(April 2008) PCM's Kristyn got a chance to chat with R.H. Stavis one of the hottest female Video Game designers right now. R.H. Stavis is also a comic book writer and an avid gamer herself. Read on to learn her advice for up-and-coming writers and a few details about the anticipated release of Demons of Mercy the video game based on her comic book series!

R.H Stavis: Hi, Kristyn it is R.H. Stavis, how are you?

Kristyn: I am doing great... how about you?

R.H.: Good, thanks!

Kristyn: So, where are you located right now?

R.H.: I am actually in Colorado right now.

K: Oh, ok. Well, it has got to be better than here in Delaware. We keep having such strange weather, and everyone is sick.

RH: Yeah, I can relate to that. I just got back from Los Angeles after six days of meetings and came back here and the minute I landed I was sick.

K: Oh, man, that is a shame.

RH: I think it was the lack of sleep and the constant going everywhere really quickly.

K: Yeah, I guess jet lag is catching up to you (laughs)

RH: Yeah, for sure, for sure! (laughs)

K: So, can you start off by telling our readers a little about yourself. How did you become interested in the areas of video game development?

RH: Well, actually I am a cross-media writer so basically I do novels, TV, films, comics, video games, and all of that and I think overall what started it for me is that I was a video game player. I am girl gamer, at least I like to think so, you know back in the day I was gearing up on Nintendo and before that it was Kong. I was playing everything I could get my hands on; I have always been interested in video games.

K: Well, you definitely must be quite busy with writing graphic novels and games and I hear you are getting into television as well?

RH: Right, yeah. I am working on a new show with Christopher Judge called "Rage of Angels" which I am also doing the graphic novel for, so that is going to be a pretty hectic schedule pretty soon. I am really busy, others writers definitely say I am insane when they hear the work load that I have but I love it. I am very lucky at this point in time to have this opportunity where people offer me so many projects and I have to be a little more discriminating at what I take now, but I am still a fan-girl at heart, so if I love it, I love it and I still want to do it, no matter how much time I have.

K: What are some of your favorite games now?

RH: Right now I would say my favorite game is Bioshock.

K: I love that game!

RH: Oh, I know that game is addictive like crazy. Me, personally, I am not a huge first-person shooter, Demons of Mercy was a third person which I seem to like better because I can see the character, but with this one it doesn't even matter it is that good!

K: Oh, yeah definitely

RH: The graphics are beautiful

K: Those little girls are so creepy too

RH: Oh, yeah that is Juliet Landau who does the voices for that, and they are amazing. And those Big Daddy guys, the robot guys are totally scary if you don't have the right equipment.

K: Oh, yeah trying to kill those things was ridiculous!

(laughter)

K: I am like "Would you just die already!"

K: So, when did you first discover that you had a passion for writing?

RH: I think for me I have always, always wanted to be a writer. It is a little strange actually, when I was a really young kid I used to write my autobiography, not that I had a whole lot to say, but I'd write like on construction paper what I did for the day and I thought that was very exciting. Then as I got older I somehow became the storyteller for people, so they would come to me if they wanted to hear something exciting and I just kept doing it, you know, and I think there is no better job for me, I love doing it.

K: Your first novel was "Daniel's Veil" am I correct?

RH: Yes, exactly

K: And that debuted at number one on Amazon.com's Ghost top-sellers list. How did you become interested in the ghost/paranormal genre?

RH: Well, it is kind of funny because when I was a kid I was afraid of everything, which is odd now, right? But I was totally creeped out by everything and I would sneak and see the scariest movies then I would not be able to sleep for months, so I think it just kind of transferred for being scared to death to being fascinated by it. I actually do ghost hunts now and all kinds of things like that…

K: That is awesome.

RH: And there is a lot of science in it, so I had to learn the science of ghost hunting, and it is just thrilling to know there is something more to life than just what we see!

K: I agree

RH: It is not anything dark, but it is kind of below the surface, that is what I really like, you know edgy and dark, something that makes you think.

