Hello, and if you’re reading this far then you must have liked the books! My blogs have been up for over a year, and I have finally gotten around to a comments page. (For earlier comments, look around–they’re attached to everything.) So if you have comments/questions about the books, this is the place.
A comment of my own: one of the best ways to thank writers for a great experience is to express your enthusiasm on the sales-site where you discovered their stories. In my case this means Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble (BN.com). Even if the review is nothing more than “Great book!” and a star-rating, the reader ratings have an effect on search rankings when buyers are surfing the titles of different genres and categories. In other words, good ratings mean increased sales. Think of it as tipping the piano-man on the way out.
-Marion G. Harmon
Marion G. Harmon, A Writer in Vegas. 
I have two words for you:
WRITE FASTER.
I just finished both WTC books (I’ll be giving you glowing reviews on Amazon directly) and absolutely adored them. I love your universe, your characters, and your style. I snagged Wearing the Cape on a whim, and boy am I glad I did! It’s always an iffy proposition trying unknown authors (and new genres), but I will gleefully purchase anything that has your name on it from this point forward.
Cheers!
Thank you. I will, indeed, endeavor to write faster.
Hi, George don’t know if you remember me but I commented on whether or not childbirth skewed breakthroughs demographics. I have another world building question. With the collapse of China and the Asian marshal plan has America become the manufacturing center it was in the ’50s?
Not so much; China’s economy tanked for a while, but the new Chinese states picked it up again. And Japan, India, Europe, etc., didn’t lose much manufacturing capability either.
I may be entering this in the wrong place, since this is the first time I’ve written on a blog. Anyway, here’s to hoping you get to read this Mr. Harmon.
First off, let me say this. I LOVE the series. I’ve been a big superhero fan most of my life, and your world is wonerfully put together, well though out, and highly believable. Not to mention the great stories you tell in it. I’ve read them all, and I must laughingly agree with Aaron’s comment….WRITE FASTER, lol! Although I get how long it can take, which brings me to the second part of my post. Reading Wearing the Cape actually inspired me to finally start writing my own superhero story. I’ve been at it since you first published the original Wearing the Cape (Working my day job gets in the way, lol.). That being said, it’s getting there. But I noticed you are publishing an anthology of short stories, and if you are interested and looking for more stories, I’d like to share the beginning of mine, since it was originally written as a short story until my friends told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to finish it. Since I’m unpublished, I’d get if you chose not to, but It costs me nothing to make the offer.
Once again, love your work, and I look forward to the next instalment in the ‘Cape universe.
Sincerely,
Dan
PS: One more thing to mention. My story was written initially to set up a campaign world for a superhero RPG. I was actually going to use your world, but then had an amazing flash of inspiration one morning as I woke up, and my own, very unique world and setting came to life. The campaign is currently on hiatus, but still going, and the players really enjoy it. So I must admit I’m looking forward to see how your world translates into an RPG game.
I’m glad you have enjoyed the series! If you want to talk to me about your story, the best venue to use for correspondence is the contact-page at wearingthecape.com. That said, I will add that the planned anthology is for stories that either take place in Hope’s world or are literal “crossovers.” But I’m always happy to hear a pitch.
Okay, I just got Wearing the Cape yesterday. I am about halfway through. I have one big question to start off with:
How could you not find a publisher for this book? It is a solid story, tightly written, with a great premise. You have done an amazing job in creating a full environment, from Hope’s family, to the Bees (VERY nice touch), to a range of experiences moving the story along.
You flesh out the rest of the Sentinels very well, just enough without making them a distraction to the thrust of the story. Your philosophical musings are very interesting, particularly the time-travel ideas, and I liked the disagreement Hope has with Atlas about the Brotherhood-Boys fight. You go in-depth on the tropes of your story, examining details like costumes, patrols, and team-ups, that add depth to the story, and do not distract. Your various characters are likable, without being mushy. And while I am male, I am married, and grew up with two sisters, and I think you write very well from Hope’s POV. I would be intrigued by a woman’s perspective on your story, and may ask my wife to read the book when I am done.
I am curious about a few things. First, are you a fan of Andrew Greeley’s novels? Father Nolan sounded a bit like Bishop Blackie. Second, are you familiar with Paragons from Green Ronin Publishing? It is a setting “toolkit” for the Mutants and Masterminds RPG, with a similar basic premise to your Event, and they discuss “origin chasers” in the book. I do see you are a GURPS player, so I wondered if you had seen that supplement.
I am not going to tell you this book is perfect, by any means, but it is a great read. It reminds me a bit of Mercedes Lackey’s first Valdemar book, Arrows of the Queen, which was also a great read, even though it seemed to be trying to tell a whole lot of stories instead of just one, resulting in some side stories coming out of the blue to take over the main storyline. I enjoyed it, and thought it was quite good, with a few caveats. I think the same here, except I think you are far more focused, keeping the storyline tight on your first person narrator.
I did note one detail that threw me: Hope’s cancer. You reference it as a cover story, but the first part of Hope’s narration only mentions that she got sick. It just struck me as an odd place to drop the Big C, revealing the nature of her sickness. Overall, a minor misstep.
Thank you for your efforts. I have been reading a lot of superhero prose fiction, and yours is up there with the best I have read so far. Devil’s Cape by Rob Rogers was probably my favorite, for his characterization, dialog, and pacing. Soon I Will Be Invincible was very good, but very…deconstructionist. I also got tired of Grossman’s playing with archetypes. You do, also, but I think more effectively, and with an eye to telling your story, in your way, with characters that may reflect archetypes, but remain original. I kept feeling like Grossman actually wanted to be telling a Superman-Batman-Wonder Woman story. In my mind, Elliot S. Maggin’s Superman novels set a hell of a standard, but many worthy writers have followed suite. You are one of those writers. Thank you for sharing your story with us. I look forward to continuing the journey with you.
Glad to hear you’re enjoying it–hope the end lives up to the rest for you!
To answer your questions:
Publishing is a business, so agents and publishers look for what they believe will sell. Superhero fiction is a very new and narrow genre and I am an unknown author. ‘Nuff said.
Congratulations! You are the first reader who has mentioned Blackie Ryan. Father Nolan is a complete steal–I prefer to call it an “homage.” More seriously, the Punk is one of my favorite characters; when the plot called for a priest I just couldn’t resist paying tribute to Greeley’s genius.
I am familiar with Paragons. I don’t know when it was published, but my brother called it to my attention while I was in the throes of creating the post-Event world and I even own a copy. I’d already picked up the theme of origin chasers from a DC comic (Bulleteer) that came out a few years ago, and decided it was a necessary consequence of any superhero world where powers arise from “accidents.” Probably my biggest departure from Paragons is simply that I have never tried to explain the Event–not even to myself on paper. And I never will.
Lastly, I’m very flattered by the company you put me in; I hope my writing continues to meet your expectations.
-George
I just finished the book. You do not disappoint!
I will type up a review for Amazon.com. Now, I just have to find the money for Villains, Inc.
Cool–I look forward to reading it and hope Villains Inc. continues the trend.
George, just finished Bite Me, and as I expected, I enjoyed it very much. Do you want/need/accept unsolicited editing comments? I found a couple of words mispelled, and would be happy to tell you about them if you do. Very minor things really, in a truly fun read. I am looking forward to whatever you release next.
S,
Kevin
Absolutely–until I format the paperback edition I can make minor changes easily.
George, Amazon review posted. I hope my review sparks interest. I truly enjoyed the book, and my review reflects this fact. The two spelling errors I noted in the text are:
location 3277 (near the end) it mentions going from hanger to hanger, but airplanes are stored inside Hangars. Location 3027 when discussing wine MC talks of “nose and pallet”, but I think he means nose and palate. I hope these help, and aren’t too nitpicky!
Best,
Kevin
Not at all. When something like this happens I check the spellings in my master file, correct as needed, and sooner or later the change is formatted and uploaded to Amazon. Meanwhile I’m relieved–these are small enough most won’t notice.
Marvelous writing, to summarize all my reactions so far.
Keep up the good work.
I would like to know if ‘Bite Me’ will be available in paper format as well, in the near future.
This as I don’t own, nor will purchase, an e-reader.
Bite Me should be available in paperback by the end of October. I’m glad you’re enjoying my stories so far.
Hey Mark,
I have really enjoyed reading WTC, Villian Inc and Bite Me. When do you plan to publish another? and what happened to “Casper the Unfriendly Ghost”?
“Casper” will certainly play a part in the next Bite Me book–the reason I included him. I’m currently working on Young Sentinels, the third Wearing the Cape story.
