Castle Exclusive: Interview with Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer Storm Season and Deadly Storm)

Almost a month ago the second Derrick Storm graphic novel was released by Marvel. As we already expected Storm Season was another masterpiece by writers Brian Michael Bendis and Kelly Sue DeConnick, the dynamic duo that worked together on Deadly Storm too.

We are very thankful that Kelly Sue DeConnick was so kind to take some time out of her busy schedule to give 12th Precinct an exclusive interview about Storm Season.

12th Precinct: 
Different scenes from Richard Castle's books are mentioned in the TV show. Were there plot points you had to use in Storm Season because of that? Or were you allowed to make up the story yourself (together with Brian Michael Bendis), while you only had to follow the synopsis of the "novel"?

Kelly Sue:

The latter--Mr. Marlowe was amazing and very gracious.  He went beyond just allowing us freedom to tell the story that excited us; he actively encouraged it. Cannot sing his praises enough.  

12th Precinct:

In the first graphic novel Derrick Storms character grew a lot. At the start he was a simple  detective, desperate for money, doing every job he could get. At the end he was doing quite well and has been working freelance for the CIA. How is he doing at the start from Storm Season? What happened with Storm in the year that is set between the two stories?

Kelly Sue:

He's in a very comfortable place at the beginning of Storm Season. A year and a half has passed since we saw him last and in that time Storm's found his groove, gotten comfortable in his bespoke suits, learned to like his new life. But something nags at him as the anniversary of Nicaragua creeps up--guilt, maybe.  Maybe just the gnaw of what's missing in his life.  

12th Precinct:

There are some known characters from Deadly Storm and there are some new characters introduced in Storm Season. Which character did you had the most fun writing for?

Kelly Sue:

Boy, that's tough.  Polly Matthews, who's a new character, tickled me.  And I love the Storm Investigations supporting cast -- Sassy, Rebecca and Carl.  I love their dynamics with Derrick and with each other.  And Helen!  More to Helen than meets the eye.  And new character David and Sarah.  

If I'd been able to continue, I had plans for David.  

12th Precinct:

If you were asked to write an episode for Castle, what would it be about?

Kelly Sue:

Hm… 

I'd never thought about it until you asked, but now that I have I like my idea enough that I want to hold onto it, maybe use it for something else down the line.  

12th Precinct:

For Deadly Storm you said Clara Strike was mainly influenced by the character of Beckett. Has that changed now we have met Sophia Turner, Castle's original inspiration for Clara?

Kelly Sue:

No, though she may have informed my notion of Helen, oddly enough.  

I think Clara was the idealized version of Sophia, the person Castle wanted to believe she was…. a person who, as it happens, is much closer to the person Kate is.  

Odd sentence structure that, but I think you probably follow. 

12th Precinct:

James Bond, or a certain British secret agent, was on the mind of Castle when he started to write Storm novels. Was 007 an inspiration for you too, in writing the Storm graphic novels?

Kelly Sue:

We used the idea that he starts as Jim Rockford and turns into Jason Bourne.  And since Bourne clearly has 007 in his DNA, that works.  

There's a really great thing about Casino Royale that kind of carries over, though. My friend Warren Ellis pointed this out to me and it's brilliant -- at the start of Casino Royale, Bond is really embodying the role traditionally played by the Bond Girl--he's the one, for instance, who comes out of the water in his swimsuit like Honey Ryder.  Vesper is much more Bond than Bond. In the end, she has to die so that he can become her.  It's really amazing.  

I had something like that in mind for Clara -- she outshined him in every way.  She had to die so that he could become her.  

Well… "die." 

12th Precinct:

Was it kept in mind that Castle never knew his own father in portraying a father for Derrick Storm in the graphic novel?

Kelly Sue

Not overtly. Carl's an interesting man, though. Even his masks wear masks. 

12th Precinct:

Brian Michael Bendis was originally asked to write the Storm graphic novel alone and you said you pretty much hated him for that. With what did you "threaten" him to let him pick you as co-writer, when it became obvious that he needed one because of a busy schedule?

Kelly Sue:

Oh, Brian's actually a very good friend of mine. I didn't really threaten him so much as I threw a fit in his kitchen. I'm five feet tall. I'm not actually all that scary.  

When he was shooting the DVD extra thing, he sent me taunting text messages. I don't think he would have done that if he were legitimately frightened.  

12th Precinct:

This graphic novel you are working with a different artist than the first graphic novel, Emanuela Lupacchino. How was it to work with her?

Kelly Sue:

She's a DREAM. Great acting, so expressive. And really fun. And did you note how well she dresses everyone? I literally wrote to her at one point and asked about Sassy's boots. I loved them so much I wanted a pair. 

12th Precinct:

There will be another graphic novel about a Derrick Storm. You won't be doing this project, because you will be too busy doing another project. What can you tell us about that?

Kelly Sue:

I got the offer to do an Avengers book and as much as it crushed me to leave Castle, for a comic book writer getting the chance to write the Avengers is pretty much a brass ring. I just couldn't turn it down. And sadly, I'm kind of a slow writer so there was no way I could do both.  

12th Precinct:

Will there be any link with the Avengers project you are working on and the upcoming ABC TV show about S.H.I.E.L.D.? The show won't have the Avengers from the movie starring as series regulars, but maybe characters like Captain Marvel or Spider-woman you are writing about now, could star?

Kelly Sue:

I'm not aware of any plans for a crossover, but that's a really good idea.  Synergy!  It's the way of the entertainment future, right?

Have you already bought and read Storm Season? What did you think about it?

