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I LOVE Superheroes
Guardian: Into the Light of Day follows an alien inhabiting a human’s body who has secretly protected humanity for centuries, until an asteroid strike exposes her existence and unleashes forces bent on Earth’s destruction. What were some sources that informed this novel’s development?
I LOVE superheroes. I have since I was a little kid watching TV on Saturday mornings. I can still remember the first superhero comic book my dad bought me. I don’t have it, but I have another copy bought through a collector. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Captain Marvel (Billy Batson), Spider-Man, and a host of other heroes helped give me a background in the genre. Guardian herself came out of a superhero roleplaying game.
She would not leave me alone, dogging me for thirty years before I finally sat down and told her story. I think she’s someone we all wished existed in the world, someone who suddenly drops out of the sky and turns a bad situation around, whether it’s a crime, a medical emergency (she is a surgeon who can heal with a touch,) or a avert a natural disaster.
Elizabeth has lived for over eight centuries. How did you approach writing her perspective across such a vast timeline?
I really had to sit and ponder what the outlook for someone who has lived among humans while not aging a day. She still resembles the young woman who died on the Cornish moors and rose, healed and vibrant. She has had time to accumulate wealth and wisdom, and has meet and helped the best of humanity and to be blunt, in many cases, to confront some of the worst. Often there have been situations where she could have changed the course of history but in doing so she would have needed to reveal herself which would dramatically impact humanity’s natural evolution.
In the modern era she has had to be creative in the places she works, places where cameras and recording devices are far less common, like refugee camps and aide camps where she can practice medicine and remain a nomad, pulling up stakes every two to three years while zealously avoiding interactions with the media.
The book raises questions about identity and belonging. How do you see Elizabeth’s alien nature shaping her humanity?
Elizabeth is an outsider; she does not share historical animosities, or preferences that a human might hold. She regards humans as wonders, full of potential. She often works to bring out the best in people by being an example to aspire to. The events of the novel force her into a role that she struggles with while living in proverbial media goldfish bowl.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I have two in the works one with GG Michaels which I am still not sure will be a novelette or a novella. (Plus another 15 other stories.) The other project will be a full length Guardian novel. As for concrete dates of completion, I’m working as quickly as I can. Family emergencies derailed my spring and summer writing as I planned to have them both out by now. I’m playing catch-up. I am grateful for my readers’ kind words and support. GG and Guardian will both return!
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Its explosion sent her crashing back to Earth in a fiery shower of meteorites.
Caught on video by a teenager, her anonymity is destroyed in an instant.
Turmoil ensues…
Meta-powered beings begin to appear. Humanity is frightened and confused. The media, and a politician with an agenda, seek to take advantage.
Into this global chaos a new threat emerges, one greater than any she has ever faced, one that, if she fails, will destroy all that she loves.
With the fate of the Earth hanging in the balance, all that stands between the world and obliteration is its Guardian, Elizabeth.
A New Superhero Rises…
They Are An Odd Couple
The Case Files of GG Michaels follows Guenevere Michaels and her pragmatic partner as they unravel eerie mysteries with wit, suspense, and a razor-sharp blend of folklore and modern investigation. What inspired you to pair paranormal lore with modern investigative techniques in this collection?
I think it began early on beginning with Scooby-Doo before proceeding to other series like the X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Stranger Things, and the TV show, Friday the 13th the Series.
But it also stems from something that has always perplexed me, that is how various paranormal investigative shows find something out of sorts but then largely do nothing about it. These investigators may document something and be even be frightened by it but they do nothing about it. By contrast, GG & her friends (depending on the story,) do something about the ghosts, monsters, and cults the run across. They leave a situation better than they found it.
Guen and Janet’s dynamic is both witty and heartfelt. How did you develop their contrasting voices and chemistry?
They are an odd couple, but they deal with odd scenarios, so it jibes. They’re both brave in their own ways. Their backgrounds influenced them with GG’s idealism contrasting with Janet’s pragmatism. Often the approach of one is better suited to the scenario than the other. I love writing dialogue and work hard at developing unique voices for my characters. Often, a reader may not remember a book’s plot but they will remember a character that they loved by what they said and did and how they said and did it.
I’m also developing a third member of GG Michaels Investigations, Izaak, whom we meet in the story, The Padded Cell.
Many of your settings feel like characters themselves. Do you draw inspiration from real locations or create them entirely from imagination?
As a kid I was pretty good at scaring myself. My imagination was, and continues to be, vibrant. My locations are a combination of real experience and researched with a lot of ideation as to how I could make them even spookier. To paraphrase Stephen King, I do my best to “be there.”
Some stories resolve quickly, leaving readers wanting more. Do you see yourself expanding any of these cases into longer novels?
I have so many ideas on the drawing board, most of which I think will pan out. In order to write them all, I will continue to write in the short story/novelette length, but one never knows how a story will develop and if it requires novella or novel length space to tell the tale adequately.
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Ghosts
Vampires
Evil Cults
Monsters
Haunted Asylums
Or…you could go with GG Michaels and experience them all.
So…safe & boring?
Or Supernatural Adventure?
Choose adventure!
Guardian
Guardian: Into the Light of Day, by J L Meredith, is about an alien who takes a human’s body to bring her back to life. In this new body, this alien took on the human’s name, Elizabeth, and energy, but since she isn’t genuinely human, she lives on. Over eight centuries, she has worked to save lives without revealing her identity. This changes when an asteroid is about to hit Earth. Elizabeth stops it, but the explosion sends her crashing back down with meteorites. Caught on video, Elizabeth loses her anonymity. In the turmoil of this and the meteorites, meta-humans emerge, there’s a media frenzy, and one politician seeks to take advantage. Among this, a more significant threat emerges, one that wants to use Elizabeth to destroy Earth.
I enjoyed that it wasn’t just a superhero comic book. While Elizabeth wasn’t truly human, she was relatable. As a doctor, she wanted to keep people safe and save their lives, but she didn’t want to be in the spotlight.
Meredith did a great job of making Elizabeth strong and courageous. But he also gave her a couple of enemies that weren’t easy for her to overcome. However, her heart and willingness to help really brought her to life.
Guardian into the Light of Day, by J L Meredith, provides readers with a great story, a great protagonist, and some nail-biting moments. This action and adventure superhero novel will keep readers engaged from the start and even give them a bit of romance without going over the top.
Pages: 522 | ASIN : B09ML7V944
LITERARY TITAN 