Q&A With Edo Van Belkom 

To start off this week is another Q&A with an author Mickey Mikkelson represents, Edo Van Belkom. Edo is the author of Death Drives A Semi & the books in the Wolf Pack series with the books in order Wolf Pack, Lone Wolf, Cry Wolf & Wolf Man. Wolf Pack has been adapted to a television series on Paramount + starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. 

Q: Edo, would you like to give a brief description of Death Drives A Semi & The Wolf Pack series? 

A: Death Drives a Semi is my first short story collection and the book I’m most proud of as an author. My favorite book of all time is The October Country by Ray Bradbury, and these 20 stories (21 in the 25th anniversary edition) is my version of Bradbury’s iconic book. There is the Bram Stoker Award winning story, “Rat Food,” in the book, as well as a host of award-nominated stories, and new story notes that provide insight into the creative process.

Wolf Pack is a young-adult series that began in 2005 with Wolf Pack, and ended in 2010 with Wolf Man. The first book in the four-book series won both the Silver Birch and Aurora Awards. Then in 2022 an unlikely thing happened and the series was picked up by Paramount Plus and turned into a television series by Jeff Davis, (Teen Wolf, Criminal Minds.)

Q: Are you currently writing the next novel in the Wolf Pack series, a new series, or a standalone novel this time around?

A: I’m not as active writing these days as I once was. I floated an idea for a new series of Wolf Pack books that sort of straddled the book series and the television series, but there wasn’t a publisher for it. However, all four of the Wolf Pack books will be in print by the end of the year, and the fourth book will have an all-new essay, “Wolf Pack: From Print to Screen,” that covers the unlikely journey the book underwent going from a family drama for young readers, to a supernatural mystery for adults.

What I’m really hoping to do is an all new collection of short stories from the same publisher of Death Drives a Semi. I have more than enough stories to put together a good collection so that’s what I’m looking forward to.

I’m also looking forward to the filming of the short film, “The Rug,” based on the Stoker-nominated story of the same name. Acclaimed director Sean Cisterna will be guiding the project this summer (short film and behind-the-scenes documentary) with filming in June. I’m sure the film festival circuit later in 2024, early 2025 will be a lot of fun… I can’t wait.

Q: I saw that Paramount + had one season of Wolf Pack. What was it like having Sarah Michelle Gellar in the show and what is she like as a person? Sarah seems like a sweetheart. 

A: My wife and I went to Atlanta to visit the set and it was a great time. I only had a few minutes to spend with Sarah Michelle Gellar, but she was friendly and gracious with her time. It was a great boost to the show to have someone of her stature to be a part of it, but unfortunately her presence as a star and executive producer wasn’t enough to prevent it from being canceled.

I also met with Rodrigo Santoro, who was a real pro and we had a nice conversation about the character he was playing. Most interesting was meeting the young actors playing the core four stars of the show. While I was thrilled to meet them, they were all similarly excited to meet me, the author, which came to me as a surprise. 

Q: I read that Paramount + canceled Wolf Pack after the first season due to the writers & actors strike. Are you looking to see if another network will get the rights to your books?

A: Hollywood doesn’t work that way. CBS Viacom approached me sixteen years after Wolf Pack was first published and said they were interested in obtaining the television rights to the book series. This contact came out of nowhere and I had nothing to do with generating their interest in the books. An executive at Paramount believed in the book and presented Wolf Pack to Jeff Davis and asked him if he’d be interested in doing a show based on it. He said yes, and only then did they approach me about obtaining the rights to it.

Of course, I would love to see another one of my books turned into a television series or movie, but it’s a very rare occurrence. I’ve had one book turned into a television series and that’s one more than 99 % of all writers. I’m content to see my short story, “The Rug,” made into a short film. To give you an idea about how rare it is to have anything made into a film or television project, this is the third time someone has approached me about doing a short film based on “The Rug.” This time, thankfully, the film is actually going to be made.