Q&A with: Jo Graham

Jo Graham, author of STARGATE ATLANTIS: Death Game, answers a few questions from our commissioning editor, Sally Malcolm, about writing and what she loves—and loves—about Stargate.

1) How and when did you become a fan of Stargate SG1 and/or Stargate Atlantis?

A friend of mine online told me I had to watch it. I was intrigued by Rising, and by the end of 38 Minutes I was hooked.

2) What’s your all time favourite Stargate SG-1 and/or Stargate Atlantis episode and why?

I have no idea! I can't pick one! Ok. Here's my top ten...er...eleven. There are so many I love that it's hard to cut the list down. But for whatever clue into my thinking or entertainment value, here's the list, in air order, not order of preference:

1. The Siege. I can count that as one episode, right? I love seeing everyone honed down to the essentials, their backs to the wall, facing the worst that can happen. It's a truly great ensemble piece, showcasing everyone's talents and brimming with tension.
2. Sateda. The ultimate Ronon episode. It's character driven, it's action packed, it's beautifully done. And in the end, I love the bit with Ronon and Carson.
3. Common Ground. Everything's better with Todd! There's so much good stuff in this -- Elizabeth makes the hard decisions, Todd hints at fascinating backstory for the Wraith, and how can there be bad in John thoroughly whumped?
4. Phantoms. On with the John whumping! Seriously, I love this one for the insights it brings, and for the way it very subtly moves into much more mature territory. I love the things we learn about each member of the team, especially Carson, John, and Teyla.
5. Sunday. This is one of those episodes people love or hate. I love it. It has wonderful moments -- the way John's head jerks when he hears the explosion, Ronon's idea of a great game, Teyla getting up to go to the funeral at the end leaning on John's shoulder, Rodney's grief and regret, and Radek and Ronon as the world's most mismatched pallbearers.
6. Submersion. In which Teyla totally kicks butt! I love the Wraith, and I love the face to face confrontation of the three queens.
7. Adrift. Backs to the wall again. I love the tensions, and how we understand all these people better by now. When John and Rodney have a confrontation, we understand where they're each coming from and sympathize with both. And Radek and John's spacewalk is one of my favorite moments in the whole series.
8. Tabula Rasa. I adore Sam and I think this is Sam's best episode, showcasing how unflappable she is, even with her memory gone. Lorne shines too, and Radek whopping Marines over the head is priceless. I love Ronon shooting John, and his clever little trick with the photo for Lorne. And of course they'd all be totally messed up without Teyla!
9. The Shrine. I understand this is one of those love them or hate them episodes too. It's a tight, beautifully written episode, possibly Rodney's best one, and Jeannie is a lovely plus.
10. The Queen. Here I go with the Wraith again! Teyla as Todd's queen is wonderful, amazing, and pricks the imagination in a million fascinating ways.

Aaaaand, number 11, the one I'd have to say is my favorite episode in the whole series, Letters from Pegasus. It's tense, it's character driven, we learn a lot about each person, and about ourselves as well. The best stories are windows to our soul. This one's stained glass.

3) What made you want to write a Stargate novel?

When I love something I have to write it. I've got to get my two cents worth in, got to add to the story, play in the universe. It's a bonus to get paid for it!

4) What’s the hardest thing about writing in the Stargate universe? And what’s the best thing about writing in the Stargate universe?

The hardest thing about writing in it professionally is keeping to a PG rating. Neither my other novels or my fanfic stick to a PG rating, and I find myself constantly having to cut things that I just can't do. Usually it's mature content that isn't sex. For example, I cut down a description of an airstrike on a village in one of John's flashback scenes because it was just too disturbing for the tone of the series. What I try to bear in mind is the way they managed it on camera in the episode Phantoms. We don't see Major Leonard blow himself up with a hand grenade. We see him pull the pin, and then we see John's reaction shot as we hear the explosion. Joe Flanigan's expressions have to carry the scene. So that's probably the hardest thing -- pulling the punches.

The best thing is being able to tell stories about these iconic characters! I love all of the characters in SGA, and it's wonderful to be able to write them and in Legacy explore what happens to them next.

5) Tell me about your favourite scene in your novel.

That's hard! I have so many! There's a scene when John and Teyla are in prison that I'm really happy with. I love a couple of the scenes with Radek and Ronon too, and there's one little exchange where Elizabeth gets Rodney and Lorne back on track that I particularly like. I think my favourite parts, though, are the backstory parts. I love Teyla's story about the First War between the Ancients and the Wraith (and it will be important in Legacy!), and I really adore Radek's story about how he got involved with the Stargate program. But I think my favourite is John's backstory about how he joined the Air Force. I'm terribly proud of that section.

6) What do you hope readers enjoy most about your novel?

The backstories! I love backstory, and it was a tremendous pleasure to write for such wonderful characters. I've put a lot of thought, effort, and research into the backgrounds and past experiences, and I hope they ring true.

7) How did you become a professional writer? And do you have any tips for budding authors?

I wrote fanfic on the internet, and I started writing Black Ships and posting it in instalments for my own pleasure and the pleasure of my friends. One of my friends was friends in real life with an agent, who read it and asked to represent the book. I've sold seven books now, and every one has been in some way because of fandom!

So my advice would be that it's far less useful to send manuscripts off to the slush pile at agents or publishing houses than it is to simply write well, and to cultivate the relationships that you have online. There are many pro authors and editors in fandom -- it's like being able to walk in to a cocktail party full of everyone you'd like to impress, and you get a chance to show your best work.

8) What’s your opinion of fanfiction? And have you ever read or written any?

I've written fanfic for thirty one years now! My first story was a story about Han Solo as a child, written when I was nine. I had my first publication in a paper zine called Bullwhips and Blasters (a Harrison Ford fanzine) when I was thirteen. (I lied and said I was eighteen, or I couldn't even have subscribed....) Just counting major fandoms, I've written in Star Wars Original Trilogy, Classic Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek Next Gen/DS9, X Men Movieverse, Pirates of the Caribbean, SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis.