This week, we welcome Allen Steadham to The Story behind the Story with a very different kind of book. Before we get into what inspired him to write Mindfire, let’s hear a little bit about the book.

Twenty-year-old Leia Hamilton discovers that she can move things — and set them on fire — with her mind, a result of her father being a former superhero and her mother, the deadliest of supervillains. Unlike other superhero-related novels, the focus in Mindfire isn’t on secret identities, costumes or evil plots endangering the world. Instead, the female protagonist’s self-discovery and adaptation to her circumstances take precedence. This novel is also a psychological thriller, delving into mystery, alive with action, unafraid to show love and explore spirituality. But at its heart, Mindfire pulls you into a diverse world of human and superhuman heroes and villains, unapologetically revealing who they are and why none of them are perfect.

Leia’s father and step-mother tried to hide their past from her until she was ready: a time when they were part of a team of superheroes. That team disbanded two decades ago after a series of tragedies but that didn’t prevent their problems from being passed on to their children. Making life and death decisions with virtually no experience and incredible power, some of Leia’s choices have terrible consequences. For Leia, this leads to a personal crossroads and a search for redemption.

Wow, that’s a really different premise in Christian fiction. What inspired you to write the book?

My Mindfire novel is based on characters and story elements from a homemade comic book I created called “The AR-MEN.” I began writing and penciling the comic in 1980, when I was ten years old. I continued it for about twenty years. “Mindfire” was one of the supporting characters, a teen superhero named Lee Hamilton. She was originally called “Demon” because of her powers and the fierce appearance they gave her. She changed her hero name to Mindfire after emerging from a personal crossroads. She decided to give her life to Christ.

In November 2013, I participated in National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo). I reworked the Mindfire redemption concept and made it the main theme of the book. With twenty years of comic history and character development, I had a lot to pull from to craft the female protagonist’s tale. Set in the present day, Leia (an improvement from “Lee”) Hamilton is the daughter of a former superhero named The Crusader and a frighteningly powerful supervillain that calls herself Malevolence. Leia herself develops telekinesis, pyrokinesis and enhanced strength.

In the original comic, Lee made mistakes in judgment that led to unforeseen consequences. I kept that element in the Mindfire novel and made it more substantial. Leia tries to solve everything herself but she can’t. Even if she weren’t so young and inexperienced, the message of Mindfire is that no one can solve all of life’s problems. We don’t have to. We have a Savior to help us, if we’re willing to trust Him. Even if people really did have superpowers, they would not be enough. Some things take a loving and holy God. That was the point in the comic version and it’s even more so in the novel.

Allen Steadham created comic books and webcomics before he started writing novels. He has been married to his wife, Angel, since 1995 and they have two sons and a daughter.

When not writing stories or drawing comics, Allen and his wife are singers, songwriters and musicians. They have been in a Christian band together since 1997. They live in Central Texas.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jaspecfiction

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Mindfirenovel

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/allensteadham

Allen is giving away an ebook copy of Mindfire. Follow the directions below to enter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for joining us, Allen!