K: Well, it certainly is a fascinating topic. I am always looking for the ghost hunters that have meet-ups and things like that to go out to in my area, especially in Philadelphia and Valley Forge.

RH: It is really cool, for that book I actually did a twenty city book tour so I go to go to all kinds of places like Chicago and New Orleans and I did ghost hunts in all those places where they have quite a bit of history and ghost lure, so it was really exciting.

K: Did you ever see anything?

RH: I haven't seen anything, but I have definitely felt strange in certain places and I have come across this smelling thing, which may seem kind of weird but they say some ghost have scents.

K: Oh yeah I have heard that

RH: I have actually had a situation where I smelled something cooking in one place which of course did not have any cooking going on and when I explained this to the guy that ran this particular hunt he was like, because they didn't tell you on this particular hunt what happened in the house or who lived there, so it was more about what we thought and felt and discovered, and he said one of the people who had died there she was a chef.

K: Oh, wow!

RH: It was really weird. And the emotional thing, sometimes you feel maybe, I don't know if that's from ghosts necessarily or what they call imprints of the whole weird time/space issues but sometimes you get really strange feelings. You get some weird vibes some places for sure!

K: Oh, yeah my mom and I would always smell strong perfume, if that makes any sense. There would be no perfume in the room, but there it would be just the same, very strong.

RH: Yeah, it has got to come from somewhere, I mean that sense you are actually having, you know? I mean I don't know if you have ever experienced this, but I have this one too where you will have the super cold or the super warm places.

K: Well, my mother is the one that sees faces on the top of her ceiling every night when she goes to bed. (laughing)

RH: Oh my god! That is very scary.

K: Yeah, it is! She talks to them, but says they are just there and don't respond

RH: I guess you get used to it, perhaps

K: Yeah

RH: I would still be freaked out

K: We walked in there with these electro magnetic machines, but we did not pull anything up, but she swears they are there.

RH: Well, I know things that you can sort of not trust sometimes depending on where you are because there are other things that interfere with EMF like lead pipes for example, so if you are in a really old place and they have lead pipes you have to get someone to check it all out and make sure that is not what you are reading.

K: Good point!

RH: That way you know everything is accurate.

K: Yay! Ghost tangent

(laughter)

K: Definitely being a female in your industry, such as video games and comics books, has to be an interesting experience. Have you faced any challenges by being a female in the industry? And how did you overcome the challenges?

RH: Well, in the beginning, even with books, you can see I use my initials for the most part and I did that on purpose because I went through something when I was just beginning to do this a long, long time ago. I turned something in to an editor, who knew I was a girl because I used Rachel and they mailed me back and said these cops are very, very feminine, and I was like "Okay…" but then I went back and I looked and I couldn't figure out what was so feminine about them, so what I did was, I changed my name into initials and didn't touch what I did and I sent it to somebody else and the response that I got from that person who did not know I was female was that my cops were dead on, so I realized at that point that there may still be that idea about women writers and I went ahead just did the initials. I have to say at this point, pretty much everyone knows that I am female and I don't really have a lot of adversity from comics and gaming specifically. I think the guys who run these industries get really, really excited when they have a female working in the environment.

K: Oh of course

R.H.: I think that I can offer a few more things sometimes because I am female because sometimes they want a female perspective on something that they already have to make it more unique.

K: I have read that it is the hardest thing in a lot of places to get females into gaming, into comic books; it is often times hard to find something that they can relate to. I mean you know the game system the Wii, it has gotten so popular these days due to that crossover appeal.

R.H.: Right exactly, plus it's fun and great for exercise too.

