Hello, all my super humans!
I’m sure some of you are wondering why I jumped into superheroes and wrote this book? I bet others are wondering about my plans for these stories. (How many books in the series? When will I write them?)
Let’s talk book first!
I grew up on a steady diet of superheroes (Wonder Woman! Woot, woot!), and I’ve always loved the classic archetype, but this story was definitely inspired by the premise of The Boys.
If you haven’t watched the series on Prime, it’s fantastic and super funny. But what I loved about it was how they blew up this whole idea of superheroes being infallible. It’s raunchy and gory. The superheroes are mostly bad. So, so bad. And also selfish, cruel, insecure, and fake. And it’s what makes the series so addictive. The heroes are a hot mess!
Anyway, I really fell in love with this idea of an everyday person with major “unsuperhero” flaws having to deal with the reality of such a monumental change in the real world. In the movies, we see superheroes born that way or transform and jump right in, embracing their destiny. But what about the everyday nerd guy who struggles with fitting in no matter what he does? What about the guy who is still trying to find himself on a human level? That’s Huff.
Then there’s his dark side. He knows it’s there. He knows sooner or later he’s going to have to face whatever’s lying beneath the surface. (Nope. He hasn’t gotten there yet, but it’s coming.)
The second series that inspired me was Castle Rock. If you haven’t watched it, it’s also worth seeing. I won’t give anything away, but there’s a darkness and madness that takes over some of the characters, and I really found that part creepy. (And fun.) I honestly wanted to make Mr. Ultra Mega Love a lot darker, but I ended up not liking those initial drafts as much. It needed more humor! More love!
The final comment I’ll make is a topic you might be wondering about. Why no hometown? Why not mention where his new university is? One word: politics.
In today’s environment, people are so divided, and I wanted readers to be able to imagine Huff being from their state, their hometown. Because, really, the kind of senseless hate he experiences can happen anywhere. So, yeah, I left the specifics out.
As for future books? I plan to write the next one in 2022, but I’m not sure how many I’ll do. When I start new storylines, sometimes I have grand ideas for eight or nine books. Then I sit down and really start writing. There isn’t enough steam in the plot. As a reader, I hate that! I hate when writers keep series going just for the sake of it. I’d rather be left wanting more than wondering why I wasted my time reading a tired plot.
Other times, I sit down thinking I’ll do one book, but when I get to the end, I see so many fun adventures in store for us and the characters.
So, my answer is, I definitely want to write more of these. Some of that will depend on you guys. (SO BE SURE TO POST YOUR REVIEWS SO I KNOW IF YOU ULTRA MEGA LOVED IT!) Some of that will depend on how the next book unfolds. Superheroes are a new space for me.
EITHER WAY! Keep an eye out for more Huff and River 2022. Be sure you’re signed up for alerts of upcoming releases so you don’t miss out:
www.mimijean.net/get-news-from-mimi
And now onto your favorite part. FREE BOOKMARKS!
STEP ONE: Email me at Mimi@mimijean.net
STEP TWO: Provide your complete shipping info (include the country if you’re outside the US).
STEP THREE: If you wrote a review for Mr. Ultra Mega Love, because you felt the mega love and loved it, be sure to provide a link or screenshot. I will do my very best to include extra goodies. I run out of magnets fast! It’s first ask, first get! But you will get a big THANK YOU from me either way.
STEP FOUR: Give me about 3–4 weeks. I’m pretty slow at getting snail mail out, but I do get to it. I send email confirmations once they go.
Thank you to all the fans who’ve jumped in to read this story. I hope it was an adventure worthy of your time.
HUGS,
Mimi