AA: You hit all the most famous stories in volume one. Aren't you worried that it'll go downhill from here?

DL: When we started Volume 1, I wasn't sure whether the book would develop into a series. If this was going to be a one-off, I wanted to make sure that we included as many of Lovecraft's "classic" tales -- collectively known as the Cthulhu Mythos -- as possible. As it turned out, the book did well enough that we very quickly started on Volume 2. The stories we've adapted for the second book might not be as well known as those in the first, but they are still amazing pieces of writing and I hope people will stick with the series to experience the rest of his outlandish, creepy body of work.

AA: I notice that for the most part you take the adaptations very, very literally, with little deviation from the original Lovecraft text. Is there anything wrong with looser transitions? After all, there aren't many Lovecraft stories that couldn't use a female lead.

DL: Yes, very early on we decided that these would be as faithful as possible to the originals. Of course, some changes are inevitable -- that's just the nature of adaptation. It's a bit of a balancing act, but I think we've retained the essence and spirit of these stories, even if some of the detail has been trimmed out. But that was just our approach. I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with taking a looser approach to the material, but it wasn't the direction I wanted to go with the book.

AA: Is Lovecraft's work locked in time, do you think? Is it something that can only exist in the early 20th century, or is there room in the modern world for it?

DL: Well, some of Lovecraft's attitudes were very much of their time. And his florid style of writing seems to have gone out of fashion now, which might highlight the age of the stories. But the best of Lovecraft's tales are timeless. That sounds a little grand, perhaps. But I think readers will keep discovering his work for as long as people keep reading fantastic fiction of any type. His stories and his influence are here to stay. The mainstream will catch on eventually.