I’ve read WTC, Villains Inc. , and just finished Bite Me. All three are awesome, and I eagerly await future stories. One thing I would like to share is this. I’ve always been good at creative writing myself, but could never seem to sit down and write, or come up with an idea that I could possibly put into a feature length novel. I too also play the pen and paper RPG’s (most recently the awesome new Marvel system). To shorten this up, I decided to create my own world for my group, and it was your books that inspired me. At first I was going to just use your world for the setting, but one morning I was dozing in bed, and Bam! Bam! Bam!…. idea after idea after idea popped into my head. So I researched the aspects I needed to for realism, and wrote the beginning of the story. It’s definitely mine, and quite different from your world, but it was your wonderful work that inspired me. I’m still writing it, putting it together. Everyone that’s read it so far has loved it, and my group is really looking forward to playing in it. But I would like to thank you for showing me a new type of superhero story, and I really look forward to reading what you come up with next.
-Dan
Thank you! I’m sure your new campaign will be a great success–and perhaps you’ll be able to write out your adventures. The superhero genre needs more creative stories.
Mr. Harmon,
First I want to say, great work on Wearing the Cape and Villains, Inc. Loved ’em both. Have yet to find time in my schedule for more. I’m a huge fan of super-fellow prose–which is rather sparse in availability and typically of questionable quality–and sated my fix for it primarily by playing and roleplaying in City of Heroes (rest in peace, little game that could!). Your books filled a void for me, and are part of what inspired me to start writing my own.
I’m working on a little ditty called “Malevolence” in my spare time, and have gotten about 3/4s through a complete rewrite after finishing a draft. I expect it to come in just shy of 75k words, so it’d be a novella by anyone’s standards. I’ve also started laying the groundwork for a sequel as ideas come to me. Anyway, the story of “Malevolence” centers around a recently-paroled supervillain returning to the world of capes and tights, and finding that he may be irrelevant. When he discovers that while he was incarcerated, his creations were put to use by another supervillain to aid in their plot to take over the world, he isn’t happy–to say the least. And so he take his mission of revenge out to not only the colorful, arrogant heroes of the world he lives in, but his brethren villains as well.
I would be keen to send you the final draft when it’s done, edited, and polished, for your thoughts as a fellow writer of super-person fiction whose work I admire and respect.
Best of luck with all your other projects and have a great holiday season!
Regards,
Alexander
Congratulations on finishing a full manuscript! Great ideas are everywhere–actually finishing is a major achievement. I appreciate the offer of a pre-publication draft. However, between my own research and writing, I have so little reading time that my to-read list has already grown to epic size (there are even new releases in much-loved series I have yet to get to). Occasionally, as today, I spot something I can’t ignore, but mostly I’m just trying to keep my head down and soldier on. That said, if you still wish to send me a copy I will be happy to put it in my to-read stack. I hope Malevolence is only the first of many.
M.G.Harmon
Hello again! I’d love to send you a copy of the first novella in the series. I can toss you a PDF in the very near future, but just need to know where to send it! Thanks again!
mgharmon@embarqmail.com. Again, no idea when I can read or comment on it. If you’ll take a suggestion, I recommend checking out writer-sharing sites such as Youwriteon.com as a means of getting honest and wide-ranging critiques on your work. I put all three of my current-published stories (the first 7,000 words of each, anyway) through that site, and comments I received helped Big Time.
Hi George! Thanks again for the reply. I only *just* got notified about it again. I’ll send you a copy in the next few days, and will certainly check out the site you recommended.
Thanks for letting me send you the PDF. Any formatting issues and typos you may find in what I sent are resolved, and the eBook is live @ https://tinyurl.com/afetn6a Thanks for your support, and please let me know what you think when you do get a chance to read it!
I just have one little request. I love the covers for the books, but it would be nice to see a picture of Hope without the mask and wig. Hope instead of Astra. Maybe Shelly, too. Odd, I know, but it would be nice to see her as herself. The stories are fabulous, by the way.
Funny you should ask. Since my cover artist charges a pretty penny (worth it!) for her work, I don’t foresee any non-cover character sketches coming any time soon. However, here’s this; I always had a picture of Hope in my mind, and then I saw her on TV the other day–it was an interview with AnnaSophia Robb. Not the same, yet the same, if you know what I mean.
For Shelly I’ve got nothing besides “freckled redhead.” Sorry.
All three books out so far have been a treat to read. Wearing the cape was an Amazon recommendation and sitting on the back burner of my list until I discovered it was set in Oak Park / Chicago. Some of my fondest memories of gaming are from playing a hero set in Oak Park so I had to read it. I am so glad I did. Thanks for writing them!
Glad you enjoyed them, and I look forward to reading your Amazon reviews!
I am continuing to love these books – I’ve read the first two WTC books twice now, read “Omega Night” in fifteen minutes, and now I’m enjoying “Bite Me.” Also – when I purchased “Bite Me” for my Kindle, it was $7.99! I think that’s great that your books are now getting more “standard” pricing, because it implies a certain amount of marketability.
Now, this makes me wonder – and forgive me if this is a prying question – has self publishing allowed you to quit your “day job” and write full time? Or to perhaps frame the question in a less personal way, do you feel that writers who self-publish have the potential to do so with enough success that they can become full time writers?
Also – the “Capeverse” is awesome! Have you ever toyed with the idea of allowing other folks to contribute to the setting, a la “Wild Cards”?
I’m happy that my stories have made it to your Reread List. I am, in fact, making more money on my books now than I am on my extremely part-time day job and I am trying to transition into a “professional” writing career. As to doing multi-author anthologies a la Wild Cards or Ring of Fire, I would love to–but that will have to wait until I have an agent and publisher who can handle the legal details. As an aside, I suspect that the first sign that the Wearing the Cape books have truly arrived will be the appearance of fanfic. (Not sure I’m looking forward to that–it depends on the content.)
Sir, I consider that fanfic remark a proper CHALLENGE. Honor demands I produce such!
I’d do the same if I weren’t so caught up in writing the sequel to my own superhero fic. Conflict of interest, ya know? 🙂
Read the four stories on Kindle, really like them. Astera and Artemis characters feel real to me(good job),their world too.
From your style I thought you were female(suprising). Looking forward to the next.
Been wondering what all the people look like,I’m kinda used to manga and other graphic novels. Maby somebody can get it done. Reading “Bite me” I didn’t get the referances to Baron Samedi or the Lucy or Mina type girls. I hope the next one comes out soon.
Glad you enjoyed the books. Baron Samedi is a loa (look him up on Wikipedia). Lucy and Mina were characters in Brahm Stoker’s Dracula novel. Lucy was blonde, Mina dark-haired.
First of all, let me congratulate you on a well-described, fairly realistic word, plotlines that make sense, likeable and human characters and a fresh viewpoint into how the public at large would really respond to the appearance of superpowers. Some or all of the above are often missing from superhero fiction (in comics or otherwise) and they are the primary reasons I started reading your series. I found out about Wearing the Cape in the internet while doing an active search for some superhero fiction to read in fantastic.fiction.co.uk and have been a fan ever since.
Now, something I wanted to ask for some time that struck me as odd. Astra can lift 9-10 tons before having to put real effort, right? Yet we see her having serious problems “pushing against the air” when getting close to the speed of sound. Now, a human in freefall has a terminal velocity of up to 200 mph in low altitude, where his own weight is fully countered by aerodynamic drag. Said drag increasing at the square of velocity, if that 200-pound man was pushed by 100 times the force -by Astra’s own strength for example- they should go at 10 times the velocity, or 2000 mph (Mach 3). So why is Astra so much slower than she should be given her strength, especially since she’s got much less drag than a 200-pound man? Ditto for the felt acceleration in, say, Omega Night. A single extra g of acceleration for one minute gives a speed of Mach 2 so if she was pulling enough gs to risk blacking out…
I realize I’m talking physics applied to a world with superpowers but it should be noted the real-life skydiving speed record (albeit at really high altitudes) is 1.25 Mach for a perfectly normal guy merely falling and that fighter jets that outfly Atlas-types in your books have thrust/weight ratios of maybe 2:1 while Astra would have nearly 200:1…
There are several reasons why Astra’s lifting capacity might not translate into flight speed at a 1/1 ratio; one might be the difference between simply lifting something (a single action) and lifting the same object over and over and over and over and over etc. However, the truth is that I based Astra’s flight speed and lifting capacity on the levels appropriate for a 2,000 point Archetype template using the most recent edition of GURPS Supers–a game system which treats strength and flight as two completely separate powers. So you’re right: if you treat Astra’s lifting strength and her flight as two sides of the same power, the ability to exert force, they don’t add up.
Glad you enjoyed Omega Night enough to break it down–that one was fun to write.
