Today on the blog, I’d like to meet Lexie Dunne. Her debut novel was published this year by Harper Voyager Impulse and the sequel comes out this summer, for which I cannot wait. To share a bit about Lexie, I can tell you that she started writing from an early age, always with a speculative flare. She has an insane love for science fiction and fantasy, Boston Terriers (she has an adorable one named Nikki) and Dr. Pepper. She’s from St. Louis, works as a technical writer and enjoys knock knock jokes way too much . . . seriously, check out her twitter feed; it’s quite entertaining.
Her novel, SUPERHEROES ANONYMOUS, is a fun read that will leave you wanting more. You can read my short review on Amazon or Goodreads.
Now, let’s learn a bit more about Lexie:
Is Superheroes Anonymous your first novel? How long did it take you to write it?
It’s my first published novel. I have a box of them under the bed waiting to come back to life and get their revenge someday. I participated in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) to get this draft done, so I started the book on November 1st and finished on December 10th.
Wow, that was fast! How does a day in Lexie’s writing life look like?
Mornings start with a shot of bourbon and my tears from the night before. This goes on for three thousand words or until my hands become bloody nubs, and ends with me on the floor crying. There’s no “typical” writing day. Some days produce between 8,000 to 11,000 words, and some days produce -2,000. I use Microsoft Word, Scrivener, and legal pads depending on the project. Music ranges from Mozart to Broadway to silence (although I end up tuning out any music anyway, so I don’t know why I bother). Nikki’s usually lying on the bed behind me, judging me. She keeps me honest.
Nikki sounds like a tough customer! So how did you come up with the idea for Superheroes Anonymous?
If you’ve ever been to the Hamptons, you’ll know there’s a main highway—I-27—that turns into a parking lot in the summer. The year I worked in Bridgehampton, I spent a lot of time sitting on that highway, listening to a busted up iPod. It gave me a lot of time to think.
One of my favorite characters throughout comic book movie/TV show history is Lois Lane. She’s my quintessential “type”—pugnacious reporter, leads with her chin, smart, stubborn. But while I love her, I always wonder why she never put it together that every big event to happen in Metropolis . . . involved her in the middle of it. Gail was originally inspired by this idea: what if you’re being saved every day and people are insisting that your hero is also your boyfriend? The story sprang naturally from there.
Well, Gail is smarter than Lois! Tell us what to expect in the sequel.
Lots of action! If the first book is Gail’s origin story, the second book is her trial by fire. There’s just more: more action, more sarcasm, more food. Some old friends stop by to say hello, but there are new cast members and even what I hope are some great twists.
I can’t wait!
Rapid Fire Questions
Nikki’s favorite treat?
“Whatever is on Lexie’s plate.” (Beggin Strips that the nice lady at my apartment complex’s office gives her every morning when we get the mail)
Favorite book in the last year?
Richelle Mead’s Gameboard of the Gods. I love her Vampire Academy stuff. Vampires are great, but religion and dystopian societies are even better. Plus, Mae is wonderful.
Pantser or Plotter?
Vague outline that I know will not resemble the final product in any way, shape, or form.
Favorite Superhero ever?
Jessica Drew! Spider-Woman in the HOUSE.
Favorite Supervillain ever?
The Mayor from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. That dude was terrifying. But if you’re talking comics, I’m gonna have to go with a team-up for Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.
Bio:
Lexie Dunne is a woman of many masks, all of them stored neatly in a box under her bed. By day a mild-mannered technical writer and by night an adventuress and novelist, she keeps life interesting by ignoring it and writing instead. She hails from St. Louis, home of the world’s largest croquet game piece, and SUPERHEROES ANONYMOUS is her professional debut into the world of caped crusaders, a journey that started when her father took her and her brother to see The Rocketeer.