Rustin Petrae is the author of Indestructible PAST, the Histories of Purga Novels, the Bane Pack Novels, Hybrid Earth, and Forfeit. He is also a promotional design manager and graphic designer. Currently, he lives in Ohio but was actually born in San Antonio, TX. However, he spent most of his childhood and early adulthood overseas in Japan and Korea. Living among other cultures did a lot to expand his worldview and also helped shape his writing. Being an author was an ambition of his since early childhood. In fact, when asked what he wanted to be as part of a school project, he said he wanted to be either a cartoonist or an author. While he still draws here and there, he spends most of his time working to hone both his writing and graphic design skills. He’s written numerous short stories, flash fictions, a novellas, and seven novels. He also creates his own cover art and promotional materials.
Q: What is your book all about?
A: Indestructible:PAST is a story about two lifelong friends, Alex Porter and Darius Clarke, who are nearly done with college. Alex, however, hits a snag when he finds out he doesn’t have the money to pay the remainder of his tuition. Terrified that he will be kicked out when he is so close to obtaining his goal, he finds a source of quick cash in the form of a mysterious drug test run by the famous geneticist, Dr. Emil Tiberius. Scared to go through it alone, Alex decides to secretly sign up Darius too.
Despite the fact that both are terrified of what they might be walking into, they still go ahead with the test. The day of the trial comes and as soon as the experimental drug hits their system, it wreaks complete havoc on their bodies. Convulsions. Extreme agony. Even some electricity thrown in for good measure. They come out the other side alive, mostly okay, and with the money Alex so desperately needed. But that’s not the only thing they walked away with. There was something else.
Superpowers.
The drug has turned them into something more than human. Something strong and indestructible. They only find this out after getting run over by a car and walking away without a scratch. The only evidence of the wreck is their torn and shredded clothes. Now they have true power and they use that to take on a ruthless drug lord. But behind the scenes is a highly secret, government agency keeping a careful, ever-present eye on them.
For Darius, the powers are a blessing he uses for his own selfish gains.
For Alex, however, the cost of the powers becomes increasingly evident.
Their sanity.
Q: What inspired you to write the book?
A: I love superheroes. I’ve loved the idea of superheroes since I was a small child. XMen. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Dragonball Z. If it had any form of superhero in it, I was most likely a fan. That even carries on today. I always knew I wanted to write my own superhero story and when I was in high school, I started developing the idea with my friend and long time collaborator, Fredrick Allison Jr (creator, writer, and illustrator for Supers vs. Heroes). I took the initial idea from those high school conversations and developed that into the story it is now.
Q: What is your target audience for the book?
A: My target audience is primarily people around sixteen and up. And also for those that like reading stories involving anything superhero, sci-fi, or fantasy related. I always joke with people that I like to write about anything fantastical or out of the ordinary and don’t like to write about “the real world.”
Q: What do you hope readers will get from your book?
A: With all my books, I just want people to enjoy the story. Have fun. Get sucked into these worlds I’ve created. I want everyone to enjoy them as much as I’ve enjoyed the works of authors like Stephen King, Terry Brooks, Jim Butcher, and many more I have loved over the years.
Q: What are your future goals/plans for the book?
A: Indestructible:PAST is the first book in a planned three or four book series. Although it is not intended to be a stand alone book, whether I start on the next one really depends on how well it does and the demand for it. I have decided recently to switch my gears a bit and really focus on my passion project, the Avalon books. If Indestructible does well, however, I will definitely put more focus on the next two books in the series.
Q: And something more about yourself.
A: As I mentioned, I love anything related to superheroes and I am a massive fan of Marvel. I love pretty much all their content and even have a podcast called the Wonder Friends Podcast where I get to talk with Fredrick Allison Jr about the MCU, the X-Men movies, and a lot of other great franchises. You can find it on Spotify, iHeart, and most other podcast platforms.
To get up to date news on Rustin’s projects, freebies, and more, check out his official website at: rustinpetrae.com.
Connect with Rustin on: Facebook: RustinPetraeAuthor | Twitter: @RustinPetraeAGD | Instagram: @rustinpetraeagd