Thanks for the quick reply – and yes, I enjoyed Omega Night immensely after I put my inner physicist under a temporary sensory deprivation spell. 🙂
Regarding Astra’s powers, from what I’m reading in general she doesn’t really have superstrength in the same way Rush doesn’t really have superspeed. If she were truly superstrong, she’d be at least as fast as Rush outside Hypertime – imagine someone that can throw punches, turn around and take steps as fast as they can blink since the weight of their own bodies would be irrelevant compared to their strength and their largest moves would be as fast as their smallest. If an advanced typist can type 600 letters per minute, an individual with real superstrength and the same dexterity could punch you 10 times per second.
PS:
That Archetype is underoptimized. I accidentally leveled Belfast in a 850-point GURPS game a few years ago. “Uncontrollable” and nuke-level powers are a bad combo. 🙂
Hi George,
It was great to meet you at Comic Con this past weekend. I downloaded your book and am excited to check it out. Maybe we’ll see you again at another show soon, or feel free to keep in touch.
Hope you enjoy it–I had a very good time last weekend myself!
Hello George,
Just thought I’d drop a line. I have enjoyed your books since I found “A Superhero Story” around a year ago which of course led me straight on to “Villains Inc”. I’ve been a comic fan for decades, and I love the new perspective on the supers that your bringing to the genre. I look forward to reading your new books as they come out and hopefully your a fast and prolific author!
I also thought I would let you know that Salt Lake is having its first ever ComicCon in September (5-7), I know your not doing much of these yet, but I figured since its practically (ok, 5-6 hour drive) in your back yard, maybe you could see about attending. Would love to see you there and to introduce you and your books to more of my friends. I’ll leave you the link to it, JUST incase your interested.
Thank you. Not doing a table, but may go as a fan this year…
Hello first off huge fan love your work. Secondly can you give us a update on when the Young Sentinals is coming out? Really want to read it after reading the first three chapters on this site.
The end of this month, watch this space!
I have read them all. They are great,Villains Inc being my favorite. You cannot write these fast enough to suit me. But I think that is my problem and not yours. You make me want to write Perhaps I will. One tiny Nit, Ron, Don Max Fisher? His name changed twice over the series. I liked Ron. Ron is never the hero he is always the side kick Ron Stoppable, Ron Weasley come to mind. My name is Ron so I may be a little biased. Bring back Ron!
Lei Zi,. Perhaps I missed it but I don’t believe you have ever described her costume. I picture her in Black battle dress but that’s just my mind. Being she’s Chinese I picture her as being only a little taller than Hope. She must have an imposing character to command a group like the Sentinels. I would request a better picture of her for my mind maybe in the next book which you are writing at a feverish pace to please me.
Thank you for what I believe to be the best superhero series written to date. You go places I would never of expected to go in this series
I use to play a game called City of Heroes. It was killed by NcSoft a year ago so I can’t play it anymore, but I was wondering if you had ever played it? The Wearing the cape stories are so much like it in many ways. The Star emblem at the beginning of e very chapter has been on the chest of many of my characters and was the symbol for my first Super Group. Also Atlas is the name of a fallen Hero in the game. His huge Statue was in the first main zone of the game, a place called Atlas Park. For these reasons and others I love your books. I am still and have always been a major Superman fan.
Wow, the coincidences just keep getting scarier. I’d heard about the star symbol from other City of Heroes players, but never about Atlas the fallen hero…
http://i.imgur.com/oaTIP0I.jpg Image of the Atlas Statue as it stood in Atlas Park. I have read everything I can find just started Young Sentinels and still need to read Bite Me The Big Easy.
http://cityofheroes.wikia.com/wiki/Atlas and some info on him. His story is far from your Atlas.
Good to know, thanks!
First of all, I’ve read all the books so far and loved all of tthem. Have some questions though.
1. If there is ever another Jacky book will we see if Jacky fears being decapitated again ( aside from the obvious reasons) in case it makes her undead again?
2. In the beginning of most chapters a doctor, author, or psychiatrist make statements. But what do famous comic book authors think of their world now filled with super beings?
3. Do you think Stan Lee could ever give out a comment ( as if he were aa character in the story? I mean if mutants and other supers started appearing in real life I bet people would like to hear a comment from Stan.
4. In a world where there are real super heroes do comic book ones still exist? are they still making stories about them? I know that Superman and Batman are the biggest archetypes that the heroes use to create their personas but since that statement was made ( I think in villains inc.) they haven’t been mentioned.
5. Will the teatime anarchist ever appear again? Either as a younger version or a reincarnation? Kinda a of a fan.
Interesting questions…
1.) You can bet that Jacky does in fact worry about that. She likes solid food and sunshine.
2./3.) Thought about that, then I realized that I didn’t know how Stan Lee would feel about being fictionalized in a “competitor’s” story and decided not to find out.
4.) Aside from the mention I made of Superman and Batman, I’ve avoided referring to any trademarked comic-book superheroes. Legally I can reference them all I want to, so long as I don’t write fiction about them, but I still don’t want to give Marvel or DC’s lawyers (and by extension, Disney’s and Warner Brother’s lawyers) any reason to pay attention to me.
5.) There are a couple of sneaky ways I could bring the Teatime Anarchist back (and I liked him too!), but I’m avoiding the comic-book trope of resurrecting heroes and villains. I know, I know, Jacky and Shelly kind of fit the trope, but they were already dead when the story began and, anyway, they were only “mostly dead.” (And bonus points for knowing where that phrase came from.)
Glad you’ve enjoyed the stories!
Going for the bonus points!
Princess Bride
Mr. Harmon, I was wondering what the differences between Atlas and Ajax-types are, except for the fact that Ajax-types can’t fly.
Objectively, that’s pretty much it. They may also tend to be a bit stronger and tougher than an Atlas-type in the same class, and they don’t have heightened senses. Think of the Atlas-types as Superman without all the extras (x-ray vision, heat vision, super-breath, super-speed, etc), and Ajax-types as the Thing, the Hulk, Colossus, or Juggernaut.
Maybe a better example of an Atlas type would be Wonderwoman possibly, I dint know whether she has any “add-ons”/extras like Supermans’ heat vision.
(Sorry it’s several years later…)
How about the chances of a physical transformation?
Hope was physically unchanged becoming an Atlas, but I got the impression
that becoming an Ajax had a greater chance of making the recipient
bigger and more muscular.
Maybe those persons had pre-existing body issues.
That’s something I haven’t thought too deeply about. SaFire is technically a “transformed” Atlas-Type (she doesn’t look quite like she used to).
Mr. Harmon, has the possibility of breakthroughs had an impact on the violent crime rate? Murders, muggings, rape etc. After all, there’s always the possibility that the victim will have a breakthrough and attempt to rip of their assailant’s head, as we saw with Crash. The same with bullying. For example, the jocks harass some poor guy until he has a breakthrough and sets them on fire.
Wouldn’t at least some criminals be less inclined to commit violent crimes, out of a sense of self-preservation if nothing else?
I’m sure it does have some small effect, but keep in mind that breakthroughs are rare events–the chances of a bullying episode triggering a breakthrough are one in thousands, for example. More likely than getting struck by lightning, but less likely than getting in a car accident. So while a few people might be more cautious–especially as the media tends to hugely publicize dramatic and public breakthroughs–lots of people will just shrug and ignore the very minor chance that their crimes might reap immediate karma.
Mr. Harmon:
I have been reading some of the original Avengers issues in the Marvel Masterworks, and I ran across the issue featuring the origin of Wonder Man, where Baron Zemo used an ionic ray device to give Simon Williams his powers. I also noted that in Wearing the Cape, some vampires could sire vampires, basically causing a breakthrough on someone who might not otherwise have a breakthrough. So, here is my question: could a Verne type create a device, such as an “ionic ray” machine, that could cause a breakthrough for another person?
Probably not. Consider: breakthroughs are shaped to some degree by expectations, and yet out of the couple dozen or so supernatural breakthroughs who have become “vampires”–a supernatural being practically defined by his parasitic and reproducible nature–only one vampire, maybe two, have actually reproduced. That argues pretty strongly that the source of a breakthrough lies solely in the subject, and that generalists like Verne-types will have even less luck no matter how hard they try. At best, they might be able to trigger and “shape” the breakthrough of someone who might have manifested powers on his own. The possibility of someone actually doing it still keeps the DSA up at night, though.
On a more meta-textual level, I’m never going to write a reliable or even semi-reliable breakthrough-machine into the stories; it would seriously break the world.
Love your work (have all the books on Kindle and paper). While re-reading the first book for the upteenth time, I was curious if you had a picture of Astra’s original costume (since the one on the cover is the second). Then I tried making a rough approximation with a basic female form from the internet. How off is it? http://fav.me/d7cobz3
How very, very retro! And not even close to what was in my head. Truthfully, I had based my take on the vest-and-shorts off of Robin (without the sleeves and a lower neckline). But the cool thing about novels is you provide just enough description for the reader to hang his imagination on. It’s all good.
Mark II
http://fav.me/d7cpfiv
Much closer, although the vest doesn’t drop quit that low on the sides. I can’t get over the figure you used, though. Definitely not Hope, even with “costume enhancements”! 😉
Just finished reading all three Wearing the Cape books (and Bite Men), and really enjoyed them. However, I do have a couple of questions:
1. Something that’s been bugging me about Artemis/Jacky – is she technically a breakthrough? I know the guy who sired her was, but since she’s a rare case of a vampire being created the “classic” way, I found myself being curious as to her exact nature in regards to the broader spectrum of superpowered beings. Does her nature make her “just” a vampire, or is she a breakthrough whose particular creation and nature got dictated by Psycho Vlad?
2. This one might be kind of spoilery, but do you have any plans to further explore superpowered beings beyond the admittedly broad category of breakthroughs (ie aliens, pre-Event supernaturals,, etc.) We’ve got a couple of maybe-cases of things like this (if Hecate’s demons were the genuine article and Ozma is what she says she is), but do you have any intention of getting more specific or detailed? Of course, if the WTC-verse version of Darkseid/Thanos/insert apocalyptically powerful cosmic being of choice is out there, that seems like the sort of thing that would be saved for a grand finale reveal…
3. I’m kind of sorry to bug you on this one, admittedly, but do you have any concrete info on the next book/further Wearing the Cape stories/further Artemis stories at this time?
Thank you very much!
Glad you enjoyed the stories. To answer your questions in order:
Artemis is a “guided” breakthrough (the fact that she exists has the DSA watching all vampires very carefully to see if any more master-vampire types appear and try and start Vampire Armageddon).
By default, the assumption of the scientific community is that all “supernatural” powers must be breakthrough-caused. And since there is no way to tell if something supernatural, such as a demon, is a breakthrough-created projection or Something Other, there is no way to prove that someone like Ozma is either delusional or exactly what she says she is. All pre-Event manifestations of the supernatural are, of course, impossible to verify scientifically.
The next book, Small Town Heroes, should be out by the end of July. Hopefully. Working hard on it.
-George
Here is an article that you may like. A real live breakthrough 🙂
NEW BRIGHTON, Minn. (AP) — A Good Samaritan showed “superhuman strength” when he bent the door of a burning SUV and rescued another motorist on a Minnesota freeway.
. . .
Renning gripped the door frame, braced his foot against the door and pulled. The State Patrol says the door bent in half and the glass shattered. Renning doesn’t know how he was able to open the door. Johannes says he plans to thank Renning.
http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/state-and-regional/mn/good-samaritan-rescues-man-from-burning-suv/article_0f33dcf6-a624-5428-9f4a-440586c7d292.html
Can you give us an update on when the next book is coming out? Thanks!
Wish I could give you a firm date. Right now all I can say is “Hopefully by the end of August.” I know, it sucks. Small Town Heroes is proving one of the hardest stories I’ve had to wrestle; hopefully it will be worth the wait.
I loved the art for the game. Atlas and Astra flying is wonderful. You are going to alert us as your artist releases images of the other characters. Write faster:)
I was thinking about WtC today and it occurred to me that childbirth if very stressful… so are there more female breakthroughs? What do hospitals have in place to deal with breakthroughs? What do the Police, Firefighters, & EMTs have to deal with breakthroughs? Is yoga &/or meditation a required class in public schools?
You know, that is something I had never considered. Wow.
Thanks for the update. I’ve enjoyed the other books and look forward to reading the new one.
I just had a horrible thought… Bridezilla breakthrough! Fathers are crying, grooms are running in terror!! Mothers are fainting!!
Monsters vs. Aliens.
Doh! It’s been forever since I saw that show, it’s totally a bridezilla breakthrough.
did Dr. Cornelius WORD fix Orbs eyes, ears, & voice as well as resurrecting her? What did the WORD do to Detective Fisher?
Good question about Orb, and nothing changed for Fisher. The Word of Healing didn’t change anything that was already in its natural state; Detective Fisher…it’s hard to get healthier than he is.
I don’t know anything about P.I.’s but I would imagine that working under someone with experience and then moving on to your own firm would work best (this is a hint to team up Orb & Artemis cuz their power sets are cool & I want to see them both level up)
Could you please give us an update on the next book? Thanks.
Thanks for the response in the main blog. I’m looking forward to reading it.
You’re welcome. Wish it was going faster.
Love the books, have been buying each on kindle as they come out.
I’ve been thinking about your theory of Jackie as a “guided breakthrough”. I humbly suggest that doesn’t quite work, since it sounds like master vamps can turn anyone at will. It seems more like a master vamp is a supernatural breakthrough that can turn a person into a vampire… kind of like Ozma can turn a person into a hat.
Of course that would mean that Jackie has not had an actual breakthrough, so she still COULD.
— How’s that for enlarging the possibilities for her power set!
Keep up the great work!
Thank you, I will try.
Love the books I have the first three, and am looking to buy the fourth. I’m quite a superhero geek and love to think about if I were one. One question, could you give a list of all the ‘types’ (ie. Atlas type, Ajax, Verne etc.). Would be interesting to hear some that you haven’t used in books yet, but could use in future ones. Looking forward to hearing a reply!
I have never made a comprehensive list. However, the glossary at the end of Small Town Heroes covers a lot of them.
Also is there, maybe, a template we could use to create our own characters, using something like a point system. I would enjoy creating ‘balanced’ ( the key word here) characters to role play with or possibly just for imagination.
If this was even an idea that might happen one day in the future, you could take it possibly a step further and create an area where readers could submit their templates as writing ideas.
I myself would enjoy it if I had thought of a character and seen it appear in my favourite series.
However, if that is too far I would be happy with a template to create a character with based on your universe.
This is all just ideas that I myself would love to see happen!
Again, I look forward to hearing a reply!
– Dan
I am in the process, while writing Ronin Games, of pulling together Wearing the Cape: the Roleplaying Game (built on the Fate Core system). It will have templates available, and will likely be matched by pages on the Wearing the Cape website where reader/players can submit and discuss powers and heroes.
Nice, looking forward to it!
Quick question, sorry, and I understand that this may sound as a kinda weird question but do you have a wife? And if yes, is her maiden name Boyar? Again sorry if this sounds weird but I am a guy and I’m not gay, just a question…..
Nevermind sorry, just read the glossary at the end of Small Town Heroes, thought the H stood for Harmon. See ya another time.
Hey. I just came around to tell you how awesome you are. Really.
Wearing the Cape was my first superhero novel, and I haven’t read a lot of them since, nor many comics. But as a hard fantasy fan, I was completely delighted with what I read. The quality of your writing is very good, and I love your character development, and those things on top of the world you’ve created (which is the most consistent and realistic superhero thing I’ve ever seen/heard/read EVER) make for a fantastic story. If I had to criticize it, I’d say the general plot is too much of a background and/or link between books, and I’m not left wondering what’s gonna happen in the next book. Still, I’m left wondering what excellent book you’re gonna write next.
Looking forward to your next novel (which I’m glad is coming out soon!)
It is always nice to be told how awesome you are. Thank you.
Mr. Harmon,
This work is good, REALLY good. Someone should make TV series out of it (imagine what HBO could do with it…).
Nice, tight writing and characters that one can’t help but fall in love with. And I’m delighted to see the Fate RPG based on the world you’ve created (were you ever a table-top RPG gamer? Well if you weren’t, I got tell ya – your universe was hand-crafted for a table full of friends whether you knew it or not).
I’m almost through the A Superhero Story, but I already know I’ll read the rest of them.
Keep ’em comin’! 😉
I hope you say the same after you finish the book. And yes, I was a hard-core RPG fanatic back in the day (I cut my teeth on Advanced D&D, Gamma World, Champions, The Palladium Roleplaying System, GURPS, etc).
“I hope you say the same after you finish the book.”
Oh, we’re good dude, we’re golden – all systems are go!
Great story. Interesting antagonist and wonderful protagonist. Great cast of characters all around. Lookin’ forward to the other books in this series and I intend to check out Bite Me as well (after all, who DOESN’T like hot vampire chicks in catsuits wielding directed-energy weapons?)
But yeah, I thought I was gettin’ the gamer-vide from your writing. I detected the same thing from Larry Correia when I first started reading his stuff (Monster Hunter International, Hard Magic, etc). It’s good to see some of The Boys makin’ good. ;-).
I was weaned on D&D (red, blue and green boxes) and AD&D myself (the orange backs) way back when and have played or owned every RPG that you mentioned and more. My friends and I are all in our early 40s now, but we still try and squeeze in a game every now and again (no easy feat, what with careers and other adult obligations).
But anyway, thank you for writing this book – I really enjoyed it.
You’ve got yourself another fan.
Be warned: there are no catsuits or directed-energy weapons in Bite Me. At all.
Yeah, but Artemis IS in it (and is the protagonist), so good enough. Appreciate the heads up though.
Well, just finished reading Bite Me and I gotta say – great read. I liked seeing things from Jacky’s perspective as much (if not more) than Hope’s. And Jacky is easy to like; a tough, no nonsense chick with a sense of humor and good heart.
Oh, and good story and action too. 😉
And no, the story did not suffer at all from not having catsuits or nuclear fusion pistols (The Gozz’s preferred weapon for dispensing with the Undead).
Thanks again for a good read. I’ll be sure to rate this novel on Amazon.
Cheers.
Glad you enjoyed the book! It was a fun departure from the rest of the stories.
Are your ebooks available anywhere other than Amazon? I really dislike their reader app.
I’m sorry; right now they are available only in paperback and on Amazon.
Do you do any book signings or conventions? Thanks.
None this year. Maybe next year…
That’s what you told me when I invited you to go to SLC ComicCon a couple years ago.
It’s been an interesting year.
I know you have another WTC book in the works, any tentative plans or target dates that can be shared? Additionally, are you planning any sequels to Bite Me, or any other “one-offs” for some of the other characters such as Blackstone,Tom or Seven? Finally, any thoughts on potentially adding a WTC wiki to the WTC site?
I am a big fan of your Wearing the Cape series, and I have read everything published so far.
I would love to see Hope go south and be the sidekick in one of Jacky’s adventures. Bite Me feels more like the first book in a series than a stand alone novel.
Thanks for the stories. Can’t wait to get the next one.
Glad you have enjoyed the books. And, yes I have always intended to write a sequel to Bite Me: Big Easy Nights. Someday…
I started reading your books a few days ago and finished tonight. I’m glad I discovered them late so I wouldn’t have to wait.
I have really enjoyed them and look forward to more but I feel like I’m missing something with the death of Atlas.
Do you have plans to write about that battle in detail?
I’m glad you enjoyed my books enough to power through the whole series in just a few days, and I hope I didn’t blow too big a hole in your schedule. As to your question; no I don’t plan on writing about the Fort Whittier Attack again until I am confident enough to write it from Atlas’ point of view. However, Ronin Games is now available on Amazon.com! I hope you enjoy it as much as the other books.
M.G.Harmon
Yeah! I just bought it! Thanks!
You’re welcome.
Just finished Ronin games. Very good read. I think its stronger than small town heroes, just because of how tight the focus is on Astra and how high the stakes are raised. Also, I like how well you think up new ideas on how the world would be… adapted with superheroes. just how would the military, diplomatic relations, society in general adapt. Loved the finally fight in tokyo, just because you played it very straight…. the military take the kaiju themselves, and its only the sabotage that makes it a fight. although I do have a bit of a issue, thinking about it, as to why bother with the elaborate kaiju attack when they had a big freeki’n bomb in the middle of the city? wouldn’t that make everything else a little redundant?
although thinking about it, the big emp shocks would have draw attention to the bomb…. the kaiju attack covers that and delay the response to the bomb. Ok, that works.
Anyway, really enjoyed the book. Good work, now just to back up the comment at the top of the page,
WRITE FASTER!
Glad you enjoyed it, and yes you guessed the reason for the kiaju attack. (Well, the excuse. I just really, really wanted a kaiju attack on Tokyo.)
M.G.Harmon
Well who doesn’t? you can’t send them to Japan and NOT have a godzillia or two turn up. I was waiting for it the entire book…..
got just one question from your Wearing the Cape series…. ” Whats the difference between Atlas Types and Ajax Types?” Do Atlas’s fly and Ajax’s cant? Both are super strong / durable but one type flies? Thanks.
Yes. To use an extreme comparison, one it Superman and the other the Hulk. Atlas-Types also have superhuman senses.
So an A-Class Atlas and an A-Class Ajax are are the same in strength/durability…. its just the flight/ senses that are different. Thanks for the answer. Reading Ronin Games now. Realy enjoying it. Making a request if that’s ok. Pictures of your characters. Maybe a little powers info to go with each. I liked the character appendix at the end of STH. 🙂
There will be pictures of many of the characters in the upcoming tabletop roleplaying game (due 2016). Hope you enjoy Ronin Games.
made this… enjoy.
Made what?
hmmmm…didn’t show up. sorry.
theres a free online game called Champions which has a awesome character customization. when I read your books I made a ATLAS character to see how close I could come to pictures I had seen of your character. thought I could attach the picture to show you. sorry it didn’t work. Love your books though. awesome characters and stories. http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y504/misterblondex/screenshot_2015-06-29-14-27-08_zps3wngr8dj.jpg
Wow. That’s actually kind of scary.
its free to download. I just enjoy creating characters. just for fun…. wanted to see how close I could come to your characters. 🙂
ok….one more pic and i’ll quick bugging you. I ran across this character too. GRENDEL http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y504/misterblondex/screenshot_2015-09-12-10-20-44_zpstrymf6tj.jpg
Have you explored the concept of infant or child breakthrough’s? If extreme stress or life threatening danger is the trigger for a breakthrough is it possible for a breakthrough to manifest in a person whose mind and body have not yet fully developed? Having read all the novel’s released so far i believe all discussed breakthroughs in canon are at least teen-agers have a missed an in universe example of a younger breakthrough?
It has been touched on a couple of times, but not younger breakthrough characters have appeared in the books yet.
In the second book, Villains Inc, it’s briefly mentioned that pre-teen breakthroughs go to Hillwood Academy’s sister school, Whitlow Academy.
I suppose graduates then proceed to Hillwood.
hey buddy, looking forward to your next WTC book. Especially the pics you mentioned last time we chatted. Pics really burn the characters into the readers mind.
I hope to put a few of those pics in the next newsletter.
SWEEEET!
Hey, just wanted to say I absolutely love your WTC series. The world you have built is vast and yet you make it feel personal and I am excited for the next installment after ronin games. I have reread the series various times and it only further entrenches itself in my top list of books. I think your idea about how almost anyone can breakthrough and be thrust into this different life is what I really loved because it gave an element of realism most superhero stories miss. This is why I especially loved Megaton and his story arc. Thanks for the hours of entertainment and please write faster!
Thank you! It’s always great to hear from someone who has enjoyed my stories. I look forward to the Amazon reviews/ratings (if you haven’t already), and I promise to write faster this year!
So far loving your books, got all six WTC after seeing DaveB link in his author notes. I’m only on book one and read the Grrl Power section an I really enjoy the humor blended with the more serious moments in both. The one that really stands out to me is Astra training with flying into the block. I’m looking forward to see if and how religion plays into this series.
The training scene was one of my favorite scenes from the first book as well.
George, once again love your books. But Team Ups and Crossovers made me laugh out loud. I had just started “The Oz Job”, flipped to page 2 and started to laugh. As at that moment, I was sitting in the bathroom AT Braidwood Nuclear Station. I’ve worked here for about 11 years (last 2 spent up at Corporate in Warrenville) but this has been my home for years. I’ve always liked I could identify many of the Chicago locations (I’m not a native Chicagoan) in your books; helps make it feel more real (Like the Dresden Series). I have only gotten a few pages in but so far the info looks good, you did you research. The H2 generation / explosion wouldn’t happen-doesn’t work that way in this type of plant (22 years in Nuclear; 11 navy and 11 civilian). But still a lovely read!
Keep the great books coming!
Soooo, knowing what I know of Japan, and Japanese, a fanciful manga centering on the three remarkable Ronin, would be a guarantee. Full of suppositions, conjectures and, since rule of funny and narrative causality would demand it, comical misrepresentations and outright wrong context genre savvy inspired way off the mark conclusions. So, what would be Kitsune’s reaction (and possible involvement) to it? Hope’s? Jackie’s? Shelly’s? Brian’s? Some other character whose reaction and/or involvement you would like to share?
I imagine Hope would probably try and ignore it the way she tries to ignore Sentinels. Ozma probably finds it amusing, and Jacky certainly finds it hilarious. Shelly would use it as ammunition when she wants to tease Hope. Meanwhile, elements in Defensenet, who know very well who the Three Remarkable Ronin really were, push the manga with “corroborating details” to insure that the truth is never guessed at.
kinda what I guessed. Still want to know about Kitsune specifically. I can just imagine the troll getting into the spirit of the thing and constructing ridiculous narrative and providing factious clues, etc, just for the sheer lulz. And whatever passes for artistic flair for manga creators :D.
The animated dramatization is in the ‘Foreign Heroes’ section of the Dome’s gift shop.
(From the people who brought you the various Dragon Ball series.)
I just read Wearing the Cape and enjoyed it quite a bit, and I’m interested in the other books in the series, but I use a Nook e-reader, and it seems only the first book it available through Barnes and Noble. Do you have plans to release the other books through their service? I really don’t want to get a second reader type and account, and having paper copies is impractical for me since I travel quite a bit read at a very fast pace.
I’m afraid not. In a pinch you can read them on your PC or laptop, but all the rest are exclusive to Amazon.
any plans to make them audio books?? my eye sight isn’t what it used to be and audio just brings the story to life..
Working on an audiobook of Wearing the Cape now. If it goes well and is well received, may do others.
In on the Kickstarter. Looking forward to the product.
Good to hear!
Being a very prolific reader, I’m very frugal with my money. I stumbled upon your book Bite This which is a Kindle Unlimited book, however it presupposes that the reader know about the Event (whatever that is). I went back to your Amazon author page to look for the first book in the series. Unfortunately you’re asking $8 for I did however notice that the next book Villains Inc was available on Kindle Unlimited. I’ve wonder if you intend for them to be a mix of Kindle Unlimited and paid or if you accidentally forgot to toggle some setting to make them all available on Kindle Unlimited.
Actually I forgot to toggle Villains Inc. and Young Sentinels off at the end of a promotion period. I’m going to fix that, but also toggle Wearing the Cape back on so Kindle Unlimited readers can try the first book for free again. Thank you for pointing it out!
So do you think you’ll have details for the next book in the series soon I’d like to know when well be seeing Astra and Co again?
My goal is the normal one: to have the next book in the series out in the fall. I hope to be able to put up the first chapter or two soon, but in the meantime all I can tell you is that the operating title of the book is Recursion.
Thanks that’s all I was looking for.
Any chance of a TV series?
There’s always a chance of everything. But no, there’s nothing on the horizon yet.
Kevin:
As much as we fans would like a Live-Action Weekly TV Series, do you suppose animation (either fully rendered CGI or what the recent My Little Pony movie used) might be more appropriate?
It’s been 20 years since the Animated X-Men so the technology has had to improve.
Imagine Astra presented in the animation style used by Kim Possible.
All that’s really needed is to get the head to body scale right…and try to present human body proportions. (I’m fairly sure people have internal organs.)
PS:
Now imagine Astra in a Live-Action Situation Comedy with Hope unsuccessfully juggling her private and professional lives.
(I can’t believe there hasn’t already been a “I Was a Teenage Superhero”.)
Actually me, there was!
“My Secret Identity” 1988 – 1991, Syndicated, starring a teen Jerry O’Connell.
The budget didn’t allow much expression of his superpowers.
(Super Speed, Invulnerability and ….Hovering? (Non Propulsive Flight)
It’s on YouTube.
I “remember” that one, sort of. I wasn’t watching much TV at the time, but there it is.
Now that you have introduced a multi-verse it opens possibilities. maybe another book where Astra and her team get pulled in a meet the DC and Marvel heroes. Slightly skewed of course to avoid the courts. They could also have to deal with the Greek and Norse Gods. Just an idea.
Since the Sentinels are based in North America, it’s more likely they’d have to deal with Christian divinities or, getting classical, the sacred spirits of the First Peoples.
I just used the Norse and Greeks as examples. Also they are the most well known. It just seemed like something that would be fun to play around with. As for the DC and Marvel heroes since they apparently are known comics in your universe. You could play on some of the dumb things in comics when new heroes meet.
I understand. It will be interesting to see what the players do with the roleplaying game.
Hello. Just read the first chapter of Recursion. I just wanted to ask – is this an interquel, or is something else happening here?
Chronologically this appears to be an interquel, but no. Nor is it a flashback.
I’m sure the guys at Amazon will let me know when ‘Recursion’ becomes available, but I check Facebook and WordPress daily just to be sure.
Off topic but in-world…..
As The Dome is both an HQ and a tourist trap, I suppose the gift shop there doesn’t have to worry about security after closing at all. Would they even bother to lock the storefront? How do action figures and T-Shirts enter the shop? If some inventory were to become unaccounted for…???
It seems unlikely a signed Astra rookie card (on display plaque) would just be misplaced.
I like it.
Buy any Kindle book, get 25% back toward your next book
Step One: Done! The promotion has been applied to your account.
Step Two: Purchase a Kindle book by 11:59 p.m. (PST) on December 28, 2017.
Step Three: You will then receive an email confirming the promotional credit equal to 25% of the Kindle book’s purchase price (up to a maximum of $10) has been applied to your account, before any applicable taxes. Use your credit on a Kindle book by 11:59 p.m. (PST) on December 31, 2017.
***************************
Hmmmm.
If only there was a Kindle book I was looking forward to getting
that became available before December 29….
Or before 2018.
*Sigh* I know, I know. Have a merry Christmas.
All I want for Christmas is Wearing the Cape: Recursion ! Keep Writing Mr. Harmon !! 🙂
Merry Christmas.
Happy New Year to George and all my Co-Fans.
(That’s a thing, right?)
Why not? And happy New Year.
If possible in a future story have someone call Vulcan’s signature polymorphic molecules “Goofy Goo”, that universe’s name for Silly Putty ™.
Google doesn’t recognize Goofy Goo as a searchable term so there should be no copyright issues.
Goofy Goo. I like it.
Saw this stuff mentioned on a CBS Sunday Morning.
The closest thing *our* universe has to Polymorphic Molecules.
I especially like the iridescent and magnetic ones.
Too bad those functions aren’t combined.
https://puttyworld.com/collections/effects
(Is that ^ linked? If not, Cut/Paste/Go there.)
Not quite the same thing, but pretty cool stuff.
“Although I’m young, I’ve had a crash course this week in financial management and I feel so fortunate to have this incredible wealth and team behind me. I intend to take care of my family have some fun along the way, and cement a path for financial success so that I can leave a legacy far into the future,” Missler said in a statement via his lawyers.
This statement by the 20 year old Mega Millions Lottery winner is remarkably similar to Astra’s first public statement.
She did say to her parents that getting superpowers is like winning the lottery.
Wealth can certainly be a superpower. Just ask Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark. 😉
The next time Astra takes her hammer someplace, say it’s with Mallus aforethought.
Groannnnn.
And if she leaves it behind that would prove absence of Mallus.
If Astra ever goes to Armstrong Base, see this, even though it’s meant for Mars:
https://www.quora.com/Can-we-create-structures-for-providing-artificial-gravity-on-Mars
She owes NASA a favor….or 3 million dollars….or 25 lifts to orbit and back.
A few dozen flights to orbit and back in the mini-shuttle as pilot (and engine) looks good on her militia record as aircraft flight hours.
That plus her secret military service may earn her a promotion to…
(italics)(Bold) CAPTAIN ASTRA (/Bold)(/Italics)
Hopefully this won’t get stuck in your head:
(Sorry if YouTube links aren’t permitted.)
Both Shellys would razz her due to the Captain Marvel / Captain America / Captain Underwear trope
“That is so Cape!”
Thanks for the Revised and Expanded Fan Preview of ‘Recursion’.
I have to wait 2 weeks to resolve that Cliffhanger?!?
(Hope can’t catch a break… her imaginary friend doesn’t believe in her!!)
Remember Shelley is Real. 😉
Of course, Shelley may not be affected by “somebody changing the time line” like a certain trickster fox.
“Differently Alive” as mentioned in ‘Young Sentinels’.
And yeah… Shelly should be the first to notice ‘time is out of joint’.
A Note to the Author:
I understand how difficult proofreading is and that they can’t catch everything…but…
In chapter 5 at the warehouse fire….
There’s “Dowsing for water” and “Dousing with water”. You want the latter.
Thank you!
Also from Chapter 5 at Andrew’s Designs…
“Morning colors” Yellows and Greens? “Mourning colors” Black.
Also….In Blackstone’s office…
He used his gravity control for off-the-books work, lived in fleebag transient housing, drank, fought with his fists, and bought pain killers bought off the street.”
Too many ‘boughts’ in rapid succession? How about instead…
“…and used pain killers bought off the street.”
Also…
“Fleabag” (Fleebag sounds like it would have money and a false identity in it.)
The spellchecker should have caught that one.
My spellchecker even objects to ‘pain (space) killers’.
Seven just laughed as *I I* left them.
“I”
. . . the rules of engagement in a civilian environment echoed in my head. Do *no* escalate. Stop any escalation. Neutralize civilian risks as quickly as possible.
“not”
—————————
….making sure he resumed breathing as I got him fully horizontal with *a* little movement of his limbs and spine as I could.
“as “
—————————————————
and bought into the narrative of an *abused* mentor-pupil relationship.
