Whippersnapper Wednesday: Average
My apologies for the tardiness of this post, it was supposed to be up and running this morning. However, I am out of town and currently without regular internet service, so I had to make a trek into town for Wifi. Anyhoo, I’m here to tell you about a really fun book, Average, and best of all, interview the author, J.C. Thompson!
First let me tell you about Average.
Quin’s dad is a superhero. A really amazing, has lots of powers, can fly and everything superhero. Quin is not. Quin has no powers. Zip. Nada. As you can imagine, this makes the father-son bond a little awkward. While Quin is trying to come to terms with the fact that he is, well, average, his dad is having a harder time with that. As a result, he has a tendency to drop (sometimes literally) Quin into situations that might make whatever latent powers he believes Quin has emerge. Yeah, even more awkwardness. As if that were not enough for an average teenage boy to deal with let’s throw in being stocked by a giant, vicious, teenage boy-hungry…poodle?! Quin’s quest for answers and acceptance bring him face to face with danger, adventure, and the far less glorious side of superpowers.
My thoughts…
Fast paced and smartly written, this book was not at all predictable. The surprises and plot twists were woven excellently between the character relationships, which were realistic and relatable. I appreciate Quin’s relationship with his dad having challenges, but also that they both really care for each other, even if they don’t understand each other. I loved the fact that it is suspenseful and adventurous without being overly violent or scary. This means I’ve had no problem with my son, 13, and daughter, almost 10, reading it, both of whom really enjoyed it as well. This is a great book to read when you are procrastinating on homework or chores!
Now, I'm very excited to introduce you to the author, J.C. Thompson!
Where
did you get the idea for Average?
It was actually a dream I had, wherein my DAD was a superhero who dropped a
house on me to try to trigger my "latent super strength."
Was
it originally a YA story? If not, how did it become one? I actually tend to put
very little thought into genres when I'm working on a story. Which is probably
a bad habit. But I just start writing and see what happens.
What
do you most want your readers to take away from the story? That they're
awesome.
Do
you have a favorite part? I really enjoyed writing George in general - he's
just a likeable guy. But there's one scene in particular when George and his
son, Quin, have a pretty heavy conversation about Quin's mother. Although the
book is pretty lighthearted, I love that portion because it makes George - this
invincible superhero - human.
What
scene was the most fun to write? The entire Laguardia family, especially when
they're all together. The characters - the way the interact with each other -
are very familiar to me, just hyperbolized.
Which
was the hardest and why? Any of the fight scene, action-type situations. Those
scenes are totally necessary but... weren't really what I had in mind when I
first outlined the story. So, when I had to fit them in, it was hard for me to
make them work within the overall tone of the story.
Which
character do you most relate to and why? Probably Quin, which is convenient
since the story is written from his point of view. But there's a little bit of
me in all of my characters - both positive and negative. This is truth for
everything I write but it really came out here. A lot of the discussions that
the characters have in Average are debates that I've had with myself. Adam and
Dante were actually taken from a one-act play I wrote several years ago called
"Things I say when I talk to myself."
If
you could choose a superpower, what would you choose and why? Here's the thing:
they all have downsides. Or are just useless. I do really like the idea of
flying, though. That'd be pretty awesome.
Today
people can’t fly or have x-ray
vision, but do you believe that people have other kinds of superpowers? Sure,
people do all sorts of amazing things - it's just a matter of semantics.
There's people out there who are capable of things no one else can do or even
explain. And everybody has something that they're fantastic at.
What
would you say yours are? So, you know how Quin spends the book looking for his
superpower and being fascinated by those of others? That's pretty much
autobiographical.
A
big theme in this book is about wanting to be accepted as we are, what advice
would you give to those who feel like they just don’t fit in or are not good enough? Fitting in is grossly
overrated. There will always be someone who appreciates you the way you are -
and others who won't. That's just life. The trick is to accept yourself.
What
other books inspire you or you would recommend? I read pretty constantly and
voraciously so it really depends on the situation.
You
started writing when you were fairly young, what advice would you give to other
young people who find a talent that they enjoy, to cultivate it into a possible
career? Just keep doing it. I wrote for about 10 years before I made a dime.
And that's pretty common. But you need to be persistent and not get discouraged
when things don't go exact the way you expect. Eventually, you'll find your niche.
Many thanks to the author! Get your own copy of Average here!
I purchased my copy of this title and chose to review and interview the author. All thoughts and opinions in this post (except those expressed by the author himself) are entirely my own. I have recieved no compensation, and the link to Amazon is a courtesy to the author and because I think it is a great book!
Love it!! This is well written. The questions were well formed, and the interview was enlightening-even for me! Good job Judy!
ReplyDeleteHey... I wrote that book! Thanks for the great review and the interview. Twas fun!
ReplyDelete