#the vindico

It is the age of superheroes, you guys. The Dark Knight Rising, The Avengers, Man of Steel...lots of men in tights helping to save the world from the forces of evil. Except, what if the forces of evil were teenagers? Aaaaaaaand...what if they're the guys you're supposed to root for? That's the premise of Welsey King's debut novel, THE VINDICO, which came out earlier this summer. In a starred review, VOYA called THE VINDICO "[a] superbly composed tale of superheroes and super villains." Now we bring you the opportunity to find out more about the evil genius behind the super villains and their teenage apprentices!

Name: Wesley King Novel: The Vindico Available: June 14, 2012

Who’s your favorite author, living or dead? That’s a tough one, since one series or even a single novel can impact you enough to swing the vote. But consistently I’d say James Clavell (Shogun, Taipan, King Rat); his novels combine historical fiction with truly poignant character studies. But I do like Lord of the Rings. Can I choose two (or six)? 

What’s your favorite thing about your book? The interplay between the protégés and the relationships they form. At the end of the day, you have to like your characters, and I love hanging out with mine.

If you could spend one year on a deserted island with one character from literature, who would you choose? Maybe Hermione. She could just keep conjuring up things, so we’d never go wanting. And Harry broods too much. I don’t want to wake up every other night to screaming.

Where do you write? In my bedroom. Which is great, because I get to walk three feet to work in the morning.

Who is your favorite hero or heroine of history? I like this question, because most of the heroes and heroines in history were probably far less heroic then we think. Most are. And I keep thinking of people who are imaginary. I’ll say Gandhi, because he represented a change in the way we think about courage.

Do you tweet? What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever tweeted? I am actually starting in the next little while, so I hope I have something amusing to say. I don’t think I really get it yet. Naturally, I’ll be addicted in a few weeks. [Ed: You can follow Wesley on Twitter @The_Vindico]

What is your favorite season? Fall. There’s nothing better than walking in the woods in the autumn with jeans and a sweater and feeling perfectly comfortable. 

If you could teleport anywhere in the known universe right now, where would you go? Though I am inclined to think of something really adventurous, it would be terribly unfortunate to transport to a different galaxy and find myself in a black hole. And I suppose ‘known’ universe discounts the possibility of me transporting to the Star Wars galaxy, which is of course too far away to have been discovered. And a long, long time ago, which has always been puzzling. Do I have a spacesuit? Do you regret asking a nerd this question yet? 

Do you have any writing rituals? Nothing particularly interesting, other than the fact that I write at the same time every day as if I’m actually reporting to work. Even if you don’t feel like it, you still go to work. That’s how I like to treat writing; otherwise you just keep making excuses and never get anything done. 

What is your idea of earthly happiness? Purpose. What that means, I don’t entirely know. But I do know it probably has nothing to do with yourself. 

What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? I’ve been to a few punk and rock tours that were lots of fun. But that was when I could jump around in the mosh pit and not get hurt. Now I’d probably sprain my ankle and complain about the mud.

 What are you currently working on? I’m just finishing editing the sequel to The Vindico, The Feros, which I think readers are really going to love. It gave me a chance to build on the characters and their backstories and incorporate some of the mystery elements I love in great teen fiction. After that I’m going to start developing the rest of the books in the series, as well as a few other projects I have on the go. I love to write, so I figure I’ll just keep on working and hope I find the readers.  

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Thank you Wesley! We're so excited about The Feros and really looking forward to reading it!

Wesley hired a high-powered consultant to help him shoot a promo video. Too bad he's such a terrible bully...

Add THE VINDICO to your "to-read" shelf on Goodreads.

This is my cousin Wes, advertising his very first book, The Vindico.