Take 5 with Miss Lightspeed

Matt: We're set for another Take 5 today. Joining me is Karen Jo Fairborne, better known to the world as Miss Lightspeed. Thank you for being with us.

Miss Lightspeed: My pleasure, Matt.

Matt: Your husband is famous and infamous, your son equally so. How do you keep it all together?

Miss Lightspeed: Some days I don't know the answer to that one. Bill [William Avery Fairborne AKA Colonel Chaos] and Chris [Christopher Gregory Fairborne AKA Crimsonstreak] are a handful. When you add saving the world to that equation...life gets tricky. I try to do the typical "mom" things, you owe that to your children, but I have another set of responsibilities to juggle. I've learned how to prioritize over the years, and I hope I've taught my family that injustice and poverty are just as important to fight as the average villain of the week.

Matt: Do you think your husband and son have gotten that message?

Miss Lightspeed: For the most part, I believe so. It was much harder on Chris when he was younger. Now that he's getting older, I believe he really understands why I have to be away from home sometimes. And Bill...well, my husband is like me in many ways. He doesn't love it when I'm gone, but he knows I'll go where I'm needed when I'm needed.

Matt: Let's talk a little bit about the Super Diplomats Corps. This has been a controversial undertaking for a woman who's been so beloved worldwide.

Miss Lightspeed: Is there a question in there? Or are you going to browbeat your viewers with opinions disguised as questions?

Matt: (bites lip) What can you tell us about the Super Diplomats Corps?

Miss Lightspeed: (smiles) The Corps is one of my passions. Superheroes shouldn't be limited to stopping bank robberies and taking down supervillains. There's a bigger picture we have to see. We have to take a look at society and see where things are going wrong; where injustices go unnoticed. I had the idea for a team of heroes that would look at these international crises and find ways to solve them. I was fortunate enough to encounter like-minded individuals who joined the cause. Our primary goal is humanitarian aid and social justice. It may not get as much attention as throwing a bad guy through a window, but I argue that it's more important.

Matt: You've taken some heat for intervening in certain countries. How do you respond to those who are critical of your efforts?

Miss Lightspeed: I'm assuming you're referring to our operations in places like Cuba, Iran, and North Korea?

Matt: That's correct.

Miss Lightspeed: To look at the leaders of a country and then assume all the people are the same way just isn't right. Those people need just as much help--probably more--than anyone else. How is a disaster in Paducah, Kentucky, or Las Vegas, Nevada, any different than one in Pyongyang or Tehran? Do those people suffer any more? Any less? Why refuse to provide humanitarian aid in a crisis? How does that improve the world? The Super Diplomats Corps sees the global picture. We're all in this together. I know that's a simplistic way of looking at things, but superheroes are here to help. If that means extending an olive branch to countries that aren't "in the club," so be it.

Matt: Clearly, this is a passion for you. I suppose anyone who gives you flak for this would have to deal with your husband.

Miss Lightspeed: They'd have to deal with me first. Bill could take whatever's left.

Matt: Let's get to the last question now. What do you think of the Heroic Legion?

Miss Lightspeed: (inhales deeply) Well...that could be five questions on its own. The group means well, but sometimes they're too bureaucratic for my tastes. They make a motion, they take a vote, they make a motion about the vote, vote on the motion, and then, if we're lucky, they take action. It's not that I don't have respect for governments and policies, because I believe that's where everything starts. In a crisis, people need to see their leaders take quick and effective action. Sitting in a room and delaying what you know to be the right response doesn't help anyone. I wish the Legion understood that. I think, deep down, they do.

Matt: Thank you for joining me today, Miss Lightspeed. You can read more about her and the Fairborne family in I, Crimsonstreak, available at these fine retailers:

Candlemark & Gleam Website
Amazon Paperback
Amazon Kindle Edition
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble NOOK Book

BACK TO CRIMSONSTREAK CENTRAL!

News and Notes for the Week of June 4

• The first draft of 17th Parallel, my latest novel, is almost finished! It currently clocks in at 98,000 words and is well on its way to 100,000. I already have some major changes in mind, but I have to complete the draft before I can take care of those.

