Today I have the pleasure to welcome the amazing gay romance author and friend, Asta Idonea, to tell us all her latest superhero release: Super for You, Bad for Me. Published by Dreamspinner Press, Super for You, Bad for Me by Asta Idonea is a humorous tale of love and action/adventure, an origin story for a superhuman that’s funny and endearing at the same time. Read on to find out all about it!
Super for You, Bad for Me by Asta Idonea
Struggling actor Oswell Outterridge thinks he’s hit the jackpot when he’s chosen to play a scene opposite his idol, Kane Teague, in a superhero movie. However, things take an unexpected turn when the slime he accidentally ingests gives him telekinetic powers. Then Kane asks him out, against all expectation, and it seems that life couldn’t get any better—aside from the little matter of keeping his identity secret from his celebrity boyfriend. Oswell goes from a nobody with little social life and few prospects for the future to dating the man of his dreams and using his superhuman abilities to defend innocents. Everything is perfect, and it seems he’s finally achieved a happily ever after worthy of the silver screen. But when a supervillain arrives, determined to defeat Oswell and win Kane’s affections, everything falls apart. In the ensuing conflict, Kane gets caught in the crossfire, and Oswell faces his toughest fight yet. Can he remain the hero he’s always imagined himself, or will a dark desire for vengeance change him forever?
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Review of Super for You, Bad for Me by Asta Idonea
I’ve read this in about two days, despite a busy schedule because it was an engaging, fun, and endearing story. If you’re a fan of superhero stories, you’ll probably enjoy this one as much as I did. Oswell gets everything he’s dreamed of: a chance to be in a scene with his actor crush, Kate Teague, telekinetic superpowers, even if they don’t come with the expected six-pack abs and extreme strength, and he even scores a date with Kane. Oswell is relatable, cute and hardworking, and always does his absolute best. I also liked that his “origin story” had him face his darker side later in the story when the supervillain threatens everything that matters to Oswell. Superpowers are all fun and games in the beginning, and I think Asta Idonea does a great job at implying staying a hero is a constant battle.
The romance is interesting to follow and it’s more on the side of a slow burn, which I appreciate, and the action itself has a lot of screen time, which I personally enjoyed. The villains are not always the most obvious ones, and there’s a lot of tongue-in-cheek analysis of superheros and the tropes surrounding them. I loved the time Asta Idonea took to show the intricacies of finding a hero persona, get a costume, and the changing troubles where a delight to read.
Super for You, Bad for Me is a fast read, although it’s not a short one. It will make you laugh and you’ll end up loving Oswell. He gets a lot more screen time than his love interest, Kane, their relationship being only a slice of Oswell’s increasingly complicated life. All of these reasons made me enjoy this new novel by Asta Idonea and, if your tastes are similar to mine, you’ll enjoy it too!
Interview with Asta Idonea, Author of Super for You, Bad for Me
1. Why go with a superhero theme? What inspired it?
I guess watching so much MCU! LOL. Over the last five to six years, I’ve become a huge MCU fangirl, and that is what made me think about creating a superhero story of my own. I pondered it for a while, and at last Oswell rocketed into my mind. A potential storyline emerged from there.
2. Why did you choose movie sets and actors as setting and characters? Any real-life actor inspiration for your characters?
It seemed a good fit because of all the superhero movies. I reference the tropes of the superhero genre within the story, so it felt natural also to include the making of a superhero movie. For Oswell, I had an image of Miles McMillan in my head. Miles is ostensibly a model, but he’s starting to branch into film, and he has the perfect look for Oswell.
3. What was the most difficult part to write about your superpower system?
Probably establishing the ‘rules’. I had to work out what he could do and how, right from the start, so I didn’t later write myself into a corner, or contradict anything that had gone before. Once I’d set those rules, though, everything else fell into place.
4. Will there be more superheroes in your future books?
The truthful answer is, I don’t know. I certainly had great fun writing Oswell, so I wouldn’t say no to bringing him back for a second tale, or doing another superhero-inspired piece. However, such a work doesn’t feature in my immediate plans.
5. What was the most fun to write part of this story?
The humour. Superhero tropes gave me plenty to play with there, and it was fun to take an affectionate crack at the genre.
6. What do you think would be Oswell’s most endearing quality?
His earnestness. He has such hope and expectation, and he always tries his best, even when he’s struggling.
7. Is there anything unexpected you’ve learned from creating your own superhero?
That naming them is really hard! Oh, it’s easy on the one hand, but then you realise someone like Marvel or DC got there before you, and you have to go back to the drawing board. On the plus side, I was then able to turn that into a joke within the book.
Meet Asta Idonea
Asta Idonea (aka Nicki J Markus) was born in England but now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages.
Asta launched her writing career in 2011 and divides her efforts not only between MM and mainstream works but also between traditional and indie publishing. Her works span the genres, from paranormal to historical and from contemporary to fantasy. It just depends what story and which characters spring into her mind!
As a day job, Asta works as a freelance editor and proofreader, and in her spare time she enjoys music, theatre, cinema, photography, and sketching. She also loves history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling, and travel, all of which have provided plenty of inspiration for her writing.
Website: http://www.nickijmarkus.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickiJMarkus
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/aleera21
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickijmarkus/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Asta-Idonea/e/B00RMGGVYO
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