And Now A Word From…Adrienne Dellwo!
Adrienne Dellwo is the newest Local Hero Press author. She has written the newest Just Cause Universe novel, Hero Academy. Here, she tells us about the story behind the story:
Writing Hero Academy is one of the most fun things I’ve ever done. What’s not to love about inventing a few dozen super-powered teenagers and seeing what they can do together?
The most exciting thing for me, though, is expanding on an idea I had years ago. It led to my favorite character I’ve ever created and my favorite short story I’ve ever written.
That character is Dax, and his short story is called “Dax and the Red Eyes.” Local Hero Press published it a few years ago in a superhero-themed anthology called Caped.
Dax first appeared in my mind in a flash of inspiration. I’d just beta read a friend’s superhero story that had a take on things I’d never seen before. That never fails to inspire me, and afterward I thought, “If I were to write a superhero story, what would it be like?”
Nothing came to me at first, and with a blank mind, I lay down to sleep. Of course, that’s when the flood of ideas hit. I imagined a non-verbal little boy with severe developmental delays and extraordinary powers. I wrote a page of notes about Dax and his situation, and wrote the story a few days later.
Once Dax’s story came out, everyone I knew who read it wanted more. They wanted to know what happened to Dax beyond the end of the story. What about his disability? And what about the world he lived in, where super powers were just part of life? Most of them either asked if I was going to make it into a book or told me that I should.
So last fall, when a casual Facebook conversation with Ian turned to the Just Cause Universe and I found out he was taking pitches, my mind immediately went to Dax. I knew he couldn’t be the main focus of the story because of his disability, but I knew he’d be important to it.
First, I read Just Cause, the first book in the series. Right away, I saw how the world I’d set Dax in could mesh with the one Ian had created. The Hero Academy, a high school for superheroes, would be the perfect setting for my story. Teenagers are my favorite subjects. I don’t know why, but it’s my thing.
After advancing Dax’s story in my head a few years, I came up with a protagonist. I’m obsessed with flying creatures, so she has wings. Dragonfly wings, actually, because butterfly seemed too common. I put together enough of a story to make a pitch, and huzzah, Ian liked it!
Since I started writing Hero Academy, back in November, it’s been like getting the keys to Willy Wonka’s tasting room. I’ve gotten to stretch my imagination, play with a big cast of characters, and flesh out a little corner of an awesome universe I’ve been busy learning about (I’ve now read nine and three-quarters JCU books plus some supplemental stories.)
Now, as we barrel toward publication, I’m giddy over Hero Academy coming out and looking forward to even more fun times ahead. I might even have a couple of ideas…
Hero Academy will release in July. Preorders will open soon!