Running Supergirl.tv has it's challenges but it majoritively is filled with a lot of joys. Going to Comic Con, attending the red carpet at Paleyfest, and speaking with several of the cast and crew are just a few of the privileges we get to enjoy as the administrators of Supergirl.tv. Today is an occasion where we get to share another wonderful privilege with you. Back on May 30th, we were excited to tell you about an all new companion novel coming out this Fall, "Supergirl: Age of Atlantis". Today we can share with you our exclusive interview with author of the novel, JoAnne Whittemore!
Supergirl.tv: Supergirl wrapped its second season and is going to begin it's third October 9th. With two seasons of the show already established, how do you jump into an already existing world?
One of the first things I was told when I accepted this project was that I couldn’t make any drastic/lasting changes to the characters that could affect the future of the show. And I had no desire to retcon the past. So in order to immerse myself in the world and stay true, I watched both seasons a ridiculous amount of times. Seriously.
The other day, my husband and I were at the store when “She’s a Bad Mama Jama” came on, and I grinned at him and said, “This is a Supergirl song!” He’s even more into comics than I am, but he just stared at me until I added, “When Kara and Winn are working on her costume.”
“You’ve seen that show way too many times,” he replied.
Supergirl.tv: Kara Zor-El's voice is well known to fans, what kind of research have you done to find Supergirl's character?
Kara and Supergirl might be the same person, but their personalities are different, so I analyzed them as individuals, studying body language, tone, demeanor, carriage…their reactions to big events as well as small ones. I want people to feel as if they’re watching an extended episode of the show when they read the books, so it was important for me to get a feel for Supergirl and, honestly, all the main characters.
Supergirl.tv: The book's target audience is Grades 5-9 what techniques does a writer use to tell a compelling story for that age group?
I often say that the difference between Middle Grade and Young Adult is perspective. In Middle Grade, it’s about how the world affects you; in Young Adult, it’s about how you affect the world. So in Middle Grade, a lot of times the plot drives the character, which means the action scenes need to be strong and need to build. In Young Adult, the character tends to drive the plot more, which requires a strong main character in order for us to believe they’re capable of certain actions.
Since I’m writing a Middle Grade novel but using a superhero who tends to take the Young Adult perspective, I have to focus equally on setting up strong action scenes and building strong characters to satisfy both.
Supergirl.tv: When does the book take place? Does this happen before, during or after a season of the show?
The book takes place closer to the end of Season 2 but before Rhea goes Uber-Mommy Dearest.
Supergirl.tv: Besides Kara, what other characters from the show can readers look forward to reading about?
Alex, of course! And J’onn, Winn, Mon-El, and James. There are also a couple recurring secondary characters that make appearances.
Supergirl.tv: Who is Supergirl to you?
Hope. Bravery. Compassion. The kind of person I strive to be on a daily basis.
Supergirl.tv: What drew you to this project, have you had an interest in telling superhero stories?
This project actually came to me! My friend Barry Lyga (who’s doing The Flash companion novels) suggested me as someone to write the Supergirl books, based on all our conversations about comics in the past. I’ve actually had a superhero novel in my back pocket for a few years, so of course I said yes!
I’ve always loved underdog stories, and even though superheroes are more powerful than average people, they’re still underdogs to me. They have thankless jobs where they risk their lives for people who can love them one minute but just as quickly hate them or fear them the next.
Supergirl.tv: Where can fans go to learn more about you and maybe pick up some of your other works?
They can check out my website www.jowhittemore.com and follow me on Twitter for the latest and greatest of what’s going on. Also, when the book comes out, I’d love to show off some fan art and see peoples’ interpretations of scenes from the story!
We want to take a moment and share our sincerest thanks to JoAnne Whittemore for her time and her very incredible answers to what is going to be an amazing new adventure for our Girl of Steel. JoAnne will be at New York Comic Con on October 5th with Flash novel companion author Barry Lyga. If you are at New York Comic Con be sure to visit them, they will be discussing their new companion works on The Flash and Supergirl! Also be sure to follow JoAnne on twitter at @JoWhittemore! Finally, just as JoAnne suggested, after you read the book, make sure to share your fan art works with her, and with us!
Supergirl returns to October 9th on The CW at 8pm. Let us know what you think about Supergirl: Age of Atlantis in the comments below and in the forum! Also keep us your advertisement free source for Supergirl news and help us to keep bringing exclusive content like this by visiting the support page.
Comments
The same here Kelly.