Jane Espenson is the talented and prolific writer/producer best known for her work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (as well as throughout the Whedonverse), Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, and most recently, Game of Thrones. Now, she turns her talents to the popular British sci-fi franchise, Torchwood, in its latest incarnation, Torchwood: Miracle Day, a UK/US co-production that will premiere on Starz here in the U.S. tomorrow at 10 PM.
She seems to be everywhere these days, and not only has a writer credit on more of Miracle Day‘s 10 episodes than any other writer save Russell T. Davies himself, but she’s also hard at work co-executive producing an upcoming fairy tale-inspired show called Once Upon a Time, and is even joining the webseries ranks! However, as busy as she is, like many other lesser-known writers (*ahem* *looks away sheepishly*), she always has time for Twitter, often using it to answer questions about writing, encourage other writers in half-hour writing sprints, or take pictures of/talk about/salivate over what she’s having for lunch.
I thought, the best way to pin down this busy lady would be to interview her via her social media platform of choice! 10 questions, 10 answers, each no more than 140 characters. Here’s everything you wanted to know about Jane’s work on Torchwood crammed into tasty, bite-sized morsels.
@JaneEspenson Tell us a little about your favorite episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day that you’ve written and why it stands out for you?
@TeresaJusino Fave I did write: ep 5 or 7. Can’t decide. 5 has an amazing dark story and 7 is sweeping and special. Russell helped both turn out great.
What’s your favorite episode of Torchwood: Miracle Day that you didn’t write? Why?
I haven’t seen all the ones I didn’t write. They just send you your own. But I did see ep 2, written by Doris Egan – Fantastic, tense.
Describe what Russell T. Davies is like to work with.
Russell is positive and bubbly. He’s always saying Hooray, and meaning it. At the same time, not afraid to make you dig deep. Love him!
Who is your favorite character on Torchwood – either from Miracle Day, or any of the previous seasons – and why?
I love Gwen. So real and grounded and human. She makes you see that heroism has a deep cost—nothing ever feels glib.
Who is your least favorite Torchwood character – again, from either the upcoming, or previous seasons – and why?
Least favorite – well, Bill Pullman’s Oswald Danes is horrible, but that’s the point. You can’t look away from him. Great performance.
Have you visited Cardiff at all? If so, what were your impressions? Any favorite places?
I have never had a chance to go to Wales. I would love to. If everyone is like Russell, it must be a happy place!
Have you gotten around to watching any Doctor Who yet? (Not that I care. It’s only THE BEST SHOW EVER. But, you know, whatever.)
I have seen some Doctor Who now! It’s amazing. Maybe Brit TV isn’t as scared of true Sci Fi as US TV sometimes is. They proudly go!
How is Once Upon a Time coming along?
Once is great! I like the story telling here. There’s always a reason to tell each story. A genuine theme. Polished, funny, smart.
Will you be writing any more Game of Thrones?
I’d love to write more Game of Thrones. Those guys are amazing.
It seems like you’re always working! Do you ever take vacations?
I haven’t had a vacation in a while. I’m writing a web series called Husbands now. Maybe after that?
Torchwood: Miracle Day premieres TOMORROW at 10 PM on Starz and will be streaming from their site beginning at 12:01 AM, Friday.
Teresa Jusino would totally make out with Gwen Cooper. She can be heard on the popular Doctor Who podcast, 2 Minute Time Lord, participating in a roundtable on Series 6.1. Her “feminist brown person” take on pop culture has been featured on websites like ChinaShopMag.com, PinkRaygun.com, Newsarama, and PopMatters.com. Her fiction has appeared in the sci-fi literary magazine, Crossed Genres; she is the editor of Beginning of Line, the Caprica fan fiction site; and her essay “Why Joss is More Important Than His ‘Verse” is included in Whedonistas: A Celebration of the Worlds of Joss Whedon By the Women Who Love Them, which is on sale now wherever books are sold! 2012 will see Teresa’s work in two upcoming sci-fi anthologies. Get Twitterpated with Teresa, “like” her on Facebook, or visit her at The Teresa Jusino Experience.
