Wednesday, January 9, 2013

What Makes a Superhero?




by Tiffany Allee

When I think of superheroes, the image that immediately comes to mind is a man in spandex, cape fluttering in the wind behind him, as he poses on the corner of a rooftop surveying the streets below for evildoers.

Of course, he always makes that spandex look good. ;-)

The hero of Heels and Heroes, Justice, fits this mold rather well—except for the spandex. But when I started writing Heels and Heroes, I decided to take a slightly different approach when it comes to superheroes. That’s not to say there isn’t some spandex (sometimes on people who probably shouldn’t be wearing it), or heroes who fit a more traditional mold. But when it came to my heroine, I wanted to break that mold—or at least give it a few cracks.

Brenda—or Silencer—is a superhero who comes from a family of superheroes. But she is alone among her family members, a bit of a black sheep, because her power is nearly useless in most situations. Brenda has the ability to dampen sound around her, which most of the time simply has the effect of turning off her hearing. Not the most useful power against someone who has super strength or can shoot laser beams from his hands.

But it’s very useful against the latest villain to attack Chicago—a man who knocks people out using the power of his voice. Howler.

In order to face the villain, and save her city, Brenda must realize that her normally useless power isn’t so useless when it comes to Howler, but more than that, she has to realize that she is a superhero. Because being a superhero is more than the power it gives, it’s about putting on that suit. Facing the danger.Risking your life for the lives of innocents.

That willingness is what separates a superhero from a person with power. 

Heels & Heroes blurb:
Brenda is a second-rate superhero, normally more concerned with uniform fashion than defeating bad guys. But when a violent, new super villain declares war against her city, she suddenly finds her specialized power to deafen sound in high demand.

As if facing the destructive force of a new enemy isn’t bad enough, she finds herself paired with the powerful, yet emotionally distant, Justice. Forced to work at the side of the only man who gets her heart pounding, Brenda is not only in danger of losing her life in battle, but also her heart to a man who might not be able to love her back.


Tiffany Allee currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona, by way of Chicago and Denver, and is happily married to a secret romantic. She spends her days working in Corporate America while daydreaming about sexy heroes, ass-kicking heroines, and interesting ways to kill people (for her books, of course). Her nights are reserved for writing and bothering her husband and cats (according to them). Her passions include reading, chocolate, travel, wine, and family.

3 comments:

Barbara Elsborg said...

This sounds fun!! What a good idea.

Jessica E. Subject said...

I love superhero stories! This sounds like a great read about a woman finding her place in the world. Congrats on your new release! :-)

Tiffany Allee said...

Thank you for your comments, Barbara and Jessica! And you're right on the money, Jessica. Finding her place in the world is exactly the point for my heroine--or at least realizing that her place in the world might be different than what she thought. ;)