“abusive”
————————————————————
And they’d doubt Blackstone’s *judgement* in fielding me.
“judgment”
——————————————————————–
pizza & *icecream*!
“ice cream” or “ice-cream”. (Either is correct.)
———————–
as *firetrucks* roared into the lot and the men deployed.
“fire trucks” (Now my spell checker is being pedantic.)
———————————–
“Challenge him at your next chili *cookoff*.
“cook-off” or “cook off”
————————————————-
That last bit *crystalized* in my head as I said it.
“crystallized”
————————————————
if someone uses your crest for a *bullseye*.”
“bull’s-eye” (Maybe my spell checker is out of date.)
————————————
Maybe you have a professional writer’s spellchecker/dictionary/thesaurus
and some of my suggestions are wrong?
Concerning some of the earlier books…
If Elementary and High School Breakthroughs get sent to Special Schools,
what is U of C’s policy that allows Hope to intermittently attend?
(Especially after her being outed.)
Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell?
Accredited / Licensed / Certified CAI/State sponsored Super persons permitted with conditions?
Legal adults not covered by that regulation?
Presumably universities don’t have the same legal issues (after all, unlike with a school-district, students aren’t required to attend by law).
Thanks.
So C.
18 years old and above.
Technically an adult.
She (and everyone else) are probably discouraged/strongly discouraged/forbidden to use their powers on campus.
Someguy: “My drone is stuck in a tree. Can you…You know?”
Hope: “Sorry. Can’t. I can send a non-emergency text to Dispatch and see if anyone nearby is free.” (Texts) “About 20 minutes.”
https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-gorgeous-retro-superhero-comic-astro-city-is-making-1824022423
This might poison-pill an Astra TV series.
I don’t know, it might even boost it.
I only recently stumbled across ‘Turning Points’.
Is that going into a book eventually?
https://marionharmon.com/2014/02/20/update-and-flash-fiction/
It went into the background chapter of Wearing the Cape: the Roleplaying Game.
Hi!
Why is only “Wearing the Cape” available on Smashwords? I really hope the reason isn’t some boogeyman like “Piracy”? Stripping Amazon DRM is trivial (honestly, google it), while people like me who refuse to support vendor-locked content and refuse to pirate it, simply don’t get to read it.
Okay, reading it back, I should fix something: Piracy is not a boogeyman. It’s real, it’s a problem, and so far the only thing that has reduced it any, has been making stuff available to buy with the least hassle. I still remember being behind geoblocking, with stuff simply not available here in Eastern Europe. It still got here, despite any DRM scheme, only authors didn’t get anything for it. Music piracy fell rapidly when iTunes made buying music easy. Modern society is comfortable enough that effort often outvalues money.
I’m not saying that to explain why it should be available on Smashwords (hell, I brought iTunes as an example). I’m explaining why piracy is a fake reason to use a vendor-locked platform. I’m perfectly willing to believe that there are legitimate reasons to use a single platform.
Nope, I’ve just never moved into Smashwords. The WtC title you see there is only Wearing the Cape: The Beginning, the first 13 chapters of the book as a free sample.
More, Older, Errata:
So I just finished re-reading Wearing the Cape: Special Edition, and in Chapter Forty-Three I came across the phrase, “Baldwin’s Guide.” I don’t recall noticing this the first several times I read the story, but I checked the older version and it’s there as well. I also checked for “Barlow’s”, and found those references, but no other “Baldwin’s”. (Search function on Kindle makes this easy!)
Thanks for Recursion, and I hope to see Barlow’s Guide (and The B-Files!) soon(TM)!
Thank you!
I’m 3/4 of the way through Recursion, and I’ve found a couple of annoying errata. In the other books Ajax’s hammer is Malleus not Malius. Malleus is the Latin for Hammer. Also, the poison gas in the trap in Nemisis’s lair is first described as Cyanide but then as Arsenic a few pages later. There were a few annoyances of missing or added words, obvious editing mistakes where earlier phrasing was changed later. Fairly good editing but not great…
“three years agot to Future-Me, and this was a lot wose” — this should have been caught.
Check out the most recent blog; it has instructions for getting the better-edited update.
Unless you’re talking about the paper version, you need only perform the Amazon Update which has been described fully in previous posts.
See the May 3 2018 ‘Update to the Update’.
Yeah, when I found Grendel in two places I checked for a new update. All these problems fixed. I bought a few days after my preorder was cancelled, so these must have been caught later.
Annnd one more: loc 3922, Brian and Alicia would be seniors instead in Brandon and Alecia…in the updated version.
Instead *of* stupid autocorrect
Glossary, Halo entry…*FIVE* globes?
Fixing the mistakes in the story probably had a higher priority than The Glossary.
At the time the story was written only five of the globes had known functions.
The 6th was revealed July 2017. It makes air.
(Possibly other gases as well.)
One of the many crackpot theories of what The Event was or what caused it:
God sneezed.
When I imagine David the Senior Dispatch Officer I imagine either Clint Howard as he was in ‘Apollo 13’ (“It’s reading a quadruple failure – that can’t happen!”) or a present day Patton Oswalt.
Or myself!
Mr. Author: I suppose stores like this are in the Astraverse….three stores down from the Home Depot where the Radio Shack used to be? https://www.superherosupplies.com/
Yes. And most of them are novelty-stores. The real ones resemble armories.
It has been 8 years or so
that ‘The Sentinels’ has been on
TV in the Astraverse.
Do you suppose they’ve had their
musical episode yet?
Shell would LMFAO if Astra’s character sang!
♪ ♫ ♬ The only way to hurt me…is to break my….heart…. ♪ ♫ ♬
Just thinking about that makes my head hurt.
My work here is done.
There needs to be a novella where Ozma is incapacitated and Nix and Nox recruit Alice and Kindrake to help revive her.
Orrrrrr……
They team up, add more magical girls (Japanese and Finnish) and twist the heist movie trope.
Not sure what they would steal..Princess Twilight’s scepter??
Steal it back to return it??
The gag about Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Scepter is…she doesn’t want it. It was an unwanted gift from Discord.
Sounds like a fun romp. I’d have to wait for the series to become a shared universe, though, so another author could write it (so many good stories, so little time).
You could give us a glimpse of the Seelie Court in a regular Sentinels book now though.
It has been 8 years or so
that ‘The Sentinels’ has been on
TV in the Astraverse.
Do you suppose they’ve had their
crossover episode yet?
(This assumes her Extrareality Misadventures are declassified.)
Shell would LMFAO if Astra’s character made a guest appearance
on one of the shows from the same network/production company.
(Preferably one drama, one comedy, one soap opera.)
Yes, yes she would.
Oops.. My mistake.
In the Astraverse she could Guest or Cameo or Be Mentioned in any show set in the present without reality hopping. She’s famous!
A true crossover would only make sense if the show were set in the past, before The Event.
‘That 70s Show’ as an example.
‘Happy Days’ as another example. (That’s how Mork started!)
She’d explain she’s from ‘A’ future, not ‘THE’ future. (pause) Probably.
I’d recommend not telling the locals they exist in a ‘Stage 2’ reality.
No one wants to hear that.
If the TV show ‘Chicago Sentinels’ was on the same channel, same day, all the better.
The official Astra© Halloween costume is probably popular with the tweens who are too young for the ‘Sexy Super’ one.
Of course you know what happened when Charlie Chaplin entered a Chaplin lookalike contest.
That should happen to Hope!!
She did get mistaken for a cosplayer at the Capecon in the first book, but that was at least partly due to Seven’s talent. It is a fun scene to think about, though.
The ‘thing’ that happened to Chaplin was… He came in 3rd.
I’m aware; it’s a hilarious story. BTW, the reader comments section is more for comments directly about the books than general conversations. Nothing wrong with dialoguing here, but you’ll get more reader responses if you drop comments on the Wearing the Cape Facebook page!
The story is a lot more complex than that.
For one, he entered the competition some years since he last played the tramp, and he had visibly aged since then, and for another, he did so on a whim, literally right of the street, no makeup, no props, nothing but himself and his talent.
The devil is in the details, and details change the point of the story quite significantly, yesno?
About doing more crossovers:
Pursuant to the Grrl Power forums.
I went over the comic and novel universes I like, trying to figure out which ones make a good fit.
A lot of them have a single hero emerging in a universe devoid of other exceptional beings, so those won’t work. Another larger group are from good authors who quit writing (although Jim Bernheimer publishes still) or who changed genres.
Superherodom’s version of Walter Gibson (Robert J. Crane) seems a bit to noir to fit well with four color heroes.
I think Grace Crowley’s Magellanverse would work, and she’s already done crossovers.
The Cape High books have a good feel even though they are for a slightly younger audience.
