Interview with Wesley King, author of The Vindico
12:00 AM
1) What inspired you to use the Villains more than
the Heroes in this story?
I’ve always had a fascination with literary
villains, particularly conflicted ones that don’t just have an “evil to be
evil” philosophy. So many heroic characters have the same backstory (traumatic,
isolating event in childhood that eventually leads to triumph), that often the
villain leaves the most room for creativity. I thought that having teens
training to be super villains was a great chance to explore all the grey areas
of good vs. evil.
2) How do you feel about the comparisons to X-Men?
I welcome them! I was a huge X-Men fan growing up
(I still am), and I definitely think many of the same themes are in The Vindico.
X-Men really set the stage for flawed heroes and conflicted villains, and I
loved the vulnerability of those characters. When my agent proposed the tagline
X-Men meets The Breakfast Club, I thought it was perfect.
3) Which point of view was your favorite to write
from?
That’s a tough one. You really become attached to
the characters, and because I’ve already written the sequel, I’ve had even more
opportunity to get to know them all. I do enjoy writing from Hayden’s
perspective, because his personality is so totally unlike mine and I find
something deeply satisfying about his complete lack of boundaries.
4) Which character was your least favorite to write
from?
I suppose I connected least to the super villains
themselves, though they all have their humanizing characteristics. That side is
explored even more in the sequel, and I think readers will come to identify
with characters they wouldn’t have expected.
5) Which of the action scenes was your favorite?
Hmm, I never thought of that. They do come fast and
furious at a point, and I paid a lot of attention to making sure the reader
could follow along and envision everything as it was happening. The final,
climactic battle was a lot of fun to write, but I think the initial raid on the
League mansion might be my favourite. There’s a lot of tension and some very important
developments built into that scene.
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