ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Where did the concept forEdgelandcome from?
JAKE HALPERN: Its a story about two kids who fall off the edge of the earth.
And theres a real life inspiration here.
You see, I grew up near Niagara Falls.
Ever since I was a kid, I was obsessed with stories of people who jumped the falls.
In fact, there was a legend about a seven-year-old boy who went over the edge and lived.
Turns out, the legend was true.
Afterwards, fans and even some religious zealots made pilgrimages to the trailer park where this kid lived.
Some believed hed been touched by God.I wrote a story about him forOutsideMagazine.
Anyway, the story stayed with me.
Then I called up Peter, my co-author and shared the idea.
PETER KUJAWINSKI:I loved the idea!
From the beginning, we loved these concepts they were creepy, mind-bending, and very cool.
How did travels in Jerusalem influence you?
JH: Peter and I met in Israel.
He was working as a U.S. diplomat and I was teaching at the American International School.
Describing it this way sounds kind of insane, and thats what we were going for.
PK:Jerusalem is a place where devout Jews, Christians, and Muslims rub shoulders all the time.
Its an atmosphere that we channeled when writingEdgeland.
Why did you want to continue writing inNightfalls universe but not write a sequel toNightfall?
Do you have other stories planned in this same world?
We loved its epic 500-mile tides and its 14-year-long nights.
So we decided to setEdgelandin another bizarre corner of this same world.
In fact, there are some crossover characters.
InNightfall, theres a group of traders, known as the furriers.
They are hired to take everyone on the island of Bliss to the south.
We openEdgelandwith these same furriers.
Whats your process like when writing together?
How does the collaboration work?
JHWe talk all the time.
My wife sometimes jokes that he is my other spouse.
And often were on opposite ends of the globe.
I will be reporting a story in Poland and hell be on a diplomatic mission to the Arctic Circle.
But we always find a way to talk and share ideas.
Our goal in life is to be like two twelve-year old boys who refuse to grow up.
And yes, we likeStranger Things.
You both have had jobs that dealt explicitly with the real worldinvestigative journalism and diplomacy.
What appeals to you about creating new, fantastical ones?
For people living in the Middle Ages, this was the real world.
JH:For pure inspiration, you cant beat the real world.
Fact is stranger than fiction, for sure.
Thats why I love reporting stories for outlets likeNew YorkerandThis American Life.
It feels like defying gravity or breathing underwater.