If you haven't gotten Deadly Storm yet, you can do that here.

And you can pre-order the new Derrick Storm short series, A Calm Before The Storm here. We found out that A Calm Before The Storm is the second most popular Marvel series, before the Avengers project Kelly Sue Deconnick is working on now.

Castle Exclusive: Karen David Talks Target & Hunt

Tonight Castle will start with the first part of this seasons two-parter, Target. An episode all Castle-fans have looked forward too, the moment it was announced.

To fill up the wait till tonight 10/9c, TwelfthPrecinct.net has an exclusive interview for you, you can’t miss. We spoke with the lovely Karen David, who will play the role of Sara El-Masri, Alexis’ abducted friend.

You might know Karen already from the TV series Waterloo Road, Pixelface and her guest star role in the pilot from Touch. Or you might know her from parts in the blockbusters Batman Begins or Scorpion King 2. But if you don’t know her yet, then we are sure you will never forget her anymore after her story arc on Castle, that will begin tonight with Target, and will end next week Monday with Hunt.

Twelfth Precinct: Were you already a big fan of Castle before you got the role in this seasons two-parter?


KD: I had watched episodes of Castle in the past and really enjoyed the storylines and the characters too. I knew it had an incredible fan base as well so this has been a real treat to be part of such a wonderful show.

Twelfth Precinct: How was it to play in Castle? A lot of guest stars are enjoying their time on the set of Castle, as there is a good atmosphere. How was your experience with that?


KD: It's like one big family on the set. Everyone was really lovely and made me feel very welcome. I had a great time filming. On one particular Monday, they had 'Music Monday', where they played some fantastic music in between setups and takes throughout the day. It was a fantastic playlist, and besides giving you some dancing feet in between takes, it was a nice energy boost too!

Twelfth Precinct: Castle has an amazing talented cast and crew. How was it to work with them?


KD: As I said earlier, they were all so lovely and fun to work with. Loved the crew and my stuntmen who I was working with as well. Most of my scenes were with Molly, and I had a wonderful time working with her. She's funny, talented and a smart lady too! We talked about everything under the sun, but especially about our Yorkies, as she has two and I have one as well.

Twelfth Precinct: What can you tell us about the storyline?


KD: In this 2 part special, you see the daughter of a wealthy businessman who is abducted and everything that unravels and is connected to the kidnapping, is sure to keep everyone at the edge of their seats!

Twelfth Precinct: You'll be playing Sara El-Masri, what can you tell us about that character?


KD: Sara is a sophomore student at Columbia University. She majors in marine biology and becomes really good friends with Alexis on campus. She has lived in New York since she was ten but has studied abroad. She attempts to keep herself calm after being kidnapped by unknown assailants.

Twelfth Precinct: What were the challenges to play her?


KD: It dawned on me that this was the first time I've really explored the emotion of fear, and I mean fear on a much higher level. It is all consuming and such a fine line in keeping the balance of portraying genuine fear. The unknown of not knowing where you are, what has happened, mixed in with the shock of it all, and the disbelief of what is happening, is overwhelmingly palpable with Sara's storyline. When I was about 8 years old, I was going over to some of my neighbor’s homes, asking for sponsors for my school's dance-a-thon. We were raising money to build a new stage theatre in our school. We lived in a safe and lovely neighborhood, but that sunny afternoon, there was a man in a beat up old sports car, I'll never forget it...yellow with a black stripe through the middle. He was driving slowly, trying to get me to come closer to his car and take some sweets from him. Remembering everything my parents and teachers had taught us about talking to strangers, I started walking faster, ignoring him, and he got out of the car and started running after me. You can just imagine how petrified I was, and thankfully, I was nearby my neighbors’ home, so I banged on their door and they let me in, and told them what happened. I also managed to take the man's license plate down as I had my clip board and pencil and wrote it all over my hand as I was running. They called the police and that man was tracked down and later charged with attempted kidnapping of not only myself, but a bunch of other young girls in the surrounding suburbs. So I could completely relate to the fears of Sara and her parents as well. It gave me the chills.

Twelfth Precinct: A lot of fans are worried that they won't be able to handle the intensity of the two-parter. Are their worries justified?


KD: I can understand that! It will keep you guessing and hanging at the edge of the cliff, but it'll be worth it. I wish I could say more!

Twelfth Precinct: After Castle, your next big project will be the new Jack Ryan movie. What can you tell us about that?


KD: I have a fun cameo in the new Jack Ryan movie, playing a Michelle Rodriquez, tomboy kind of FBI agent named Penn. Working with Kenneth Branagh was an amazing experience. I also had to train with firearms weapons which was a real mind game to have to go through. You're training with real guns and knowing quite understandably, the sensitivity with gun control, it really makes you think. Even though I was shooting blanks, not gonna lie, it was initially intimidating to be holding these pistols, glocks, machine guns, but once I was comfortable with them, I was able to enjoy playing my character. At the end of the day, my character, being an FBI agent, has been using guns her whole career, so I had to look incredibly comfortable using one! lol I guess you could say, it was another skill to add to the resume! 

Before Castle broadcasts tonight, Karen will do a Twitcam today, where you can ask her more about Castle. The Twitcam will start at midnight UK time/7pm East Cost Time/4PM West Coast Time/1am European Time.

Make sure you follow Karen on Twitter (@KarenDavid) and on Facebook to not miss it!

Make sure to check both sites too, as it is likely that she will live tweet during on of the airings of the episode.

And after the broadcast tonight, you can let her know how much you liked her.

Be sure to check our site too for all the Castle news and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.