I don't know how much he is allowed to say but I'll simply include that he cant skip any questions he isn't allowed to answer.

Would he have any relation to Fox? Who currently owns the alien property? This is a question to you lot, Not him.

Keep em coming! I've taken them all down.

Also big thanks to Deathdrop on question 8. I wanted to ask that but couldn't phrase my question well so skipped over it.

Here you guys go!

1. Tell us a little about yourself and your career in writing!

I'm a pretty normal family guy, a wife, two kids, semi-detached house. But I do admit I write some pretty weird stuff. I've always loved fantastic fiction, and I've written since I could hold a pen. I've been making a living at it for seven years now, and published for about 15 years. I love it. Although I never find writing easy, it's one of the most fulfilling things I can imagine. I've written loads of novels, novellas, short stories, scripts, and I also love collaborating. US writer Christopher Golden and I have written seven novels together, with plans for more in the future. I've also turned into something of an endurance sport fanatic, and just recently completed my first Ironman. It keeps me off the streets.

2. Gigers Alien is a masterpiece of a monster. What's it like writing about one of the most iconic movie monsters?

I've been an alien fan since I saw the first movie. I started writing tie-in novels a few years ago, here and there (including work in the Star Wars, Hellboy, 30 Days of Night, and Cabin in the Woods universes), and I've always been keen to write an alien novel. It's very exciting ... especially considering that I got to write a Ripley story!


3. Tell us a little bit about the book, What can we expect from it?

Well, I can't give too much away. All I'll say is ... for the 57 years that Ripley was adrift between Alien and Aliens, she wasn't asleep all the time. It's very much an action novel, very cinematic and kinetic. And I was extremely excited about writing more about Ash and his work for Weyland-Yutani.


4. Besides Ellen Ripley do we get to meet any other characters from the films?

Ash. In a different form. And I think I get to develop and explore his character a bit more, which was great fun.

5. What kind of tone can we expect from the book? Dark and atmospheric like Alien, Or fast paced and action packed like Aliens?

I like to think it's a cross between the two.

6. Will we return to LV-426

Not in this novel.

7. Will there be tie-ins to Prometheus?

Don't know.

8. Is it difficult to write for a licensed property (particularly between two movies) since you can't bend the formula too far?

It has its difficulties. Every tie in project I've worked on has been different, and this one was probably more unusual than most. Fox provided the original pitch for the three novels (the two others are written by Christopher Golden and James A Moore). They're not a conventional trilogy, although there are links between the three. So we had to write novels that followed Fox's wide outline, but were given free reign to create our own stories and characters within those confines. I actually like working in this way sometimes, you can liken it to writing a short story for a themed anthology. There aren't difficulties, just different aspects.

9. Will the book be in-continuity with any Alien media outside of the films?

It's canon, yes.

10. Were there any ideas you had that were shot down by Fox?

See above.

11. Can we expect any Alien variations (Queens, Praetorians)

That would be telling :-)

12. Is it Cannon?

See above