K: Definitely

R.H.: I think really with video games and comics most people have been more interested in having that, you know especially if you're doing something, let's say someone was doing something that was all about a guy for so long, like I don't know…like even with Spiderman, you know when you bring the woman in to do something like that it kind of changes a little bit maybe for a positive way. They have been really interested in getting girls into comics especially because we are a very big force in gaming now as far as players go

K: Right

R.H.: But as far as comic, they released this big article not that long ago about what all these comic companies are doing and how they are hiring all these women to try and bring that women readership in or that girl readership. It is interesting because they often talk about how girls are more interested in, for the most part they say girls are more interested in comics that are about regular girls with more romantic themes, but me personally I am definitely more a super hero girl, forget the romance theme. (laughs)

K: At that point you might as well pick up a romance novel (laughs)

R.H.: Yeah, exactly, but a lot of companies are doing this romantic high school girl stuff and some girls really do love that, hey some girls love it, but to me cause they were also saying that girls are really intimidated by the super hero female because of the ideal specimen human form, but I don't know I have always been the girl that likes the super hero girl.

K: So, do you have any advice to females who are looking to break into the industry?

R.H.: Yeah, for sure. It was funny, not that long ago I was signing at Comic Con, well last July, so I guess it was a long time ago (laughs) But I had a girl come up to me, who I don't know her exact age, I would guess around 16 or so and she came up to me and said " I had no idea I even could do a job like yours and know that I know I really want to do it" I think it is more about figuring out what in gaming you want to do, like if you want to be a writer, you want to be a programmer, you want to be concept artist and just knocking down all the doors. Don't give up, persevere and be strong. You know, go through all the hoops and like I say the guys in gaming especially are really interested in having more girls on their team. I think it is sort of easier now because there have been a lot of women pioneers who have paved that way for girls to come in and still are today. It is the same for comics, I think comics even though it is sort of a male dominated thing they are really excited when girls come in, we have a lot of female editors now and it is just fantastic. Just go to the conventions and meet everybody, submit your work, talk to them and find out what it takes and go for it!

K: That is very good advice! Are you planning on attending San Diego Comic Con this year also?

RH: Oh, for sure, I wouldn't miss it! It is like a big party

K: Oh yeah, we here a PCM are so hoping to get out there this year

RH: If you haven't been I have to say that it is an amazing convention, there is nothing like it, everybody goes to this convention and it is fun, and for me I see all of my friends that I don't see all year because we are all in different parts of the country, especially other novelist and they are all there, so it is really exciting to meet-up and sometimes do panels together, it is a reunion of sorts. Plus you get to show all of your new stuff which is exciting for readers and fans.

K: It sounds amazing, like I said we are truly hoping to make it out this year and join the festivities.

RH: Well, I hope you do make it out there, definitely worth the trip

K: You are widely known for writing the back story of Laura Croft of the Tomb Raider series. How did that project come to be? Were you approached by the game developer?

RH: Actually it really wasn't for the game developers, which is the funniest part of the whole story at this point. It was actually for online serial fiction, it was for a Laura Croft website, that was the biggest with two million fanship worldwide and I wrote serial fiction about where she came from because at that point there wasn't a whole lot of information about back story. It was more about here is Laura Croft and she is kick-ass, she goes around killing stuff and tomb-raiding. It was right when the first game had come out and people were really excited about the character, it was huge. People wanted to know a lot about her and they were not releasing a lot of that, so I got to do the back story in that way. What ended up happening that was exciting was that I had such a huge readership, that the memoir was translated into different languages and people took it as absolute Laura Croft fact and I got to talk to the guys who made the game and some other people, it was really cool, I actually was on National Public Radio just because these were so, so big. It is exciting now because I have been thinking about going back to Tomb Raider, even still, even to this day people come up to me and say "That's the Tomb Raider girl" (laughs) and I still get fan mail for it, which is crazy because I don't think you can even find them anymore

K: It is hard!

RH: This was many years ago now, they will come up at conventions and say "I want to take a picture with the Tomb Raider girl". Now hopefully we'll be doing something in a more official capacity with Tomb Raider which would be very exciting for me and exciting for the readers who have been waiting a long time for that.

K: Oh, of course. I was going to ask you if there were any more stories coming in the future.

RH: Yeah, we are working on it. It is kind of hush, hush at the moment, but yeah we are working on doing a bit more Tomb Raider stuff because people have been asking and I will always love Laura Croft no matter what I am doing because it is evident she is the woman! (laughs)

K: Exactly.

