[Doc Faustus]

That's how it happens. Half the stories I thought would be incredibly relevant turned out not to be and the ones I thought would be unpublishable were the most successful. I was ready to throw away the book that became the first three parts of Murderland in favor of a book about a kid whose bipolar dad hunted monsters and whose first girlfriend's abusive father turned out to be a werewolf. I even told my girlfriend:
"Murderland is boring. Werewolves are interesting."