Of Extended Universes in Fiction
Last night, I took my daughter to see Avengers: Infinity War. It was my second time seeing it and it seems to move as quickly the second time as it did the first time. It hardly seemed like it should almost be one o’clock in the morning when we got out.
At every hero who dissolved into dust with the snap of Thanos’s finger, my daughter cried in dismay. I ended up telling her the story was resolved in the comic version of the story in order for her to not be so upset over the deaths.
I always look forward to seeing a new super hero movie, as they tend to inspire me in my writing. At the moment, Book Seven of the Adventure Chronicles is in the final stages of production. I am writing the origin novel for Seigi, my super hero who was first featured in Metahumans vs. Robots. The novel, tentatively titled “I Am Justice”, takes place before the events of the final book of the Adventure Chronicles series. I’ll be writing Book Eight next, which will be a vampire story.
Yeah, I write unusual Christian fiction.
Seigi features Maori Kabayashi, who was introduced as a character in Book Six. A former member of the villainous Waruiyatsu clan, she was trained to be a rare female warrior by her clan, mostly to kill Yoshi Funakoshi. Somehow, she gained a conscience and fate led her to become Yoshi’s dear friend—and a powerful enemy of her former clan—instead.
Three stories about Seigi have been published, so far. “Doumo Arigatou” was published in the above-mentioned Robots anthology. “The Portal” was published in Metahumans vs. the Ultimate Evil. Both of these were published by Canadian publisher, Lion’s Share Press. “The Hunted” was published in GCD Publishing’s Malicious Mysteries. Lion’s Share Press is preparing the publication of a vampire anthology and a cryptids anthology, both of which will feature stories with Seigi, as well.
As I’m writing the novel, it is really hitting close to home that, like the MCU, I am creating an extended universe in my fiction. It wasn’t just Adventure and Seigi that started this, however. Lily’s Redemption took place in The Bluff, a large town that exists in the southern part of Missouri in my books and is based off of the real Poplar Bluff, MO. The Bluff features as a location in the Adventure Chronicles.
I am writing a horror novel at the moment (I’ve been picking at it between my other books for the past decade). One of the leads in the book is a fan of Thomas Bradford, also from Lily’s Redemption. And the police officer who features in the horror novel is Mark Goodman, Buster’s father. This links the Adventure Chronicles to Lily’s Redemption.
Some other super hero authors and I had discussed co-authoring a novel bringing our characters together but, as one of the authors who had come up with the idea has taken his character back to formula, it looks like this is unlikely at this point.
I have other plans to expand other secondary characters who have already appeared in my books. Perhaps, somewhere down the line, I’ll be able to write a grand novel of epic proportions that matches something along the lines of the Avengers’ stories. At the very least, Seigi will play a part in the final book in the Adventure Chronicles series.
