Mitchell Bonds fell into writing a bit accidentally.
As he puts it, “I got too old to be wandering around in the wood with my friends, swinging sticks at each other, pretending they were swords.” He turned those boyhood adventures into a short story about superheroes and villains. That story turned into a novel, which became a trilogy, The Hero Complex.
The series good-naturedly pokes fun at fantasy and superhero stereotypes, from quests after unique objects to monologuing villains. “The third book,” Mitchell says, “has a young wizard in training so I will get to make ever so much fun of Harry Potter in it.”
Marcher Lord Press published the first book, Hero, Second Class, as part of its debut lineup. Book two, Hero in Hiding, releases in April 2011. Cyrus Solburg, now a Hero in all but paperwork, heads back to his uncle’s house in disgrace after the forces of good receive a crushing defeat in battle. But a peaceful life on the island of Starspeak isn’t an option with Evil now having the upper hand, and Cyrus is soon pulled back into the conflict. Toss in singing pirates, a talkative ninja, breakdancing communist dwarves, and a secret organization of villains and mercenaries going after an arch-villain and his army, and there’s sure to be adventure.
That adventure is the heart of his books, Mitchell says, but adds that the spleen of his novels is comedy. “Whether it’s just my turn of phrase or the really bad puns I put in, I live to make people laugh.”
Mitchell is currently making an intermittent attempt to get words on pages as he balances a full course load at the
University of Idaho, a part-time job, and writing the final book of the trilogy.