RH: She paved the way for a lot of video game women after her.

K: Definitely. Who would you say are some of your main artistic and writing influences?

RH: Wow, I would say for me it is kind of a mixed bag believe it or not. I would have to say Stephen King, I grew up reading Stephen King from the time I could read I was reading Stephen King, I don't know if that gives you any idea of my personality, but

K: (laughs) Hey, I am a fan too

RH: Neil Gaiman also, Todd Barker, and you know the other side of the spectrum too like Amy Tan, who I think is just extraordinary at description and bringing you into an immersive world. Yeah, those I would say are my biggest ones.

K: Awesome. Speaking of Stephen King…how do you feel about the Dark Tower series?

RH: I love it! It is amazing, and so is the comic as well. It is incredible.

K: I saw a sample of the comic at one of our local comic book shops, I have not actually read it yet, but it looks fantastic.

RH: Well, my editor also edits the Dark Tower series too, and she is a phenomenal editor, and the art is amazing.

K: Definitely, I heard they are also starting to think about making a movie for that series. I thought to myself that is going to be another Lord of the Rings.

RH: Oh my god, how epic would that be?

K: Yeah, I know

RH: I think that might be six hours (laughing)

K: So, are you excited for the release of Demons of Mercy the game that is based on your comic book series? When is the game due out?

RH: The game will not be out until 2009. The thing about the next generation games is that they are so amazing with the way that they look, the story detail now, character development all of these things it takes so long to do and it takes a very large team of people to do it. It is not uncommon for a game of that capacity to take three years to develop. But, it is great and I think Demons of Mercy will definitely be worth the wait, and no one in this industry really freaks out when it takes a long time to make because they know you are only making it better, you would not want to release something that is not quite ready.

K: Right

RH: We are working on it all the time, doing all the levels and making sure the storyline works and all the action is correct. We want to do the best game we can for the fans!

K: So you are very much involved in the storyline aspect of the game, correct?

RH: Oh, absolutely. I do all of the scripting and I do the design documents, of course I created the story, so I am very fortunate that the game company is giving me so much say over how the game is made and how it looks and feels. Of course I don't have every say, but I do get to do weekly meetings with everyone to see how the art is going and see how the levels look, how things play. It is amazing to see it all come together, to make a game it is such a huge team effort and there is no one person who can really take credit for making this type of game. It takes so many people, and everyone has to be a huge help. I come and see the 3D model of a character that I haven't see before and it is just so intricate, and even better is when you first see the character in the level, moving through the level, even little things like lighting and texture it is so difficult to do and to see it is truly amazing.

K: Right, well the next generation systems really make these things look perfect as far as things like water ripples, and body movements.

RH: With the processor that they have, we are just getting to the point where we are utilizing a lot of it and that is huge if you really think about it. To make a game in general is a really huge process, and to have the system that allows for so much is great.

K: Well, I am glad to hear that they are being democratic about your story, and you are in with the meetings.

RH: It is amazing and I have to say that there are no other girls that work there so I am coming in and telling the guys what to do (laughs) I will say the company is very interested in having story line an integral part of the game and I think now with next gen because gamers are very sophisticated audience and they expect sophisticated entertainment. Now the games that we are making like Bioshock and Mass Effect storyline has become so incredibly important gaming, it is not like in the old days where the writer would be brought on maybe in the last few weeks of development and they would say "Here you go, do something with this" instead you are actually guiding the way from concept to completion and that makes a very different game for gamers and I think that like for example, when you see movies, you think " I got tons of entertainment value out of that" and now it is like with games, when you game play for 30 or 40 hours, it is way bigger than a movie so you have a lot more responsibility to make sure that the story line works for the game and that the game is propelled by the story line instead of just happening.

K: That is ultimately what is going to keep everyone playing with the goal of figuring out what is going to happen next in the story. Hopefully with Demons of Mercy being a comic book, you will have fans that will want to check out the game to continue some of the story.