• I'm getting ready to re-read the sequel to I, Crimsonstreak. Once that's finished, I expect to make some significant tweaks to the narrative. The book seems a little overstuffed at the moment, so I need to streamline some plot points and characters. A few of the main characters are underwritten and underdeveloped.

• Another superhero novel, The Franchise, is almost ready for beta readers. I've polished the book over the last two months and plan to do another read-through to see if I can solve a few of the problems with the manuscript.

• My second book signing for I, Crimsonstreak is this Saturday in Madison, Indiana. I'll be at That Book Place to talk about the book and sign a few copies. Would love to see you there if you're anywhere in the Madison/Louisville area!

• I will have another signing at Hastings in Richmond, Indiana, on June 30.

• I may dust off some of my short stories and submit them to some different markets. I've been concentrating primarily on novels over the last few months, but I have some short fiction I'd like to place. Perhaps I'll devote next week specifically to my short stories.

Take 5 with Warren Kensington IV

Matt: Another Take 5 to share with you today. Joining me on the blog, Warren Kensington IV. Thanks for being here.

Warren IV: Whatever.

Matt: You're sometimes referred to as the "Once and Future Crusading Comet." What does that mean?

Warren IV: You tell me. It's a stupid epithet. What does it mean...that I'm King Arthur? It doesn't make any sense.

Matt: I hear you're quite the technological marvel. Show me something that will wow me.

Warren IV: (takes phone from pocket, makes a series of quick button presses) Check out your Twitter stream.

Matt: (pulls out phone, checks Twitter) "I'm a Nancy boy who loves the Patriots and that one Selena Gomez song." That's very mature.

Note: The following Twitter mini-war then erupted:

Matt: You promise you'll stop with the Twitter hacking?

Warren IV: If you'll stop calling me the "Once and Future Crusading Comet."

Matt: You haven't read the sequel, have you? (Warren shakes his head) Sure. I'll stop calling you that.

Warren IV: Next question.

Matt: When did this turn into a Drew Rosenhaus press conference?

Warren IV: What?

Matt: Never mind. Third question. What can you tell me about Mortimer P. Willoughby?

Warren IV: Mortimer's been like a second father to me. Well, maybe a first father; it's hard to say. Dad says Mortimer's been with me since the day I was born. It certainly feels like it, anyway. He's a great teacher and mentor, although sometimes I can't stand to be around him. He gets all...uptight sometimes. He's always talking about rules and etiquette and protocol. Like a living Threepio...with sarcasm.

Matt: You just compared your father figure to a droid from Star Wars. What are you, kid? Like fifteen?

Warren IV: I'm seventeen years old.

Matt: That's pretty young.

Warren IV: You keep up this interview style, I'll outlive you.

Matt: Point...taken. We've touched on Morty and your knack for computer wizardry. Let's talk a little bit about Crimsonstreak. You guys didn't get off to a good start, did you?

Warren IV: Hmmmm...let's see. The guy left my father at the Clermont Institution for the Criminally Insane. His father took over the world and started a war on superheroes. My father never thought too highly of him and neither did Mortimer. I was skeptical of his motives and his methods, but a funny thing happened on the way to saving the world. It turned out he was one of the good guys after all.

Matt: It seems like you guys eventually became friends, which is pretty cool. Last question. What was it like going through the Comet Accelerator?

Warren IV: (Smiles...yes, actually smiles) Oh, man. That was one wild, righteous ride. It was like being squeezed through a tube while simultaneously being wrapped in a warm blanket of your memories. I saw kids I hadn't seen since kindergarten, communed with cartoon characters, and re-watched every movie I'd ever seen. The experience lasted an eternity, but it was no more than a blink of an eye.

Matt: Thanks for joining me today, Warren. Do you want to wrap up with the book plug?

Warren IV: Why would I want to do that?

Matt: Mortimer did it. So did Colonel Chaos.

Warren IV: I'm not them.

Matt: All righty, then. I, Crimsonstreak is available in a variety of formats from these fine retailers:

Candlemark & Gleam Website
Amazon Paperback
Amazon Kindle Edition
Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble NOOK Book

BACK TO CRIMSONSTREAK CENTRAL!