Ben White’s series on Charlotte Powers is a pretty dystopian, but I think it might dovetail nicely.
If you arm twisted Jim Bernheimer I suspect you would wind up doing all the writing, but it could wind up generating a D-list Supervillain sourcebook for the game.
And of course more of The Mighty Halo, because what’s not to love?
I need to learn how to make bullet points on WordPress.
I too look forward to an additional WtC Crossover/Team Up.
The Mighty Halo has to visit Astra’s universe!
Imagine Sydney in The Dome’s gift shop!!!.
(And imagine her seeing the TV adaptation of Astra’s Grrl Power Adventure!!!)
Astra: “You’re here? That means something is going to happen that needs us to work together or the world will be destroyed!”
TMH: “Ozma…What happens if I wear Anonymity Specs and look in a mirror? What do the Seeing Specs say about my Orbs?”
Shell: “She’s the sister I never had!”
Grrrr….I blame you, MGH.
Time to slap together another coffee order. Go to one of my usual mail order roasters (Klatch in this case) and start going…hmmm. I vary a lot, it’s more fun. So browse…
Hmm…what’s this??? Rusty’s Ka’u. Say, whoa!!! Oh, that does sound good!!! OK. Let’s indulge self. And it’s not as bad as a Gesha.
Jacky, I luv ya m’dear, but you’re a BAD influence! 🙂
Seriously, I’m greatly enjoying this series. It offers a level of literate erudition without being stiff or stuffy that the genre…even considering the broader, often-related subgenres in fantasy, not simply superhero…that is rare and quite fun. Excellent characters.
Well, thank you.
Will the rest of the books be made into audio books
YES!
To be more precise, Tantor is producing all of them.
Gary the keeper of the budget sees “Tantor is producing all of them ” and groans.
Gary the completist is bouncing on his toes, ready to throw money at you. That Gary also notes just three days left in September, the target month of Repercussions, and cocks his money throwing arm.
Marion the author replies that the “new goal” is to have Rollout Day be October 6th.
Marion the author notes that having a target day instead of a target month to miss is progress.
Marion the author apologizes.
Okay. Nine days is a bit much to keep an arm cocked, but the money is set aside and ready to hurl. Budget-me is a fussbudget whom we can ignore. 🙂
With regard to my last post, September 28th, Amazon has informed me that my pre-purchase is now in my Library. Yay!
Now for something completely different. I am re-reading the series for the Nth time, currently in the new edition of Volume 1, and I read this: “My breath puffed in the damp night air when I stepped outside and walked to the edge to look down at Rush Street, wanting to see something besides shadows and the sides of buildings.” Astra is on the roof of the Fortress, “One of the Rush Street clubs between Oak Street and Chicago Avenue…”
So the question is, is Rush, the superhero, named after the club street he apparently frequents, as well as it being descriptive of his powers?
IIRC it was mentioned that the nick-name “Rush” was given him during his professional foot-ball career before his break-through.
Note, this was included in the background info provided with the Wearing The Cape game.
So I need to buy the game (even though I will never play it) just to get these tidbits?!?
I’m sure they’ll (the tidbits that so far have only appeared in the RPG) work their into the books. If’ you’ve read Repercussions yet, I think you’ll have noticed that one. I’m personally waiting for Hope to notice Watchman’s leg…
…worked their *way*…
Yes, I read Repercussions. I’ve read all eleven stories. I’ve read all of them multiple times. Wait. What? Watchman’s Leg?!?
He has one of the best prosthetics ever seen, so it’s never exactly come up?
Crazy questions.
Does his artificial leg have the same strength as his natural leg?
Also is his artificial leg as tough as his natural leg?
😀
It’s not as strong, but it’s tough enough that he can work around it so smoothly nobody notices. It’s Vulcan-made.
There is an appendix to Repercussions which has a lot of info from the RPG, including a short story “Turning Points”. That’s what I meant about “if you’ve read Repercussions yet”.
SPOILER: I’m still (as of Joyeuse Guard “Repossession”) not sure if Hope’s noticed Watchman’s artificial leg, but at least it’s mentioned!
In book, it was stated that hope is a progressive breakthrough. Does that mean she will get stronger as she goes? Has this idea been sidelined? I mean clearly Hope is getting better at what she does, but in was always curious if she would eventually rival Atlas or Seif al din in power levels.
It was always intended to imply that Hope can get stronger within her own power class. So yes she could eventually get as strong as Atlas, but she’ll never be as strong as Seif-al-Din (who’s Ultra Class).
Seif-al-Din has been killed three times… but was he? Or have there been three (totally separate and distinct) breakthroughs obsessed with being the Sword of Allah?
A bit of a mystery, right?
There was a hint in one of the articles about him that he might be a “thought form” created by some unknown break-through. 😉
I do wonder if Daystar could take him down… permanently.
In addition to improved skills and knowledge (noobie to team leader in 3 years!) I thought that her breakthrough powers would progress in flight and healing. She’s barely transonic now and one of the earlier books said she seems to heal faster from each injury.
Thanks for answering this for me. It was something I was wondering about for a while. It was great to meet you at SDCC this summer, and I totally wanted to ask that at the con, but I was so excited to meet you that I went blank. Lmao
In Recursion Hope wondered what an Ultra or Omni class Verne would be like.
We readers know.
Rick Sanchez.
So I have come up with a Devious Christmas Plan:
Step one: Redeem Gift Card received for Winter Holiday of your choice.
Step two: Purchase dead tree editions of WtC, BM, and V,Inc.
Step three: Lend them to my friends. The first tastes are free…
Step four: If they are returned in readable condition, donate to the local library. Free first tastes for everyone!
I have already implemented steps one and two, the DTEs should arrive Monday… ^_^
As the writer, I consider this an eminently good plan.
Step three begins… Bwa ha ha ha!
And initial results: “[expletive deleted] you for making me stay up till four reading this!”
Happy New Year. 😉
Hey, it’s been a while since you’ve last posted, everything going okay with you?
Yes, thank you! I’ll post an update soon.
Gotta say I really enjoy the WtC series. Really loved Team-ups and crossovers, went crazy over Halo and the Arc-Swat group. (Following Dave’s webcomic on Patreon now after reading almost 10 years of back comics). Also loved Ronin Games (Jackie getting to bite a ghost made flesh was truly awesome ) Don’t lose Ozma I love the crazy way her magic works.
Don’t worry, I won’t.
Hey been awhile since an update and your last one said we might get one in a couple weeks it’s been longer than that I believe everything ok?
Sorry! Yes everything’s fine. I’m in the home stretch on Book 9, and when I get into the last weeks of work I tend to put off updates with the thought that “The next one will be the joyous news!” And of course it takes longer than I think it will. 😉
Mr. Harmon,
I found WtC through Amazon recommending it to me, and damn but their algorithms are good. I’ve read books 1-4 so far in the last week and I abso-freaking-lutely LOVE THEM. Your world building is fantastic, the story and characters are wonderful and huge kudos to your proof readers. I haven’t noticed a single typo, incorrect homonym or grammatical error, which is saying something because I usually see at least one in most books I read, even those from traditional big publishers. Lastly, if you haven’t paid off the infamous Paulina Street noodle incident yet I hope you’re planning too. Inquiring minds want to know! 🙂
Thank you so much for the wonderful books. I’m very much looking forward to reading the rest of them.
John Bankert
Thank you! And at risk of losing all your good will, about Paulina Street . . .
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NoodleIncident
It’s Good Book Thursday again at Jennifer Crusie’s Argh Ink. I posted this:
There was some discussion of cooking Cornish hens in toaster ovens, then:
I got you a sale. 🙂
Well, cool. 😉
Oops. forgot to close the link after “Argh Ink”. “Spoiler” should be the hover link.
I ran across this: https://img.patriotpost.us/01GFV9C4H8JFH6NHK62BGCRN0T.jpeg?w=1024&dpr=1&q=75
And here I thought it was original with you. It’s all over the web.
Nah, it’s just a classic.
Hey, love the books. But I had a question that has been bugging me. The Littleton pocket. Whatever happened to the Verne super who made it? It seemed that a lot of the questions they had about it in Small town hero could be answered by him.
Now THAT is a good question. You can assume that the government-contracted Verne moved on to other things and became . . . unavailable for questions. 😉
I just finished rereading the series and I have a question. What do the Paladins do when one of their own becomes a breakthrough? I would think it would be bound to happen at some point especially in the action arm of the group.
Also, what does the breakthrough do? I know it would depend on the individual and each case would be in some way unique, but is there any precedent for this happening? Do they know what to expect from their comrades?
Now that is a very good question! I may need to deal with it sooner or later, but until something is on the page and “cannon” I’ll just say that it depends on the paladin in question and on the Paladin group. They’re not a monolithic organization.