RH: Yeah, hopefully, and it is exciting too that a lot of people who are reading the comics have really liked it because there can be a stigma about comics and video games that work together. At times I think people can be hesitant to pick a comic because they are like "Oh, it is just a video game comic" and I am happy to say that I have received messages via MySpace and stuff that are like "You know I wasn't going to pick this up, but now that I have I am going to pick up the next one" It is always good to hear!

K: How did you come up with the character development for Mercy Dawn, the heroine of Demons of Mercy?

RH: I had actually had her in my head for a really long time, for years and years believe or not. I wanted to create a character that was as superhero as she could be on the outside as she could be, and if you have seen the comics you know she is very well put together. I also wanted to create a very complex female because we need more of those and I think that you can create a woman who is very gorgeous on the outside and perfect looking, but then on the inside have a lot of flaws with a lot of character issues she needs to resolve in order to have the growth she needs to get to the end of her ploy. In the beginning she is very headstrong, she is kind of crazy, definitely menacing, she is supposed to have this art of patience due to her training that she doesn't actually have. She has to learn all these important character traits and learn about herself and her own demons in order to win over the world.

K: How long does it usually take you to write one issue of the comic book?

RH: I have them outlined because I outline everything. I would say for me it takes about a week to really script out the comic, I could probably do it faster, but I like to take my time on it because I am not as visual as I could be, I definitely more a word person obviously. I have to really think about the panels and how to set them up and what would be appropriate to the way it would look, which can be difficult especially if you are doing ten pages of action. You really have to think about how you want to set up the action, where the characters need to be and how they are going to get from Point A to Point B. I usually use my little stick figures to draw it out, because I can not draw to save my life (laughs)

K: I read that you also teach writing workshops. What is some advice that you give to individuals who are looking to break into writing?

RH: It depends on what they are doing but one thing that I always say is they have to get an agent. There are a lot of authors that work without an agent and you can do that, it is not impossible there are publishers for example if you are a novelist, that take unsolicited material and that is okay if that is what you want to do. If you are interested in having a career as a writer you need to have an agent, and sometimes agents are very intimidating to writers because it can take a very long time to find the right agent. They have to really manage your career, and some people get very discouraged because they think "Well, I can sell it to a publisher in the meantime while I have been looking for an agent for so long and I am getting all these rejection letters". Bottom line is, you are going to get rejection letters in the beginning, they don't know you and they are not familiar with your work, but in the end it is worth it to have an agent who is going stick by you and make sure your rights are taken care of, someone who looks out for you monetarily, and they can definitely find more work for you in the long run. They can also help you edit what you have done, they are usually your first editor, and they can tell you what works and what doesn't before you send it to a publisher. That is very, very important. I hope that people understand that it is worth the time to find an agent.

K: How do you feel about comics to film? Are there any of your projects that are in the works for film?

RH: Believe it or not we have already had interest in Demons of Mercy and it is not even finished yet. My thought is, I mean I guess a lot of people especially not even just comics, but video games they say most video game to film translations are horrible. I do not think that is true, you have to have a group of people who love the video game and understand it. When you have that, you can make an amazing translation. Also those people need to understand the mass market, when you make a film you are not just making it for gamers; you are making it for everybody. When you have people that really love product, and they understand that everybody can be involved with the product whether they have played it or not you can make a truly great film. That is what I am kind of hoping for in the end.

K: How do you feel about MySpace and the Internet as a way to connect with fans?

RH: I think it is great, personally I have never been so in touch with fans before, and it is great that you actually get to talk to people. For me, I take pride in the fact that I actually answer all of my messages, sometimes it take a long time, sometimes it will take me almost a month to get back to people, but I try to be more on top of that.

