I love hypotheticals. In comic book parlance, these are “What Ifs?”, the act of asking a question and following the answer down whatever crazed rabbit hole you find. As a writer, that’s all you’re doing, really. You follow your story to its inevitable conclusion, regardless of the hurdles you– or the story– put in front of it. We deal with hypotheticals all day long, it’s our bread and butter, and for me, it’s the thing that drives creation.
My name is C H Wilkins, and I am a UK-based writer. I deal in weird tales and caped heroics, conspiracy theories and strange crimes, and in my new novel, CITIES ON FIRE, my “What If” is pretty simple…
What If… You put “The X-Files” in a blender with “The Avengers”?
In a world where colourful heroes fill the skies and dastardly villains lurk in the shadows, who’s looking out for the folks stuck in the middle? Sure, you can rely on the big brand heroes to save the world when aliens invade,. But if somebody who looks exactly like you steals your life savings, or you’re being haunted by ghosts of an alien race, who are you going to call?
The answer is Aleph, an international organisation tasked with policing all the weirdness that comes with living in a world where superpowers are commonplace and crimes are no longer as straightforward as they might have been.
CITIES ON FIRE takes place on new recruit Madison Myer’s first day with the organisation, when all hell breaks loose across the world. A rogue nation declares war! A long-dead supervillain hijacks the airwaves! A mysterious enemy targets key figures in Aleph’s leadership! Madison didn’t think she’d have it easy, but she never thought it’d get this hard, but soon she’s thrust onto the frontlines of a conspiracy with repercussions for the wider world.
While this is taking place, new evidence comes out suggesting that The Shrike, a disgraced superhero imprisoned for ten long, painful, years for a series of brutal murders… might not have been as guilty as everybody thought. How can you re-enter a world that turned its back on you, and what does it mean for the people you left behind? Or better yet, those who left you behind?
This is an Imaginary story… aren’t they all?
I’ve created a world where the kind of stories I grew up loving take place, inspired by the comic books of my youth but transposed to a literary setting where anything can happen on an unlimited special effects budget. I’m a 90s child who grew up reading stories where Superman transformed into electricity, where Spider-Man had a blond-haired clone, and the Avengers wasn’t the photogenic line-up from the films. Those stories had a sense of history and legacy, and I wanted to capture that same magic,. I’m convinced that if you create something you’re passionate about, then other people will be passionate about it too, I just hope that I can find an audience of young adults and beyond who are looking for dynamic adventures featuring characters that will find a place close to their hearts.
I’m inspired by all the media I’ve absorbed over the years,. Be it those superhero stories from the 90s and 00s, the lurid horror of the 80s, even the music and madness of the 60s and 70s. At the end of the day, it all comes together to create a world of my own, with inspirations worn squarely on its sleeve, that I can craft adventures from without hesitation. What more could you want?
TO BE CONTINUED…
CITIES ON FIRE is the first in a multi-book cycle of adventures, with the sequel, HISTORY IS A HAUNTED HOUSE, scheduled to come out in the Summer, and a subsequent instalment planned for the Winter months. My plan is to fully explore the international– and interstellar– setting of this universe, even if it takes years. If you’re a fan of bombastic superheroes, human drama, and the creeping sense of dread that comes with horror on a cosmic scale, then this book series is for you. I hope you join me on this journey!
You can buy CITIES ON FIRE directly from Amazon by clicking any of the links I’ve carefully hidden throghout this article, or by following this link here: https://amzn.eu/d/hvnEZVX
If you’re interested in learning more about the series (and me) please feel free to sign up to my mailing list over at https://chwilkins.substack.com/. I’m posting semi-weekly insights into how the story came about, general thoughts on writing, as well as supplemental material about the wider universe in which the book takes place.
