Diane, thanks for sitting down with us today. Let’s dive right in, shall we? What inspired you to write Supernova?
I was riding in the Jeep with my husband one day and the thought popped in my head, “What if a supernova happened too close to Earth and people got superpowers from the radiation?”
Up to that point, I never thought about writing. I was an avid reader, but the idea of writing had never even crossed my mind. My husband was the one that was going to write a book. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had the time to write his yet, but it inspired me to take that step.
The idea of Supernova came from my love of superhero movies, which all started with the first X-Men movie. I loved the variety of superpowers in X-Men and I thought it would be fun to write a book in that type of universe. I liked coming up with some superpowers that were useless or not your typical, run-of-the-mill powers.
That’s pretty cool. Do you have any themes in your story?
Definitely superheroes, but I wanted to put a twist on the typical superhero trope and make using superpowers come with a price.
You don’t really get to see a lot of the downside of superpowers—it’s nice to see that in your book. Who is your favorite character?
My favorite character to write was my main character’s neighbor, Mrs. Donaldson, especially when she starts going crazy. The crazy characters are the most fun!
However, my favorite character has to be Madeline. I put a lot of myself into her because, in a way, it was like I was writing my daughter into existence. I have three wonderful sons, but no daughters. I wanted to use the girl name I had picked out, and what better way to use it, then to immortalize it in a book.
That’s really sweet, thank you for sharing that. How did you craft your world?
I wanted to base my story out of somewhere local; to put Amherst, WI on the map, so to speak. Although I fabricated the characters, most of the locations are real places.
I decided to show what a big cataclysmic event would look like from a small-town point of view, because most apocalyptic type stories take place in major cities, and I wanted to try something different.
I feel like more stories should be in small towns. Let’s change direction a little: can you tell us about your journey with this book?
The journey with this book has been a rough ride. Writing this book was easy, but it was everything afterward that was hard. I first tried to find an agent and was rejected over seventy times. I decided to work with a co-publisher, which is where you pay a company to make your book and help sell it. They ripped me off; never paying me my royalties. I fought with them, even hired a lawyer. I came to a point where any mention of Supernova would draw a sigh out of me. I was beginning to hate my book because of everything I had gone through and that was devastating. Fortunately, I finally got them to give me my rights back, and I’m happy to say I’m in a much better place now. Supernova is my first book, my baby, and I’m relieved to have it in the hands of A4A!
We’re glad to have it in our hands, too! What can readers expect next from you?
I’m currently writing the last book for my trilogy. The first book of the trilogy, The Rare, is out right now and the second one, The Remnant will be released in October of this year.
I have another book idea that I’m excited about. I’m going to include my family in the writing process, allowing each of my boys to create a civilization and world that I will put in my book. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!
That sounds intriguing! Thanks again for talking with us today, Diane, and readers don’t forget to join us for the launch party for Supernova this Saturday, the 7th!
by Diane Anthony
When librarian Madeline Hayes wakes up in the front yard with no memory of why she's there, her simple life in a small town becomes more complicated than she ever imagined. Strange things start happening: her father heals an injury with a touch, her elderly neighbor seems to become younger, and everyone starts getting this strange blue light in their eyes—and in their veins.
And then people start dying.
Can Madeline unravel this mystery and stop the strange transformations before it's too late?
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