[Spotlight Post] Matt Forbeck – Getting Media Tie In Right
A good while back I wrote a post about Media Tie-In novels and writers. I posited that you can tell when a writer cares about the source material and when they’re doing it for a paycheck. The example I showed then was one of the paycheck writers. Now I’m going to introduce you to someone who cared – Matt Forbeck.
[asa]B0095ZMLLC[/asa]
My friend, Nora, came to visit briefly through the Polar Vortex. She handed me a Leverage media tie-in novel called The Con Job written by Matt Forbeck. I am not completely finished with the book. But dude…1) Matt Forbeck is so ONE OF US, and 2) he wrote the book based on the SHOW not what he thought the “Real Life” character would do. So far there’s been one “S-Word” used that wouldn’t have in the show, and though it was a teensy bit jarring, it was from Eliot and if the allowance of the word had happened on TNT, Eliot would’ve used it in this context.
Though I’m not finished with the book, it’s going to take some major doing to have this thing go off the rails. It has the feel of a good episode – even with back story dropped in here and there. The backstory I understand, in case a new reader picks up the book. I’ve watched enough TNT & ION Television reruns, that I can hear the actor voices in my head – which is something that tells me the cadence is right.
He also apparently LOVES Wil Wheaton and all things Geek. There are few “Hollywood-izations” of San Diego Comic Con, but that would be in keeping with the episodic nature of the show (IE, no one gets into Comic Con as quickly as they do, but…Hollywood). He makes every possible reference to Wil Wheaton possible, which amuses me. But it fits with Hardison being the central focus of the story and the setting. Can’t wait to see it all play out.
[asa]B005070OR2[/asa]
But this isn’t the only Matt Forbeck book I have, apparently. Currently sitting on my coffee table from a fantastic New Year’s Eve Gift bag is Star Wars vs. Star Trek: Could the Empire Kick the Federations Ass? . Haven’t delved into that one either, but I’m already loving the geekiness. So check out Matt Forbeck. I know I’ll be interested in reading more of his stuff.