SUPERFICIAL
by Diane Billas

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GENRE: Young Adult Superhero

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BOOK BLURB:

Embark on a thrilling adventure with Lea and Jake as they navigate the unexpected twists and turns at the biggest superhero fan convention of the year. When Lea finds herself trapped in an elevator during the event with superstar Jake, also known as The Amazing Boy, they realize something sinister is afoot. With everyone at the convention frozen, including Lea's friends, Lea and Jake must team up to unravel the mystery behind the villainous acts plaguing Philadelphia. As they race against time, Lea grapples with whom to trust, while Jake uncovers startling truths about his own identity. A pulse-pounding journey filled with friendship, betrayal, and the ultimate quest for justice, will Lea and Jake save the day, or will supervillains prevail? Dive into this gripping tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

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EXCERPT TWO:

JAKE

I’ve been trained for situations like this when I’m stuck with a civilian during a mission. I’m supposed to keep playing The Amazing Boy, clear her memory, and continue along like nothing’s happened, but this time everything is different. The Agent is nowhere to be found to give me a mission report and he’s usually the one who takes care of the memories. I need all the help I can get right now, but I don’t know how much this girl can actually support me. She’s already tripped over a clearly marked extension cord.

That’s when we hear it. The kind of boom where your ears continue to ring minutes after it sounds. Even the floor keeps vibrating.

“This must’ve been the diversion. Come on, people might need saving,” I say, grabbing Lea’s hand. And now I really need to go be The Amazing Boy.

She’s in some sort of trance but once I grab her hand, she wakes up from wherever her brain was living.

“What’s happening, Jake? Are we in a movie right now?” If she thinks that, I’m not going to say otherwise, because she’s not wrong, she just doesn’t realize that it’s different from how other movies are made.

“This is going to sound crazy, but we need to go to wherever that boom occurred and see if there is anything we can do. I can’t explain everything to you but please trust me. I know things seem out of sorts right now and I’m being a completely different person, but I ask you this, if your life was in danger, would you trust The Amazing Boy?” I ask, looking Lea square in the face.

Her baby blue eyes stare right back at me, full of terror.

“Like if The Amazing Boy was real? Absolutely.”

“Okay, just keep holding onto that thought and follow me.”

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GUEST POST:

Diane Billas at the launch of her book SUPERFICIAL

An Unlikely Hero

SUPERFICIAL is all about superheroes and one of the main characters is an actual superhero but I want to talk about the other main character of the book, Lea Anderson. She might not be an “official superhero” but she’s a hero in her own right.

Lea only came to WizCon, the biggest superhero fan convention of the year in Philadelphia, because her girlfriend Jess at the time convinced her to attend. Then, when it was time to go to the convention, Jess was no longer her girlfriend, but dating Lea’s other best friend, who conveniently traveled to the convention with them. Lea feels like the dreaded third wheel and goes off to get some time by herself. Little does she know, she is walking into quite the adventure with fan-favorite actor Jake Johnson.

Lea is from a tiny town in Ohio, and she isn’t used to seeing any famous person, ever, so when she first meets Jake, she’s star struck, and also a bit stunned because she uncovers that he isn’t just playing The Amazing Boy on the screen, but a superhero in real life. But the more she gets to talk to him, she finds out he’s more like her than meets the eye—also trying to figure out his place in this crazy world.

Lea is by far my favorite character in SUPERFICIAL because she’s always authentically herself throughout the story. She’s also pansexual and demisexual, just like me. She had her heart broken by her ex-girlfriend and has trouble trusting anyone. It doesn’t help that everything she’s ever known has been shaken by the knowledge that superheroes actually exist. She’s also a super kind person and always willing to help anyone out.

I too am from a small town and had my heart broken in high school, so I played on those thoughts and feelings to help create her character. She’s also a huge history fan, and although I’m not like that, I am a classical music lover and I thought about how I would feel seeing something super cool up close that Lea would like, for example, seeing Independence Hall.

As the story develops, Lea’s insecurities start to fade as she helps Jake solve the mystery of who has been stealing artifacts from Philadelphia’s top cultural institutions. She becomes the brain behind the operation, proving that not all superheroes need to be born with superpowers, some are learned.

Everyone has insecurities and are on a journey to find themselves and Lea is no exception. I wanted to show through her growth that sometimes life has a way of throwing curve balls at you and it’s how you overcome them that matters. And sometimes, when you least expect it, you become the true hero of the story.

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AUTHOR BIO:

Photographer credit:

Sam Rodriguez

S.R.WeddingStory

Diane Billas currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. When she’s not writing she can be found reading multiple books at once, performing the French horn or piano, or dreaming of the next country she’s going to visit.

Does Love Always Win? is her debut novel, which released June 2023 from Creative James Media. This book was drawn from Diane’s personal experiences as a queer individual who has struggled throughout life being comfortable identifying and expressing herself. Diane wrote the book she wished was available to her when she was in high school.

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