K: A month is not bad…I have heard people take much longer (laughs)

RH: It is important to me and there is nothing more important to me than my fans and my readers because without them I don't do what I do and I think it is really important "celebrities" to remember that because your fans are your everything

K: Sometimes it seems that celebrities can forget that sometimes

RH: I don't want to be rude, but that drives me crazy. The truth of the matter is, is that everybody who reads you, everybody who plays your game, who watches your show, sees your film, or whatever, they are the reason you do what you do. I do not lose sight of that and I try to keep that in my focus at all times. When I am doing a project, I want to do the best project that I can for the fans. I am very detail-oriented because of that, but I love MySpace because people do send me so many messages and it is really wonderful to connect with fans. I love when people say "I picked this up and I really like it" or "I saw you someplace and it was really nice to see you" You know things like that, it is great to hear from people, know they are enjoying your work. It is also great when people read your blog and say "Oh, I am going to get this" or "I am going to try outlining to see how it goes" it is nice to be able to provide advice and further connections with people.

K: That is great to hear, I am glad to hear how MySpace is working for you! Have you had any crazy fan experiences?

RH: Yeah, I have absolutely blocked some people on MySpace. I have had some weird stalker fans. I have even had some marriage proposals, from people I don't know at all which was funny. I have actually gotten "I am already married but I would really like to marry you" (laughs)

K: Wow, I bet his wife was happy (laughs)

RH: It was hilarious, I think he was even in another country, but hey we can make it work (laughs) I have had some crazy fans, I have also had some scary people that I have had to kick off the MySpace because if I didn't get back to them fast enough, they would start cursing me out and all this really weird stuff.

K: Wow, that is awful…however that the beauty of MySpace and the block button.

RH: Right, I can't understand people that don't like MySpace. I mean sometimes it has its' issues, but it is a really great networking tool. I update that way more than I do my website.

K: What do you enjoy doing in your spare time if any?

RH: I have some; I mean I try (laughs). I like watching movies, I am a big movie buff and I enjoy things like rock climbing, believe it or not. I like to consider myself a sort of tomb-raider, because I enjoying exploring places like caves and things like that. I also love animals, so I am constantly working with animals and volunteering my time with animals. Mostly just volunteering and hanging out, I am mostly a hang-out kind of girl. I also love to eat; I am definitely a foodie, so if there is a good restaurant I am definitely there.

K: What is next on the horizon for you?

RH: I have a lot of comic things in the works; I have a Horror Association graphic novel coming up which will be a lot of fun. I also talking about some movie things that are in the works, just talking and I definitely have a TV thing going on and of course working on Demons of Mercy, which is a really big thing right now and the game is due out in 2009. There are definitely a lot of new things going on right now and it is a lovely position to be in when people think so highly of your work, but they are offering you so much you kind of have to weigh the pros and cons. I am huge fan-girl and if there is something that I love I will definitely make time for it, even if it means lack of sleep (laughs)

K: (laughs) Here is my last question for you, can you tell our site readers one interesting fact about yourself that we may not already know?

RH: The first thing is that I really like to collect Halloween things

K: Okay, definitely interesting

RH: People may not know that and my whole study where I work is black. I have Halloween things all over the walls, even at Christmas I break out the black Christmas tree.

K: I actually had one of those this past year (laughs)

RH: Yeah, it is awesome; it is the black feather Christmas tree with all the lights and hanging pumpkins. I am big pumpkin fan, I collect all these crafty looking pumpkins and I actually carve pumpkins. The pictures are on my MySpace.

K: Yes, I did see those

RH: I am such a geek; I am carving things like Edward Sisscorhands and Freddy Kruger and all these crazy characters into pumpkins. It is fun and I love it and I am totally obsessed when October comes around, sometimes I can't even wait and I start in September. So, that is some crazy facts about me!

K: Is there any final message or comment you would like to share with our site readers?

RH: If people do want to write, if it is something they feel from the beginning and they are writing their autobiographies at age 4, then it is definitely something they should pursue and remember nothing is impossible no matter how it feels in the beginning. Eventually you will get to a place, where it is a fabulous life and I hope that they continue to do that!

K: That is awesome! I want to thank you so much for speaking with us today!

RH: Thank you for having me!

K: Our pleasure!

RH: Mine too! I had so much fun!

K: Bye

RH: Bye