Pushing the boundaries of superhuman fiction! Come and see the Pen and Cape Society, a cabal of authors intent on bringing the best new work to the world. Give them a look, and you’ll never look back. More than a dozen authors showcasing independent universes. The worlds of superhero fiction are not limited to those you have seen on film or in comics, and these folks prove it every day!
R.J. Ross has a school for capes. They learn to interact, good with evil, and they learn about real life…all under Technico, the super-villain turned principal. A great series, suitable for all ages.
Frank Byrns
A master at reminding us of the ‘human’ in ‘metahuman’, Frank’s stories are always recommended. Frank was one of the first superhero authors I followed, and with good reason. Very few books make it onto my nightstand, but at least one of them will always have his name on the cover.
Hydrargentium Hg
Hg writes good stuff, and often approaches it from an angle most don’t see. This may have to do with him being Canadian, but we don’t hold that against him. His writing is top-drawer, character-driven material, and he’ll leave you wanting more!
Lisa Matthews Collins writes and edits not only superhero stories, but cookbooks, stories about ancient feudal cultures translated into science fiction, and dashing archaeologists seeking hidden tombs! She does all this while maintaining an active blog and interviewing, like, sixty-seven quazillion authors! Slow down, girl! Dig her stuff if you want a fresh take on topics, because you’ll certainly find it.
Nick Ahlhelm’s collection of some great authors and their superhero prose. MHP gave Firedrake his start back in the day. Also realize that a superhero story is not all you’ll find on MHP! Nick deals in pulp, noir, kaiju, and even tales of legendary skyjacker D. B. Cooper!
Local Hero Press: Internet home of Ian Thomas Healy — Author of the Just Cause series of books. Prolific author and an all-around fun guy (even if he does like hockey). Watch for Ian and his beard at cons around the country, spreading the Local Hero goodness.
Drew Hayes is the creator of Super Powereds, a long-running series of teens in training at an academy that teaches the basics of being heroes. Sometimes, though, things aren’t what they seem to be, and the people you thought you could trust most aren’t those that have your back when the situations change. Also check out his serial Corpies, based on the life of a former Hero who has now gone corporate, working for good while making that paper for the Corp HQ.
National Novel Writing Month aka NaNoWriMo. Every years thousands of novelists take to the keys, and the pens, and the pads and the tablets, all with one goal: 30 days, 50,000 words.
D6xD6 Roleplaying Game. Lester Smith’s brainchild, this RPG uses multiple fiction sources and their authors to develop the game worlds — one of which will soon be my own world of the Emergence.
Long term gamers will know Lester’s name – he is one of those names that pops up on the front covers of many of your game books. He is the author of Bughunters, Dark Conspiracy, Mechwarrior 2nd edition, and the Zero RPG. He has worked with Shadowrun, Star Wars, Deadlands, Traveller, and many more. Deceptively simple to learn, the system is so lightweight that character sheets are printed on business cards.
Caverns and Creatures, the work of Robert Bevan. Quite literally, I have never laughed harder reading a series of books than I have with these. I’m talking Benny Hill meets The Three Stooges meets Beavis and Butt-Head meets Thrud the Barbarian. Those books you read years ago about gamers being transported into their game worlds? THIS is what would likely be the result. Tim, Dave, Cooper, and Julian are my new heroes, folks. Sick, twisted heroes with a tendency to drink overmuch and swear almost as much as my own circle of gamers and friends, but heroes nonetheless…sort of.
Digging on some covers of mine? The fronts for Firedrake Volume 3, Golem, Shapes of the Season, and Tales of the Emergence all came from the talented folks at Arani Creative. Give them a shot for your next cover, and tell them I sent ya!
ProFantasy Software provides the peerless Campaign Cartographer system, which turns the labor of map-making into serious fun. Creating a world for your book, or your RPG campaign, or just for the fun of creating something new? Snap up Campaign Cartographer 3! On their page, you’ll also find City Designer 3, Dungeon Designer 3, Character Artist, Cosmographer, and several other products that take all the pain out of mapping your setup.